'Lost crucial wickets at the end' – Chase rues middle-order collapse

The hosts had shown considerable application for most part of the opening day of the three-match series against England. Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell had negotiated the tricky early overs to deny Jimmy Anderson with the first new ball.

Then, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Chase raked up crucial half-centuries to take the Windies to a seemingly commanding position before Anderson swung the game back in England's favour with masterful control of the second new ball.

He accounted for the key wickets of Hope, Chase, Shane Dowrich and Jason Holder, and in doing so dismantled the home side's spine.

Chase, dismissed by a peach for 54, remained hopeful, however, given the young Hetmyer is still unbeaten. "We lost crucial wickets at the end," said Chase. "We were looking better when only four wickets were down, but we lost those wickets at the end. Would we have been happy with that score at the start of the day? Probably not.

"But Anderson is a quality bowler. He has 500-odd wickets and he bowled a brilliant spell. You have to give credit to him. He bowled tremendously.

"Hopefully, Hetmyer can take on the mantle and see if we can push on to get a good enough score. He has a heavy IPL contract, and he's showing why."

The Windies bowlers will have observed the manner in which England swung the ball for most of the day, and the misbehavior of the surface later in the day will encourage them further.

The likes of Holder, Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach have enjoyed good success in home conditions in recent months, and they will want to make an impact against England.

"The wicket has been doing a bit, especially at the end, so we'll see how it plays on the other days," Chase said. "The first day is always slow at the Kensington Oval but it quickens up on days two and three. Days four and five are unpredictable, and I can't say if the ball will bounce or keep low.

"If the variable bounce comes into play it will be harder to play fast bowling than spin, because it's harder to adjust with quicker bowling."