Andrew Strauss reaped the rewards for his hard work and perseverance by making his first major contribution of the series to prevent West Indies taking control of the final npower Test.

The Middlesex left-hander has struggled to score runs consistently for the best part of a year, prompting critics like Geoff Boycott to suggest he missed the finale to this series against West Indies and return to county cricket to rediscover his form.

But Strauss' selection proved to be a master-stroke on the third day after he scored an unbeaten 72 - his highest score since last summer - to hold England's innings together after they lost three wickets in 17 balls in the final overs of the day.

His mixture of determination and application guided England to 121 for four in reply to West Indies' 287, a total aided by a stubborn 58-run last wicket stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Corey Collymore.

Strauss had clearly analysed his struggles - he has not scored a century in his last 17 Test innings and today's innings was only his second half-century in his last 16 attempts - and decided attack was the best form of defence.

Instead of the nervous and timid batsman who had struggled through the previous Tests this summer, Strauss took the initiative and sought to exploit any loose bowling provided by West Indies' wayward attack.

While he earned some overdue luck, his colleagues at the other end were not so fortunate with Cook edging an attempted leg-glance behind off Edwards while captain Michael Vaughan scratched around for nearly two hours for just 19.

As the close approached to the first full day's play of the Test, Vaughan's luck ran out and he pushed forward to Edwards and edged to Bravo at slip with only two overs remaining.

England elected to send Matthew Hoggard out as a nightwatchman, but he lasted only four balls before driving at Collymore and finding the safe hands of Chris Gayle at slip.

West Indies' critical finale to the day was completed by Kevin Pietersen attempting to pull Edwards off the final ball of the day and getting a bottom edge behind to Ramdin.

The tourists had earlier resumed on a healthy 132 for four with ambitions of reaching around 300 only to suffer yet another collapse to the accurate swing bowling of Sidebottom.

Recalled by newly-installed coach Peter Moores when Hoggard suffered a thigh strain during the opening Test, Sidebottom has been a revelation and claimed the first five-wicket haul of his Test career.

It was Hoggard who broke West Indies' stubborn 86-run fifth wicket stand in the fifth over of the day with Dwayne Bravo mis-timing an attempted pull and knocking out his leg-stump off the bottom edge.

While Chanderpaul remained defiant at the other end, showing his mastery of seam and swing bowling in a similar manner to the way he overcame the dramatic turn at Old Trafford, he found little support from the rest of his team.

Marlon Samuels stuck around for 73 minutes and helped add 58 until he was bowled around his legs by Sidebottom and the resistance from West Indies appeared to be broken.

Sidebottom claimed two of the next three wickets to fall inside the next four overs to leave the tourists struggling on 229 for nine and Chanderpaul concerned about his chances of scoring back to back hundreds on 98.

But instead of fold, West Indies frustrated England for a further 24 overs with Collymore helping Chanderpaul finish unbeaten on 136 and take his time at the crease during this series to over 20 hours - despite missing the Headingley Test with knee problems