Tino Best struck the highest score by a Test number 11 as the West
Indies all but ended England's chances of completing a series whitewash
at Edgbaston.
Best smashed 95 in a thrilling last-wicket partnership
of 143 with Denesh Ramdin, who scored 107 not out as the Windies took
their first-innings total from an overnight 280-8 to 426.
England lost their top three batsmen
cheaply before Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell steadied the ship with a
fluent partnership of 137.
Pietersen was caught at slip off Marlon Samuels for 78
and Jonny Bairstow was clean bowled by Best for 18, but Bell remained
unbeaten on 76 as England reached 221-5 at the close, still 205 behind.
With only one day's play remaining, and rain forecast, a draw seems inevitable, but thanks to the heroics of Best an otherwise forgettable Test will live long in the memory.
When the Windies lost their ninth wicket in the first over of the day, it appeared England would soon be setting about overhauling a total of less than 300.
He became the first number 11 to score a fifty against England since 1906, launching into an exuberant arm-wheeling celebration on reaching the mark.
He surpassed India paceman Zaheer Khan's record for a number 11 of 75 with a four over gully then hammered Tim Bresnan's next ball over the bowler's head for six.
Meanwhile Ramdin, dropped by Pietersen in the gully on 69, played watchfully at the other end before accelerating through the nineties to bring up his second Test century - and first for 22 innings - off 160 balls.
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