Moeen Ali's quickfire 84 sends England on way to victory

Moeen Ali acknowledges the applause after reaching his half century. Picture: PA.

The tourists have had their noses in front for the majority of the match but fell foul of England’s deep batting reserves as Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Moeen all followed Mark Stoneman past 50 in a collective show of strength with which they surpassed their wildest dreams to declare 321 ahead on 490 for eight.

Moeen’s 93-ball 84 was the largest and the most bruising of those knocks, though Sundaram Ravi’s contentious no-ball shout spared him on 32 and the West Indies added another shocking drop to their collection when Malan had the same score.

England skipper Root’s sporty declaration allowed his bowlers six overs before stumps but Kieran Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite held on for stumps at five without loss.

The 490 for eight declared that England amassed at Headingley is their highest ever Test total when no individual has gone on to record a century, eclipsing the 477 for nine they registered against South Africa at the same ground. Instead, England’s collective efforts have put them in the driving seat.

Jason Holder’s insistence on largely preferring Roston Chase ahead of Devendra Bishoo has divided opinion but it was a decision that bore fruit midway through the afternoon. With England 134 ahead and seemingly in no apparent danger, Chase removed set batsmen Stokes and Malan as well as Jonny Bairstow in the space of 22 balls. His spell blew the match wide open but the Windies were unable to take advantage... and that was largely due to the brilliance of Moeen and Woakes, an enviable pair to have at eight and nine in the order.

While Moeen was given a life on 32 after umpire Ravi blundered by wrongly signalling a no-ball when Bishoo had the left-hander caught behind, the England pair were able to accumulate quickly to swing the pendulum firmly in England’s favour.

Much has been made of England’s top order struggles, with the positions of Stoneman, Tom Westley and Malan apparently vulnerable ahead of this winter’s Ashes.

Malan had the chance to ink in his spot but was perpetually out of sorts during his innings: he should have been out on four but survived because the Windies failed to review a caught behind on Sunday while he was dropped on 32 on Monday after edging Holder to first slip.

That he came through to get to a second half-century in three innings – a nugget knock of 61 from 186 deliveries that allowed those below him to capitalise – says much for his character. Whether it will be enough for a plane ticket to Australia is another story.

Even England’s official Twitter account had to acknowledge the Middlesex left-hander looked ill-at-ease at the crease but his battling 61 could yet prove crucial.