Last-men standing Leach, Mahmood rescue England in 3rd Test

A 90-run last-wicket partnership between Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood rescued England from a desperate position before they were finally dismissed in the last over of the day for 204 on day one of the third and final Test against the West Indies on Thursday.

All looked lost for the tourists when Chris Woakes became fast bowler Jayden Seales' third wicket at the start of the final session at 114 for nine, a situation which fully justified home captain Kraigg Brathwaite's decision on winning the toss to bowl first on a pitch which appeared to have much more for the bowlers than in the tedious, drawn first two Tests in Antigua and Barbados.

However Leach, who was elevated to almost legendary status after his memorable match-winning last-wicket partnership in support of Ben Stokes at Leeds in the 2019 Ashes series, found a sturdy partner in Mahmood and the pair rode their luck, frustrating the West Indies through almost the entire final session.

They were so well set that they saw off the second new ball comfortably and it was only in the last over of the day, with Mahmood within a run of a maiden first-class half-century, that ambition got the better of him and he dragged a delivery from Jermaine Blackwood onto his stumps to depart crestfallen for 49.

Leach, who will be expected to do a lot of bowling again with his left-arm spinners in the latter stages of the match, was unbeaten on 41 after more than two hours of vigilance.

With the next best batting effort being 31 from Alex Lees at the top of the order, this was only the second time in the 145-year history of Test cricket - Tom Garrett and Edwin Evans, also for England, against Australia at Sydney in 1885 is the only other occasion - that the number ten and 11 in the batting