Chanderpaul and Bravo boost West Indies

West Indies 275 for 6 (Bravo 77, Chanderpaul 76) v England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

After an intriguing opening day of the third Test at Old Trafford, things were in the balance as West Indies closed at 275 for 6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo were the batting heroes, putting on a stand of 157 to steady the innings after a shaky start in which Brian Lara fell for a duck.

Considering his error of judgment in the first Test at Lord's, Lara had no hesitation in choosing to bat first this time when play started an hour late due to overnight rain. That delay and the cloudy skies always meant it was going to be unlikely to get the full 90 overs in, and play was abandoned shortly after the batsmen were offered the light with 19.1 overs still remaining.

After West Indies had wobbled to 108 for 4, their total represented a good day's work with the bat, but England won't be disheartened, especially as they took the wickets of Chanderpaul and Bravo shortly before the close. Indeed, it was England who struck first blood. On a hard and quick pitch, Stephen Harmison had Chris Gayle on the hop, hitting him twice on the body as he became increasingly unsettled at the crease. However, it was Matthew Hoggard who reaped the benefit when Gayle skewed him to Andrew Strauss, who took a comfortable catch at point (10 for 1).

Sylvester Joseph, the Antiguan opener making his Test debut, made a compact start. He had a scare on 14 when he hit a yorker from Harmison to point, where Ashley Giles appealed for the catch, but it was correctly deemed a bump-ball by Simon Taufel. As his confidence grew, Joseph blasted a Hoggard short ball through midwicket for four, and he survived the first hour to go lunch on 18 not out.

Ramnaresh Sarwan also made an assured start, clipping Harmison and Hoggard through the leg side for four, and then swatting Harmison through mid-on. Sarwan was in good form, playing straight as much as possible as he and Joseph pushed the score along. He glided Andrew Flintoff past mid-on, and then slashed the inconsistent James Anderson over the slips for his fifth four.

However, as he has done regularly this summer, Flintoff changed the game, this time with two quick wickets. He toiled away manfully and was rewarded for his efforts when Sarwan played on for 40. He attempted to drive a full one outside off, but the ball took the inside edge and crashed into the stumps via the back pad (85 for 2).

England nearly had another scalp when Joseph was dropped, on 35, by Graham Thorpe at second slip off Anderson. Joseph crunched his bat down on an awayswinger, which flew to Thorpe, but he fumbled the chance.

However, England had soon forgotten about that when Flintoff sent Lara back for a duck - and still seven short of his 10,000th Test run. Lara shuffled way across his stumps as Flintoff fired in a yorker from over the wicket which thudded low into the leg stump (97 for 3).

Joseph kept going, though, spanking Flintoff past mid-off, but he was then undone by Harmison. Joseph had left the ball well throughout his innings, but this time he wafted at a delivery outside off, and Thorpe made up for his earlier fumble at second slip. Joseph departed for a gutsy 46 (108 for 4).

Another collapse threatened, but Chanderpaul and Bravo slowly got things back together for West Indies with a steady stand. Chanderpaul punched Hoggard straight down the ground, and Bravo got off the mark by guiding Harmison to third man for four. As the pressure eased, the pair became more positive.

Bravo brought up the fifty partnership soon after tea by flicking Giles to the square-leg boundary, and then cut him for four past point. That was just the start. He then twice drove Giles through the covers - the second of which went through Harmison's legs and signalled the 200. Next stop was his maiden Test half-century, which he brought up by chopping Flintoff past point for three.

Chanderpaul, meanwhile, was just as industrious. He cut Flintoff for four and flicked an attempted yorker through the leg side. Chanderpaul later signalled his half-century in style, with a six over the wicketkeeper's head off Flintoff.

Bravo then dished out the treatment to Hoggard, smacking him for three fours through the leg side, but just as England were becoming desperate, Hoggard got his revenge when Bravo flashed at a wide one and was well caught by Geraint Jones, diving to his right (265 for 5).

It was the same combination which struck for England in the following over when Chanderpaul tamely feathered a regulation delivery behind for 76 (266 for 6). It was a soft end to an innings full of determination.

Carlton Baugh and Dave Mohammed then played out the final few overs before they were offered the light at 5.50pm, shortly before the rain started hammering down in earnest.