Lara hands initiative to West Indies

His team needed it, he wanted it, and, with the inevitability of the storm after the calm, Brian Lara duly delivered it. A century of stunning individuality and technical brilliance stole the high ground from England yesterday.

Indeed Lara may just have created the position from which his side can go on to win the third Test.

Lara made 112 in a little more than three hours of blissful batting either side of the lunch interval and may have made a bagful more had not Nasser Hussain's mid-wicket alertness and laser-like throw caught him backing up too enthusiastically.

He and his phlegmatic captain Jimmy Adams added 138 for the fourth wicket. Together they hauled West Indies from the dangerous waters of 164 for three - effectively 20 for three - to a much safer haven. The runs dried to a trickle with Lara's departure as England regained a hold, but by the close West Indies had reached 381 for six, Adams having become an lbw victim for Dominic Cork shortly before the close for 53.

The lead, then, is 235. England believe that even 250 is gettable on what has been a thoroughly good Test pitch, although Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose will have observed with some anticipation the variable bounce that Andy Caddick and Darren Gough began to extract as the day wore on.

But however much they would like to do so, they cannot bowl for ever and, instead, the most likely outcome is a draw, given the increasingly sluggish pace of the pitch, the lack of first-rate bowling back-up to Walsh and Ambrose, the need for West Indies to put the game beyond England's reach, and a variable weather forecast.

Lara's innings was a struggle initially as first the England pace men and then Robert Croft, on a pitch affording promise for his offspin, contrived to bottle him up as best they could. There was a searing square slash off Gough and then he hit Croft massively over long on. But he took 46 balls to reach 30 and his half-century immediately after lunch, from 64 balls, contained only three fours and a six.

The advent of the second new ball, invitingly hard and arriving more readily on to the bat, signalled Lara's gear change. While Adams stood back, there was a calculated assault on Caddick that forced him out of the attack, and four overs from Gough produced 20 runs as 40 came in seven overs. Caddick changed ends and still Lara attacked him. The shot that took him to three figures from only 116 balls was his 12th boundary.

The end was as unexpected as it was a welcome respite for England. Adams had played Craig White to mid-wicket and almost immediately put his hand up to prevent the run. However Lara heard Adams's urgent call too late and Hussain, darting in and relying more on instinct than dead aim, threw down the stumps at the bowler's end with the batsman a foot short of the crease.