BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (Reuters) - All-rounder Andrew Flintoff took a career-best five for 58 as England continued their domination of West Indies into day one of the third Test.
Trailing 2-0 in the four-match series, West Indies recovered from a poor start to reach 167 for three only to self-destruct, all out for 224 with their last seven wickets falling for 57.
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit half-centuries for the home side before England closed on 20 for one, with the out-of-form Marcus Trescothick back in the pavilion.
While strike bowler Steve Harmison stole the headlines in Jamaica and Trinidad, it was Flintoff's turn to excel as the touring side edged closer to their first series win in the Caribbean since 1968 in front of a crowd dominated by English chants.
``It took a while,'' grinned Flintoff after his first five-wicket haul in his 32nd Test. ``Hopefully I can kick on from here.
``It was quite embarrassing, leading the team off.''
Put in, West Indies made another poor, if unfortunate, start as openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga fell for six and 11 respectively, both victims of questionable lbw decisions by umpires Rudi Koertzen and Darrell Hair.
Ganga, however, had received a fortunate lbw reprieve shortly before fatally offering no stroke to Harmison.
Captain Brian Lara elevated himself to number three and the captain was off the mark first ball, flicking seamer Matthew Hoggard to fine leg for two runs.
As the early life in the pitch dulled, Sarwan and Lara, who came into the match with 31 runs from four innings, began to look more at ease and the pair edged to 71 for two at lunch.
Critical of himself for his excess movement at the crease in the first two Tests, a more settled Lara hit six boundaries to reach 36 but, with the total on 88, he forgot to move his feet and edged a simple catch to Mark Butcher in the gully.
BUTCHER BLUNDER
Butcher then dropped a simple catch in the slips off Chanderpaul and the left-hander made him pay as, for the first time in the series, West Indies dug in and battled.
Sarwan survived two shouts for a catch by wicketkeeper Chris Read to reach his 19th Test 50, including six fours and West Indies reached tea on 155 for three.
The final session, however, was all England, even after Hoggard limped off the field.
Sarwan was the first to go, caught for 63 by Flintoff at second slip off Harmison, who took three for 42.
Ryan Hinds, back in the side after illness, fell cheaply trying to hook Flintoff, caught by Simon Jones at deep fine leg and Jones removed Ridley Jacobs before he got going.
But while Chanderpaul, who reached his 30th Test half-century with a flick through the leg side, was still there, West Indies still harboured hopes of a decent total.
Flintoff, however, put paid to that. Butcher was again the guilty party in dropping Tino Best second ball before the all-rounder finished West Indies off, removing first Chanderpaul (50) then Best (17) and Fidel Edwards (0) with the last two balls of the innings.
That left England with 12 overs to negotiate, Trescothick failing again as he edged Edwards into his stumps after making two.
WEST INDIES first innings
C.Gayle lbw b Hoggard 6
D.Ganga lbw b Harmison 11
B.Lara c Butcher b Flintoff 36
R.Sarwan c Thorpe b Flintoff 63
S.Chanderpaul c Thorpe b Flintoff 50
R.Hinds c Jones b Harmison 5
R.Jacobs c sub. (Collingwood) b Flintoff 6
T.Best c Butcher b Flintoff 17
P.Collins c Trescothick b Jones 7
C.Collymore not out 1
F.Edwards c Read b Flintoff 0
Extras: (lb-14, w-1, nb-7) 22
Total: (all out, 75.2 overs) 224
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-20, 3-88, 4-167, 5-179, 6-197, 7-198, 8-208, 9-224.