Flintoff weighs in after the bell

England 313 for 5 (Flintoff 72*, Jones 22*) v West Indies
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

On a day of fluctuating fortunes for both teams, England took control of the fourth Test at The Oval, with half-centuries from Michael Vaughan (66), Andrew Flintoff (72 not out) and, on his Test debut, Ian Bell (70). Together, they extinguished West Indies' hopes of a fightback after England had been reduced to a precarious 64 for 3 shortly after lunch.

The rain and cloud cover that had been around in the morning gave way to sunshine and blue skies in the afternoon, and England's batting brightened up accordingly: after Vaughan and Bell's 146-run partnership had taken the fight out of West Indies, Flintoff took full advantage of the deflated attack when he came in to bat after tea, adding a further 77 with Geraint Jones to take England's score to 313 for 5.

In a stodgy morning session, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss had added a steady 51 for the first wicket before Strauss top-edged a pull off Jermaine Lawson and Fidel Edwards took a good catch at midwicket. Trescothick looked in good form, hitting six fours in his 30, but he couldn't capitalise on his good start either, and chipped a catch to Ramnaresh Sarwan at square leg off a leg-stump half volley from Edwards (64 for 2).

The West Indian fightback really took off in the next over, as Robert Key bottom-edged a short ball from Dwayne Bravo through to Carlton Baugh behind the stumps and was out for 10 (64 for 3). But that wicket brought Vaughan and Bell together, and after battling through a testing spell from Edwards, they set about tilting the game back in England's favour.

Bell had a jittery start to Test cricket, and was given a torrid time by Edwards. He needed the attention of the physio after being struck painfully on the shoulder by a sharp bouncer, but after getting off the mark with a sliced cut over the slips for four, Bell calmed down and started to play more confidently.

Vaughan, growing in confidence himself, smashed Dwayne Smith through the covers in classic style to take England's score to 99, and scampered through for a leg bye to bring up the hundred next ball, and then the batsmen really started to increase the tempo. Lawson was removed from the attack after a wayward three-over spell, and Vaughan climbed into Smith, hitting him for three fours in an over as England slowly started to take the game away from West Indies. On a pitch that is becoming better and better for batting, even the normally economical Chris Gayle went for runs, being slashed behind point by Bell and then driven and cut by Vaughan as the runs continued to flow.

Bell came into his own after tea, effortlessly easing Edwards behind point for a boundary in the second over of the session. Vaughan, meanwhile, brought up his 10th Test half-century, in his 50th Test, with a glanced four to fine leg, also off Edwards. Bell wasn't far behind him, driving Corey Collymore a little airily behind point, and then pulling him through midwicket for consecutive fours to move to 46. He rode his luck, with a top-edged pull off Edwards falling short of Collymore at fine leg, but then brought up a maiden Test half-century with a drive through mid-off for four.

Bell kept up the momentum thereafter, cutting Collymore for another four in the same over, and smashing Lawson through midwicket to take his partnership with Vaughan to 132 - England's highest fourth-wicket partnership against West Indies at The Oval. Further boundaries from both batsmen off Bravo and Lawson carried England's score past 200, but shortly afterwards Bell's fine debut innings came to an end when he edged a rising delivery from Lawson through to Baugh (210 for 4).

Flintoff wasted no time setting about the West Indies attack, and his first shot, a pull off Bravo, went for four through Lawson's legs on the boundary. Flintoff followed that up with an unusually delicate glanced boundary, and, two overs later, a strong on-drive, both off Lawson. Bravo, Brian Lara's bowling trump card in this series, struck back with the vital wicket of Vaughan, caught by Lara himself at first slip for 66 (236 for 5), but Flintoff was unfazed, pulling and driving Lawson for three more fours in the very next over.

In next to no time Flintoff had rushed to a half-century off just 51 balls - he has now scored at least 50 in each of his last eight Tests - and for once he totally outscored Geraint Jones in their partnership, scoring 40 of their first 50 runs. Flintoff slowed down a little after reaching his fifty, as Lara tried to slow the scoring rate by keeping the old ball, but England are, yet again, in the driving seat, and it will take a notable performance from one of the West Indians for them to claw their way back into this match.