BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Ramnaresh Sarwan collected his highest Test score, Denesh Ramdin completed his maiden Test hundred and West Indies battered England into submission to take a 149-run, first-innings lead in the fourth Test yesterday.

Sarwan's marathon innings ended on 291, Ramdin finally did justice to his talent with 166 and West Indies, replying to England's first innings total of 600 for six declared, were able to declare on 749 for nine about five minutes after the scheduled close on the penultimate day at Kensington Oval.

With two overs available to them before the close, West Indies restricted England to six without loss in their second innings.

For close to four hours, however, Sarwan and Ramdin batted with aplomb to add 261 which established a new ground record for the sixth wicket by any side.

Cornerstone

Their stand was also the cornerstone upon which West Indies also rewrote the record books for the highest team total on the ground, eclipsing Australia's 668 in 1955.

West Indies had virtually batted themselves into a safe place by the time Sarwan departed about 10 minutes before tea to hand England their first breakthrough for the day; and could even harbour thoughts of an unlikely victory when Ramdin was dismissed to prompt the declaration.

Graeme Swann distinguished his off-spin for the second straight match with five wickets for 165 runs from 50.4 overs and James Anderson finished with three for 125 from 37 overs to be the pick of the England bowlers.

Sarwan had batted through the morning session with Ramdin, and was 10 minutes away from batting through the afternoon session with the West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman, when he played a lazy drive at a full-length delivery from Ryan Sidebottom in the sixth over with the third new ball and was bowled off the inside edge.

Sarwan spent a little over 11-1/2 hours at the crease. He smote 30 fours and two sixes from 452 balls.

Astute batting

He passed his previous highest Test score of 261 not out against Bangladesh five years ago at Sabina Park in Jamaica, when he drove a full toss from Owais Shah, bowling his modest off-spin, through cover for a deuce.

But the loudest cheers around the ground were reserved for Ramdin. He has promised much, but delivered very little with the bat in his previous 32 Tests.

Benefitting from Sarwan's wise counsel and the docile pitch, he batted astutely and tickled Sidebottom to deep fine leg for a single to reach triple-figures for the first time in a Test.

But he was not finished. After Sarwan's departure, Jerome Taylor joined him and they continued to grind England.

Taylor took West Indies over the 600-run threshold, when he hooked Sidebottom over deep backward square leg, ironically for a six. He and Ramdin continued to enjoy themselves after they carried West Indies to 607 for six at tea.

Ramdin reached 150 from 251 balls, when he drove Swann inside-out to the long-off boundary for the 19th of his 20 fours.

Taylor then reached his 50 from 60 balls, when he cut Swann to third man for the last of his six fours, but two balls later, the off-spinner bowled him for 53.

West Indies' Denesh Ramdin jumps into the air in celebration after scoring a century during the fourth day of the fourth cricket Test match against England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday.

ENGLAND 1st Innings 600 for six declared

(A. Strauss 142, R. Bopara 104)

WEST INDIES 1st Innings