Lara is back to his best

When play resumed after a four-hour delay for rain, there was more than a hint that the genius within might reappear.

Helped by an easy-paced pitch, St John’s in Antigua is reputed to be the best in the Caribbean despite being tended by one of the most feared bowlers of his generation, Andy Roberts, and by his own fond memories of breaking Sir Garfield Sobers’ record of highest test score here in 1994 when he amassed 375 against England, he settled into a comfortable rhythm. The feet moved precisely and the tentative pushes outside off-stump that have plagued him recently were gone. In their place was certainty, either when leaving the ball or defending, and crisp aggression when attacking.

A Lara square cut or cover drive is one of the more aesthetically pleasing spectacles in world cricket and one off Simon Jones moments after reaching his half-century was reminiscent of him at his best.

The short hop into position with the high back-lift putting the blade toe-end up like a periscope was followed by a grand flourish through the line of the ball and a jaunty jog to the other end as the ball rebounded off the boundary wall at extra-cover. The England fans, so joyous in their celebrations in Barbados applauded, knowing that a day of Lara might not help their plans for a 4-0 series win but would provide memories of a lifetime.

And if the hosts are going to avoid the ignominy of being the first West Indian team whitewashed on their own islands, he will need to post a big score.

Ideally they want a score in excess of 400 and for the first time this series they actually performed in the first session. Chris Gayle certainly did as he punched, drove and cut his way to his 14th test half-century. Predominantly an off-side and back-foot player - a situation dictated by his wide-legged stance - he benefited from the slightly slower pace, thumping a series of boundaries through the cover region off all bowlers and just as importantly, showed some responsibility in his shot selection that could only ever be an improvement from the horrid swipe he essayed in the second innings of the last test.

His dismissal was rather disappointing though when he lost concentration the over before lunch and chipped a catch back to the off-spinner, Gareth Batty. Only selected because Ashley Giles was incapacitated with a stomach upset, the Worcestershire bowler was brought on for the final over before the break and with Michael Vaughan tormented Gayle’s patience by delaying deliveries with field changes.

Ramnawesh Sarwan then partnered his captain and sensibly. Some elegant shots through mid-wicket and keen running between the wickets helped Lara sustain momentum and they reached 180-2 with few alarms which was essential as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, so often the accumulator in the middle order, was dropped by the selectors. With a test average of 42, comfortably above the generally accepted benchmark of 40 for a high-class test batsman, it could be considered harsh, but in reality it was humane as Chanderpaul had been listless since the death of a friend earlier in the winter when he was away touring South Africa.

Batty was introduced to try and stem the runs that started to come more easily and Andy Flintoff reverted to a more negative mode by bowling wide of off-stump to Lara with a densely packed off-side field.

A dramatic change for England’s bowlers who have been used to dictating to the batsmen but a necessary one because if Lara gets settled he can take a good total and make it an imposing one in an hour or two. They know that and that is why the celebrations for an edge behind when he first came to the crease were so voluble. Alas for the bowler, Harmison, Darryl Hair disagreed. The replays on TV were inconclusive and despite their being an audible ‘nick’ sound, Lara did not turn his head to follow the ball to the skip cordon. This is an instinctive reaction when a batsman has edged the ball, although not foolproof when combined with the other evidence suggests the decision was correct. As was the earlier LBW given by the Pakistani umpire, Aleem Dar. Standing in only his seventh test match and for the fifth time with England, he has already helped the game by improving the standard of umpiring which had previously been poor in this series.

Not that Harmison would have agreed as he formally issued him with a first warning for running down the pitch in only the fourth over of the day.

England’s debutant Geraint Jones, selected for his greater talent in front of the stumps than Chris Read, had better not drop any catches that come. Michael Vaughan as good as promised him a run in the side during the previous day’s press conference, but if he drops Lara he might find that a hollow statement. Such is the threat of the Trinidadian.

Runs may be vital from a wicket-keeper but not if they concede many more with poor glove-work.