Three days late, the West Indies finally got around to playing proper Test cricket yesterday.

They were in distinct danger of following on at the start of the fourth day of the first Test but stout lower-order resistance, which sharply contrasted with the previous day’s carelessness, raised 94 runs for the last four wickets, not only averting the indignity but also occupying vital overs.

It still gave Zimbabwe a formidable lead of 172 with another 54 overs remaining for the day and a further 105

today to press for the victory that would end their losing streak of 11 Tests and commit the West Indies to another in their litany of overseas defeats.

The home team’s calculations were upset by the weather and by lively, accurate bowling from Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards and Vasbert Drakes who had all been to the fore in the earlier defiance.

Before the rain arrived, accompanied by distant thunder and spectacular fork lightning, to lop an hour and a quarter and 18 overs off the play, Collymore and Edwards already had a wicket each with Zimbabwe 45 for two.

Drakes earned two more through lbw decisions in the 16 overs available once play resumed before batsmen Craig Wishart and Stuart Mazakenyeri accepted the umpires’ offer to leave the field for fading light with five overs unused.

The decision was indicative of the shift in positions. Much of the ground was bathed in sunlight and, at 94 for four, Zimbabwe were ahead by 266 and needing as much time as they could get to make their play.

The equation left captain Heath Streak confronted by a ticklish balance. He would have to decide how many overs to give his bowlers to work on the unpredictable West Indies batting against how many runs to set a team that amassed a record 418 for seven to beat Australia in its last Test and has Brian Lara in its ranks.

He would want Zimbabwe to raise 100 more runs at least in another 30 overs or so. That would provide a lead of around 370 with 75 overs remaining and require a scoring rate of almost five an over to achieve.

On a wearing pitch presenting encouraging turn to their quality leftarm spinner, Ray Price, that should be enough encouragement, record or no record, Lara or no Lara.

Of course, it might not come down to a declaration. On yesterday’s performance, Collymore, Edwards and Drakes are capable of completing the job on their own.

A draw seems the most realistic outcome but victories for Zimbabwe and the West Indies, in that order, cannot be discounted. Whichever, it should amount to a riveting last day.

So it was yesterday as the West Indies finally displayed the fight and purpose missing when Zimbabwe built their position of strength over the first three days.

They denied Streak the follow-on option he took into the day as they carried their overnight 241 for six to 335 before they were all out 50 minutes after lunch,

The defiance was initially mounted by the overnight pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, their last specialist batsman, and Drakes who batted through the first hour and a half, adding 50.

The initiative was taken by Drakes, as orthodox a batsman as there is in the team.

He cut the straightforward offspinner Trevor Gripper for four and hoisted him high over midwicket for six in the same over to prompt the second new ball after 83 overs.

He then greeted Streak with an on drive and a Seymour Nurse stroke off the legs, both for four, and when Price returned swept him for another.

But when the two were out within four runs of each other, Chanderpaul lbw on the back foot to Streak, and Drakes caught at short extracover off Price for 31, the West Indies were still 13 short of the follow on goal.

Jerome Taylor, buoyed by the news that his back injury was not as serious as feared, erased it by twice clubbing Price to the midwicket boundary and, after he sneaked a catch to slip, Edwards and Collymore stayed together for 50 minutes adding 26 valuable last wicket runs.

Edwards lasted 53 balls for 18, Collymore struck around for 56 and, after the innings was ended with Price’s sixth wicket through Edwards’ lobbed catch to midoff, the two boys from Boscobel were soon back out to contribute with the new ball.

Vusi Sibana, a slim righthander on debut, displayed his style with two sweet off-drives off Edwards and another off Collymore, all for boundaries, before his aerial pull off Collymore was expertly intercepted twohanded by Daren Ganga, hurling himself to his right.

Generating speed clocked at 92 miles an hour for one ball, Edwards repeatedly passed the bat and had Ridley Jacobs gathering the ball above his head.

Mark Vermuelen was out to one of his bouncers in the first innings and it was not long before the bowler dished out the same dose.

Vermuelen was taken on the glove for a near lobbed catch to gully, prompting a tentative push two balls later that deflected the ball into Chanderpaul’s lap at third slip.

Gripper, adhesive by both name and nature, and Stuart Carlisle steadied things for over an hour on either side of the rain break but Drakes removed both with break backs off the pitch that gained umpire Simon Taufel’s approval.