SQUEAKY BRUM TIME

Windies fight back with three late wickets to give Stokes and Co the jitters after quickie Gus stars

- NEIL MOXLEY

GUS ATKINSON led from the front for England but the Windies hit back with a devastating three-wicket late show.

The quickie provided the spearhead demanded by Ben Stokes as he snapped up another four scalps.

After extracting life from a flat track, it appeared that Atkinson and his colleagues had taken the initiative to put the visitors on the back foot.

But in 35 crazy minutes before the close, Kraigg Brathwaite's men issued a sharp reminder that they are not going down without a fight as they returned three batters to the hutch.

Although skipper Stokes will have been happy having dismissed the visitors for 282, those eight overs of drama would have given him food for thought.

After progressing without too many scares to 29 without loss, the hosts' world suddenly caved in and England lost Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to successive deliveries. Nightwatchman Mark Wood was then snapped up in the slips by Jason Holder, leaving the match delicately poised.