Windies hits back after Stokes snares six

Fourteen wickets tumbled on a fascinating first day of the third and deciding Test at Lord's on Thursday (September 7), with England perhaps marginally in front of Windies.

England had reached 46 for 4 when bad light ended play in reply to Windies' 123 all out -- a deficit of 77 runs -- with the three-match series all square at 1-1.

Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes were both unbeaten on 13 after Jason Holder, the Windies captain, had taken 2 for 18 in six overs.

When Stokes claimed Test-best figures of 6 for 26 in 14.3 unchanged overs either side of tea, it seemed as if the Headingley Test, which Windies won by five wickets, was an aberration in the series narrative.

But a mere 19 overs later, England found itself in similar trouble.

Mark Stoneman was caught behind for one off Kemar Roach before Alastair Cook (10) was dismissed in similar fashion.

Tom Westley then was plumb lbw to Holder for eight -- his fifth successive single-figure score in Test cricket -- before the paceman struck again at the start of his next over to have Joe Root, the opposing captain and star batsman, well caught for just one by Kieran Powell in the slips.

Earlier, Stokes bettered his previous Test-best of 6 for 36 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015.

Only Powell (39) and Shai Hope (29), fresh from his twin hundreds at Headingley, offered some resistance for Windies with a third-wicket stand of 56 after Holder won the toss.

The morning began with James Anderson on the brink of becoming the first England bowler to take 500 Test wickets, but he remained one wicket shy of the milestone after picking up 2 for 31 in 16 overs.

Anderson had Kraigg Brathwaite -- who made 134 and 95 in Leeds -- caught behind for 10 to leave Windies 18 for 1.

After a 40-minute rain break, Kyle Hope was out for a duck off Anderson, and Windies was 22 for 2.

It was Toby Roland-Jones, who took 2 for 32, and Stokes who shared the remaining Windies wickets.

Stokes then squared up Roston Chase (18) with the delivery of the day that kissed the top of off-stump before mopping off the tail in a searing spell of three for none in six balls.