CRICKET NEWS - Ben Stokes stole England teammate James Anderson's show with a sizzling six-wicket haul as West Indies slumped to 123 all out before the visitors roared back on an extraordinary opening day of the series-deciding third test at Lord's on Thursday.
With all eyes on Anderson as he edged towards his 500th test wicket it was allrounder Stokes who ripped through the West Indies either side of tea with career-best figures of 6-22 from 14.3 almost unplayable overs.
The flame-haired 26-year-old seemed to have given England a stranglehold on the winner-takes-all match but by the close of play on a murky day made for swing bowling West Indies had reduced their hosts to 46 for four, still 77 runs behind.
Kemar Roach removed opening duo Mark Stoneman and Alastair Cook, both nicking behind to keeper Shane Dowrich.
Skipper Jason Holder had under-pressure batsman Tom Westley lbw and then captured the prize wicket of Joe Root for one to keep alive West Indies' dream of a first series win in England since 1988.
England were 24 for four at that stage before Stokes and Dawid Malan saw the hosts through to the close without further loss.
"It was a difficult pitch to bat on, we would have liked to have had only one or two wickets down but overall we are happy," Stokes, who grabbed his first five-wicket haul at the historic London ground to become only the eighth player to get his name on both Lord's honours boards, said.
Difficult was something of an understatement as batsmen from both sides endured a torrid day, with the ball hopping around under the Lord's lights that blazed under grey skies.
The toss was one neither West Indies skipper Holder or Root would have relished winning but Holder guessed right and felt obliged to bat first, hoping his side could reproduce the form that earned them a stunning five-wicket win at Headingley having been thrashed in the first test at Edgbaston.
