The Best just got better

"The original tearaway": that was how one of the many former England captains now enjoying the media high life described Tino la Bertram Best at the start of this Test. And today Tino, along with a few rushes of blood by the batsmen, helped tear away England's best-laid plans, which involved gaining a significant first-innings advantage in this toe-to-toe encounter.

Never mind that West Indies didn't have their guru (Brian Lara) or golden boy (Fidel Edwards) for part of that crucial morning session - Tino stepped up to prove he was the best of the rest. Like a cocky first-former in the playground, Best wasn't afraid to rough up the big boys. But surely he had picked a fight with the wrong guys - a former head prefect in Nasser Hussain, and a notoriously bad boy in Graham Thorpe? But he hadn't. Just when West Indies needed a boost, Best sparked the team - and a previously indifferent crowd - into life with his in-your-face, up-and-at-'em style. It was a crucial passage of play.

Thorpe should know better than to get involved in petty squabbles, but Best brought out the worst in him. It was a case of short ball after short ball, followed by eyeball to eyeball. Best held out the bait, and Thorpe couldn't resist a bite. Not a bad fish for your first catch - and didn't Tino know it, punching the air and wriggling around as if he had just sent the Reggae Boyz through to the final of the World Cup. Whatever happened to the days of a firm handshake and a pat on the back? But never mind Tino's theatricals, that was the moment which guided a rudderless West Indian side back on the right course.

You can usually count on Hussain to put a jumped-up junior back in his place, but he too was muscled out of the way, and Best was then happy to pick a fight with whoever was next - in this case, the biggest of England's boys, Andrew Flintoff. The size difference didn't matter to Best, who bustled in with passion and pride until the bell for lunch came at the right time for England. Best later bullied Chris Read back to the classroom, but he didn't get the better of Flintoff.

Flintoff is maturing into a genuine No. 6, rather than the six-and-out merchant that he sometimes was previously. He glided effortlessly along, with none of those cracking, carefree crowd-pleasers. He also forced Lara onto the back foot, making him bring on the spinners to hurry through to have a pop with the new cherry. But, like Thorpe, Flintoff gave his much-sought wicket away in a moment of rank carelessness. If England are serious about winning here for the first time in that now-renowned stretch of 36 years, those sort of moments of madness will have to be subtracted from the winning formula for it to have any chance of success.

The tail, and a ridiculous amount of extras, did help them to a slender lead, but honours ended even for the third consecutive day. England had the opportunity to take that crucial step ahead today, but Tino the tearaway didn't let them.

Freddie Auld, Wisden Cricinfo's assistant editor, is following England in Jamaica and Trinidad.