West Indies vs England 2nd Test: Brathwaite hits 160 but Joe Root's side lead by 136 runs at Day 4 stumps

A second test between West Indies and England that has been compelling only for the purist may yet produce a bit of excitement if the tourists push on quickly early on the final day in Barbados. England had an overall lead of 136 runs without loss at stumps in their second innings at Kensington Oval and found themselves in a remarkably similar position to last week's first test.

On that occasion, in Antigua, they were 153 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand at the same stage, and captain Joe Root subsequently declared in time to give his bowlers 70 overs to dismiss West Indies a second time. It was not to be, as the hosts ultimately survived comfortably but not without some nervous moments after losing four wickets in the first 35 overs before seeing out the match without further loss.

But if West Indies avoid defeat on Sunday it will be mainly due to the Herculean performance of captain Kraigg Brathwaite , who batted for nearly 12 hours before being bowled for 160. Brathwaite faced 489 balls, 487 more than fellow opener John Campbell, when his defences were finally breached by spinner Jack Leach with a delivery that turned enough to beat the bat and clip off stump.

His feat, aided by a century from Jermaine Blackwood, enabled West Indies to compile 411 runs and give England a 96-run first innings lead on a pitch that England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel described as "turgid". After toiling for 187.5 overs in the field, England were 40 without loss at stumps. Openers Alex Lees (18) and Zak Crawley (21) were mostly untroubled apart from an lbw decision against Crawley that was overturned on review.

SECOND-HIGHEST SCORE

If Brathwaite's second-highest test score was testimony to his powers of concentration, Leach also displayed relentless accuracy in his 69.5 overs, finishing with figures of 3-118. Debutants Saqib Mahmood (2-58) and Matt Fisher (1-67) were tidy but not overly dangerous for the most part.

"Quality, that could be questioned a little bit," former England bowler Steve Harmison said of the England bowling.

"West Indies, I thought they batted beautifully, set the game up to put the game back in England's court."

Brathwaite's batting performance is unlikely to win any new converts to the five-day game, but his utter determination not to give away his wicket cheaply was something that has been too often lacking from some of his team mates in recent times. He went 30 consecutive balls without scoring at one stage just before lunch, eliciting a sarcastic cheer from the crowd when he finally pushed the ball for a couple of runs.

Brathwaite was not that far away from breaking Brian Lara's record for the most balls faced by a West Indies batter - Lara faced 582 balls in making an unbeaten 400 against England in 2004. The final test of the series starts in Grenada next Thursday.