England v West Indies, third Test, day two – as it happened

West Indies finished an excellent day’s play on 93 for three, a lead of 22, after the great James Anderson became the first Englishman to take 500 Test wickets

9.15pm BST

Related: Jimmy Anderson’s 500th Test wicket bore all the hallmarks of his first | Andy Bull

8.43pm BST

Vic Marks’s day two report from Lord’s

Related: Jimmy Anderson reaches 500 mark as England hit back at West Indies

7.34pm BST

31st over: West Indies 93-3 (S Hope 35, Chase 3) England crowd Chase for the final over of the day, with four slips, a gully, short leg and leg slip. It’s not a great over, however, and Chase survives comfortably. The West Indies will lead by 22 overnight after another fascinating day, in which James Anderson took his 500th Test wicket and then got in a rare old huff. Thanks for your company, goodnight.

7.29pm BST

30th over: West Indies 93-3 (S Hope 35, Chase 3) Anderson has changed ends. He should be able to get off the pitch easier, because of the slope, and he’s no longer at Marais Erasmus’s end. His first delivery is a nasty lifter that Hope deals with beautifully, softening his hands to drop it short of gully. There should be time for one last over.

7.25pm BST

29th over: West Indies 93-3 (S Hope 35, Chase 3) Anderson is still moaning at Erasmus. I’m not sure why, because replays show he was running on the pitch. The umpiring in this game has been almost perfect. Anyway, Anderson’s been replaced by Stuart Broad, a sensible decision from Root. He probably wasn’t expecting to bowl, and his first delivery is a wide loosener that Hope slams square on the off side for four. It’s increasingly hard not to get carried away about how good he could be. He’s almost comically calm. If you drop a marmot in the bath his heart wouldn’t skip a beat.

7.21pm BST

28th over: West Indies 88-3 (S Hope 30, Chase 3) Shai Hope plays another sizzling drive between extra cover and mid off for four. England have lost their discipline in the last 15 minutes and, while I still think they’ll win this game, it’s a lot closer than most people think.

7.18pm BST

27th over: West Indies 81-3 (S Hope 23, Chase 3) Anderson is still going into the danger zone in his followthrough, and could easily be pulled out of the attack. Erasmus has another chat with him at the end of the over. It’s excellent umpiring, fair and quietly authoritative.

7.16pm BST

Anderson has been given a second warning by Marais Erasmus. One more and he can’t bowl in the innings. From the next ball, Erasmus turns down a big LBW appeal when Chase pushes around an inswinger. Anderson immediately turns away in disgust. I thought it was swinging past leg stump, but Joe Root has decided to risk England’s last review. Yes, it’s missing the leg stump by a fair distance. That’s a shocking review from England.

7.14pm BST

26th over: West Indies 79-3 (S Hope 23, Chase 1) West Indies lead by eight runs. There are 17 minutes left before the close of play. If England don’t get another wicket tonight they might be in a little bit of trouble over the weekend.

7.09pm BST

Shai Hope falls over a big inswinger from Stokes and is hit on the pad, prompting a huge appeal for LBW. Chris Gaffaney says not out and England review. Replays show it did too much and would have missed the stumps both on height and line. More terrific umpiring from Gaffaney, who has had a magnificent match.

7.07pm BST

25th over: West Indies 77-3 (S Hope 21, Chase 1) One of the interesting things about Anderson is that in the last two years he averages 19 with the ball. That would be outstanding at any age, never mind as you approach your mid-30s. Hope inside edges him just wide of leg stump for four, and then Anderson is warned for stepping on the danger area in his follow through. Anderson, the loveable grump, takes it as well as you might expect, chuntering to everyone and no one as he strides off at the end of the over.

7.02pm BST

24th over: West Indies 72-3 (S Hope 16, Chase 1) Ben Stokes is dispensing unpleasantries at Roston Chase, who was similarly vocal during Stuart Broad’s innings. Shai Hope, the man on strike, calmly takes a single off the last ball to keep strike.

6.57pm BST

23rd over: West Indies 69-3 (S Hope 14, Chase 0) Powell played so well, but that delivery was the definition of unplayable. The new batsman Roston Chase survives a big appeal first ball for a strangle down the leg side. England don’t review, and replays confirm it hit him on the thigh.

As a big darts player, Jimmy was always going to make 501 one of his best

6.54pm BST

James Anderson strikes with the fourth ball of a new spell! That is a quite stunning delivery. It angled in from around the wicket, turned Powell round and then straightened like an off-break to trim the off bail.

6.51pm BST

22nd over: West Indies 65-2 (Powell 41, S Hope 14) Hope reaches to push-drive Stokes through extra cover for four. An affronted Stokes rams consecutive bouncers past the head of Hope, who then steers four more to third man. Excellent stuff from both men.

“How about Alan Oakman?” says David Murfin. “Wiki entry includes ‘his telescopic skill as a close fielder snared him five catches in Jim Laker’s famous 19 wicket haul at Old Trafford, and totalled 594 catches in his career’.”

6.46pm BST

21st over: West Indies 57-2 (Powell 41, S Hope 6) Anderson is getting loose, presumably to replace Roland-Jones at this end. West Indies look comfortable at the moment and have reduced the deficit to 14.

6.42pm BST

20th over: West Indies 55-2 (Powell 40, S Hope 6) Hope repels a booming inswinger from Stokes. The ball hasn’t done quite as much as it did yesterday, when Stokes got swing that we are contractually obliged to describe as “lavish”. Hope only has six from 32 balls but he looks excellent again. How on earth did he have a Test average of 19 before Headingley? Everything about him, from his demanour to his cover drive, suggests potential greatness.

6.40pm BST

19th over: West Indies 51-2 (Powell 40, S Hope 6) Two more boundaries to Powell, both through the covers off Roland-Jones. The first was a tremendous drive. My colleague Tim de Lisle points out that he is approaching his first Test fifty since November 2012.

Meanwhile, thanks to Brian Withington this clip of Roger Harper’s futuristic fielding.

6.35pm BST

18th over: West Indies 43-2 (Powell 32, S Hope 6) Powell thick-edges Stokes for four. It’s really dark at Lord’s now, a lovely time to bowl; as such 43 for two is a really good effort from the West Indies. I’m surprised you can still get odds of 8/1 on a Windies victory.

“Besides Roger Harper, surely Jonty Rhodes owed at least some of his Test appearances to his fielding?” wonders Geoff Wignall. “I’m struggling to think of any English examples though. It wasn’t enough for Randall to hold down his place and he was truly outstanding in the field.”

6.29pm BST

17th over: West Indies 38-2 (Powell 27, S Hope 6) Roland-Jones has a biggish LBW appeal agianst Shai Hope turned down on the not unreasonable grounds that there was a big inside edge. Powell and Hope have to cope with that horrible combination of attacking fields and a broken scoreboard. You don’t know where your next run is coming from and you feel like your wicket is under threat all the time. After 16 consecutive dot balls, Hope drives sweetly through the covers for four.

“There is a precedent for knighting a cricketer while he’s still playing,” notes John Starbuck. “Sir Richard Hadlee.”

6.17pm BST

15th over: West Indies 34-2 (Powell 27, S Hope 2) Shai Hope looks calm and composed, this being a weekday, and plays out a maiden from Roland-Jones. Time for drinks.

“TMS reckon Broad has had five dropped just in this series,” says John Starbuck. “You can account for some by the amount of poor light they’ve had to put up with sometimes, not to mention the pink ball, but I don’t think any of the newer crowd has made his mark as a fielder. There’s usually one or two, but the last was probably Mark Wood. Could being a very good fielder swing it for anyone’s selection?”

6.14pm BST

14th over: West Indies 34-2 (Powell 27, S Hope 2) Ben Stokes replaces Stuart Broad. Powell survives the hat-trick ball, Stokes having taken wickets with his last two deliveries of the first innings. There is immediate swing, however, which is extremely good news for England.

“Interesting, the ‘Sir James’ thing,” says Richard Morris. “Very unlikely to happen. Only 10 Englishmen ever knighted for services to Cricket, last was Bedser in 1996. Even Botham wasn’t - he was knighted for services to Charity. Best pull on the walking boots if Jimmy wants a trip to the Palace.”

6.09pm BST

13th over: West Indies 30-2 (Powell 23, S Hope 2) It was in the summer of 2010 that Jimmy really started to move towards greatness. In the first seven years of his Test career he took 156 wickets at 34.81; in the seven and a half years since he’s picked up 344 at 24.39. His record is much better at home, but that shouldn’t obscure some mighty spells in the landmark series victories in Australia (2010-11) and India (2012-13), not to mention some ridiculous performances in the UAE. He made himself into a great all-weather bowler.

6.04pm BST

12th over: West Indies 30-2 (Powell 23, S Hope 2) Powell swivel-pulls Broad majestically for four, one of the shots of the day. It might be time for Stokes at that end.

“My hunch is that they will attempt to fix one problem by breaking something that’s working very well and move Moeen up to number three, allowing them to bring in Mason Crane,” says Matt Emerson. “It’s a terrible idea, which is why it appeals...”

6.01pm BST

11th over: West Indies 25-2 (Powell 19, S Hope 1) There are still 29 overs remaining tonight, though I doubt we’ll get them all. Toby Roland-Jones comes on to replace the future Sir James Anderson and has an instant impact: Powell toe-ends one short of the slips before being beaten by a kicking leg-cutter. It’ll be fascinating to see how Roland-Jones does in Australia; Gus Fraser struggled there, certainly after his hip injury, apart from one magical day on a juiced-up wicket at Sydney.

An interesting tweet here from Tim. My first thought was Pietersen, though I feel slightly dirty saying that given Anderson’s superior artistry.

When we talk about crowd-pleasers, the batsmen tend to grab the glory. But no #England player has given me more pleasure than #JimmyAnderson

5.54pm BST

10th over: West Indies 21-2 (Powell 15, S Hope 0) “Rob,” says Stephen Kear, “do you have any idea how many wickets Broad has missed out on this summer due to poor English catching? I get the feeling he has missed a hatful which may explain why his stats are not as good as usual.”

Fair point. Seven in this series apparently. I still don’t think he’s been anywhere near his best, though. I suppose it shows how good he is that he can be below par, have loads of catches dropped and still average in the mid-30s for the summer. That said, I think it’s the first time since 2008 that he’s averaged over 30 in an English summer.

5.52pm BST

Broad is rewarded for a really good new-ball spell. Hope drives all around a fine, full-length delivery that comes back through the gate to hit the pad in line with off stump, and Chris Gaffaney raises the finger. Hope reviews - more in his name than expectation - but replays show it was hitting the top of the stumps.

5.47pm BST

9th over: West Indies 20-1 (Powell 15, K Hope 1) An unplayable outswinger from Anderson beats Powell’s defensive poke. There have been a lot of false strokes in this innings, though most have been due to good bowling rather than bad batting. Powell has started to settle down after a dreadful start.

“Why are we picking on Stoneman?” says Simon Thomas. “He’s only played three matches and did OK in the second. He’ll play in the first Test for sure.”

5.43pm BST

8th over: West Indies 17-1 (Powell 12, K Hope 1) Broad is too straight to Powell, who clips him confidently off the pads for four.

Related: Jimmy Anderson at 500: the England bowler’s five best wickets | Ali Martin

5.40pm BST

7th over: West Indies 12-1 (Powell 7, K Hope 1) This is an almighty test for Powell and Hope, with Anderson and Broad bowling majestically in helpful conditions. Hope is beaten again by Anderson. On Sky, Ian Ward points out that, when Brathwaite was bowled, Jonny Bairstow charged to the boundary to retrieve the ball so that Anderson could hold it up to the crowd. That’s a nice touch from a consummate team man.

“I’m not Gaz Baz’s biggest fan, would they take a punt on someone like Sam Robson (oodles of runs) or Nick Gubbins (plays the short ball well)?” says Dean Ainsworth. “In the case of Robson, without a specialist #3, perhaps a spare opener would work, although I’m always reminded of Ian Healy’s second ball sledge to new No3 Mark Butcher in 1998-99...”

5.35pm BST

6th over: West Indies 11-1 (Powell 6, K Hope 1) Broad cuts Hope in half with a cracking delivery, then beats the outside edge next ball. He’s resembling Stuart Broad in this spell, and later in the over he beats the outside edge again with a monstrous legcutter. The lights are still on, which is definitely helping England. If I was a West Indian I’d be pretty hacked off about that.

5.31pm BST

5th over: West Indies 10-1 (Powell 6, K Hope 0) Powell is batting like Stuart Broad. That’s not a compliment, not for an opening batsman. He is beaten at least three times in that Anderson over, once after a quite disgusting yahoo.

5.26pm BST

4th over: West Indies 10-1 (Powell 6, K Hope 0) I’ve seen it all now. Powell edges Broad to gully, where the usually perfect Stokes makes a rare hash of a simple chance. It went straight through his hands to hit him in the chest. Powell then edges a big yahoo just over the slips for four.

5.22pm BST

3rd over: West Indies 6-1 (Powell 0, K Hope 0) That was the last ball of the over. Amid all the excitement, the dismissal of Brathwaite is a big moment in the game.

“You’re suggesting that England can pick a specialist batsman rather than Woakes who would then outscore him by 25 runs per innings?” says Geoff Wignall. “Really? Do you have evidence for this fantasy? Even if the point regards Roland-Jones instead, you’d still need to identify a batsman who’ll be able to average 40+. Who? Also Broad and Anderson, both of whom I expect to play form notwithstanding, have had enough injury problems to make a fifth seamer a handy form of insurance. Though I’d still like to see four seamers and two spinners.”

5.21pm BST

It was a brilliant delivery from Anderson: on a full length and roaring back through to the gate to bowl Brathwaite. He didn’t have to wait long; that was his 12th delivery of the innings It all started here against Zimbabwe 14 years ago, when he was a talented kid with diabolical hair, and now he has 500 Test wickets. By the end of his career, he should have more Test wickets than any fast bowler in history. He’s an old don with a sober haircut these days, an absolute master of his craft whose returns have been better than ever in the last couple of years. All the England balcony are on their feet, and Anderson smiles almost sheepishly as he raises the ball to the crowd.

5.16pm BST

James Anderson becomes the first Englishman to take 500 Test wickets!

5.14pm BST

2nd over: West Indies 5-0 (Brathwaite 4, Powell 1) Stuart Broad starts at the Nursery End. It’s a lovely evening at Lord’s, yet the lights are still on; no idea why. A loose ball is put away for four by Brathwaite.

“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Re John Withington’s cocktails, I emailed a suggestion yesterday, but, like all of my best work, it wasn’t published. It happened also to be the best cocktail ever invented.”

5.08pm BST

1st over: West Indies 0-0 (Brathwaite 0, Powell 0) Jimmy Anderson, 499 not out, gets a mighty cheer as he prepares to bowl the first over. A tense series decider has temporarily turned into a testimonial. There’s a little bit of early swing, nothing dramatic, and Brathwaite plays out a maiden.

“With grim inevitability, you just know it will be Ballance at No3 in Brisbane,” says Colin Dean. “But surely there’s a stronger case for Alex Hales?”

5.02pm BST

It won’t happen, but I’d give Stokes the new ball - both on merit as a full-length swing bowler, and also to give Broad a rousing boot up the trousers.

4.59pm BST

The Lord’s honours board hat-trick “Colin Noble is correct!” says Michael Bate. “I did say Stokes would be the 4th Englishman to achieve it. Miller is, of course, the only visiting team player to have managed it and Botham the only one to have done it in a single year - 1978 against NZ/Pakistan.”

4.57pm BST

“However we disagree over bowlers and all-rounders from 3 to 9.. .that Broad fella can bat a bit, can’t he?” says David Hindle. “Must have heard Geoff Wignall from a few overs ago!”

This England team is so weird. The tail starts at 2 and ends at 6. Here’s a question for you all: who will (not who should) bat No3 at Brisbane? I haven’t a clue. I don’t think Root will move and Westley won’t be picked. My money’s on, and you’ll like this, Gary Ballance, with Hameed as an outside bet.

4.47pm BST

Broad’s fun comes to an end when he toe-ends another hack through to Dowrich. England lead by 71, having added 60 for the last two wickets. That’s tea. We’ll be back in 15 minutes, when Jimmy Anderson, who has 499 Test wickets, will endeavour to sate the needs of stattos across the globe.

4.41pm BST

52nd over: England 193-9 (Broad 38, Anderson 7) Broad backs away again to slap Roach over backward point for six more! When the Joy of Six: Comedy Slogfests is written, this Broad innings will be a contender. Roach, who has bowled throughout this session, responds with a vicious bouncer that hits Broad on the body. This must be so demoralising for the West Indies, a bit like the dreaded Dave Richardson/Paul Adams stand in another low-scoring series decider at Cape Town in 1996. I’m still not over that.

4.37pm BST

51st over: England 185-9 (Broad 32, Anderson 6) Anderson drives Holder handsomely for four. Shane Warne, commentating on Sky, wonders whether batting is getting easier now that the sun is out. There’s certainly a party atmosphere as Broad and Anderson swing merrily. Broad moves into the thirties with a lusty slap down the ground for three.

“The argument is simple,” says David Hindle. “In the current circumstances, there are no specialist batsmen of sufficient quality available. Hence, Woakes is a better bat than any “specialist” alternative. You are strengthening both A and B, but in a very unorthodox fashion. However, needs must....”

4.33pm BST

50th over: England 177-9 (Broad 29, Anderson 1) Broad backs away to slash Roach over the slips for four, and then he creams him over extra cover for six! This has been an absolutely filthy innings from Broad - and he has more runs than Cook, Root, Stoneman, Moeen and Westley combined. Truly, it’s a funny old game. England lead by 54.

4.30pm BST

49th over: England 164-9 (Broad 16, Anderson 1) “I’m struggling to get on board with the notion that a choice has to be made between Woakes and Roland-Jones for the final seamer’s spot,” says Geoff Wignall. “Surely form dictates that it’s a choice between those two and Broad for two places. Fine bowler for England that Broad has been, he needs to be contributing more than his reputation and a once a season cameo with the bat. I know there’s the argument then when he’s hot he’s very hot, but that only stands up so long as he’s at least generally competent the rest of the time. Too often lately that doesn’t seem the case - batsmen can leave at least half of the balls he delivers, which is inexcusable with the new ball. It’s also the opposite of his own declared approach and intentions.”

He’s had a relatively bad summer, I agree, but he’s the greatest Ashes-winner England have ever had, he gets high on conflict and has unfinished business in Australia. I’d be astonished if he didn’t start.

4.25pm BST

Holder ends the nonsense with the useful wicket of Roland-Jones, who slices a drive straight to Shai Hope in the gully. England lead by 40.

4.23pm BST

48th over: England 163-8 (Roland-Jones 13, Broad 16) “My favourite thing about those Advanced Hair Studio ads is Darren Gough popping up at the end and saying it’s the best thing he’s done,” says Kevin Wilson. “This is a guy who took a hat trick at the SCG.”

And who did this when he was on another hat-trick against Australia.

4.18pm BST

47th over: England 163-8 (Roland-Jones 13, Broad 16) Holder replaces Gabriel. It’s all the same to Broad, who pulls him round the corner for four. These are dangerous moments for the West Indies, who have lost a bit of control since Broad started swinging like Leatherface. The over ends with a good delivery from Holder that is edged just short of the cordon by Roland-Jones.

“My favourite thing about those Advanced Hair Institute ads is Darren Gough popping up at the end and saying it’s the best thing he’s done,” says Kevin Wilson. “This is a guy who took a hat trick at the SCG.”

4.15pm BST

46th over: England 158-8 (Roland-Jones 13, Broad 11) Roland-Jones flashes a confident cut for four off Roach - and then he is dropped by the keeper Dowrich. It was an easy chance to his right, and he is visibly angry with himself. England’s lead is now 35.

“Experiments with Jennings, Stoneman, Westley, Ballance and Malan (did I miss anyone?) have surely proved that they are good at massacring county trundlers, but not fit for Test cricket,” says David Hindle. “And taking any of them to Australia against their current attack in those conditions, would be an act of savage cruelty. We have no more options with the bat. We can put Hameed in. That’s it. Therefore, surely we should play Woakes and TRJ, spread the brutal bowling load, reduce the risk of injury, and see Woakes comfortably outscore any so-called “specialist” bat alternative anyway?”

4.10pm BST

45th over: England 152-8 (Roland-Jones 7, Broad 11) If Broad looks like a walking, hopping, ducking wicket, then Roland-Jones is very comfortable. He pulls smoothly for a single off another Gabriel no-ball, and then Broad - vulnerable but dangerous - belts a couple of boundaries through the covers.

“This really has been an absorbing series, even more astonishing after the first Test blowout,” says Guy Hornsby. “We could lead by 150 or 25 here. Personally it’ll be the Test series when my daughter Leila started her own innings. We got through labour on the last day of Leeds and she’s nine days old as Blowers bows out and we have another firecracker of a game on our hands today. I’ll have her emailing into the OBO by the end of the Ashes.”

4.03pm BST

44th over: England 141-8 (Roland-Jones 6, Broad 3) Roach continues to work Broad over, beating the outside edge either side of another sharp bouncer. A maiden.

“Shame Stokes didn’t reach the Beefy/Greig milestone you mentioned,” says Michael Bate. “He still has a chance to become only the fourth Englishman to get on all three dressing room honours boards (Century, 5-for, 10wkts in a match) at Lord’s. Can any Friday afternoon OBOers guess the three who’ve done it? (I should declare an interest - I’m a Lord’s tour guide.)

3.59pm BST

43rd over: England 141-8 (Roland-Jones 6, Broad 3) The last really low-scoring Lord’s Test was that weird classic between these sides in 2000. Batting may become easier in the second innings here, as the sun has just emerged to loud cheers. England lead by 18.

“I’ve continued my Test match cocktail theme for this last match of the summer,” says John Withington. “Sadly despite getting onto OBO yesterday there wasn’t a single suggestion of how to mark Jimmy’s 500th with a new cocktail. Then he went and did the job for me by ending up high and dry one short on 499! Which gifted me a couple of names and ideas. So I’ve just published today’s article including two cocktails for the event, the One Short and the High and Drye. Have a look at the link for the full article. Hope you and the readers enjoy.”

3.52pm BST

42nd over: England 134-8 (Roland-Jones 4, Broad 0) Roach greets Broad with two very sharp bouncers, the first of which has him hopping all over the place. Roach has bowled so well in this innings; his figures are five for 47 from 19 overs.

“Everyone knows that part of the perks of being a Test cricketer is that you get free treatment at the Advanced Hair Institute,” says Charlie Tinsley. “I expect Stokes to take guard during the winter’s trials looking like Tormund Giantsbane.”

3.50pm BST

Roach has his five-for! That was all very predictable. Moeen resisted a few tempters outside off stump but that abstinence was never going to last. Eventually he threw his hands into a loose drive and was beautifully taken by Kyle Hope in a wide slip position.

3.46pm BST

41st over: England 134-7 (Moeen 3, Roland-Jones 4) A short ball from Gabriel is clouted merrily for four by Roland-Jones. That really isn’t the length to bowl on this pitch, or rather in this atmosphere.

“In the early eighties when Spielberg was at his true peak, a Hollywood wannabe saw him sitting on the sand looking out at the ocean and when he left went he sat in the same spot hoping to get inspiration and see what the great man saw,” says Ian Copestake. “Some of the England team might be advised to follow Stokes about a bit more.”

3.41pm BST

40th over: England 129-7 (Moeen 2, Roland-Jones 0) Moeen is beaten, swishing at an outswinger from Roach. Roland-Jones also plays and misses later in the over. The ball isn’t just talking; it’s talking like Brian Blessed. Even a frisky 30 from Moeen could be match-winning.

3.36pm BST

39th over: England 128-7 (Moeen 1, Roland-Jones 0) “Hi Rob, given we’re about to see a low-scoring game, do you think England may regret not having Woakes at number nine?” says Dean Ainsworth. “TRJ is handy but no more, Woakes likes a better bet that some of the top six at times. I think he would have done as well as TRJ with the ball as well, he looked sharper at the weekend.”

They might, as he’s an offensively good No9, but I think Roland-Jones (sorry, I can’t bring myself to call him TRJ; I have no idea why) was the right choice. Woakes did look sharper at the weekend, though he was bowling spells of one and two overs. Brisbane is a tough choice though, as there are still doubts over Woakes in overseas conditions. I suspect he’ll play, as he probably should.

3.33pm BST

He’s done him again! That’s an exceptional comeback from Gabriel, an almost identical delivery. It was just full of a length and jagged back through the gate to ransack Stokes’s stumps. That was reminscent of Darren Gough’s double dismissal of Greg Blewett on the first morning of the 1997 Ashes. This was two balls later rather than next ball. The umpires didn’t bother to check the no-ball, which was a bit of surprise - until we saw the replay, which showed he was well behind the line.

3.31pm BST

Oh my. Gabriel cleans Stokes up with a superb delivery from around the wicket - and it’s a no-ball. As soon as the umpires went upstairs to check there was a sense of inevitability about it.

3.27pm BST

38th over: England 125-6 (Stokes 58, Moeen 1) West Indies will be dreading another Moeen cameo, particularly in a tight match like this. It must be quite confusing bowling to Moeen: he has such obvious defensive weaknesses that it must feel like you’ll get him any second, and then you look up and he’s 50 not out from 60 balls.

3.23pm BST

37th over: England 122-6 (Stokes 56, Moeen 0) Stokes has become a high-class Test batsman, particularly outside Asia. He averages 46 since the start of 2016 and 47 this year. There’s a good argument for putting him at No5 in the Ashes. The counter-argument says: don’t mess with a strength to cover a weakness.

“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “You can’t see it now because of the batting helmet, but Ben Stokes is losing scalp hair at a pretty fast rate now. Not to worry (unless he does and needs a Rooney) since if he goes without a hat or cap in the field the freckles will cover the pate soon enough. You’ll know it’s working when he starts having close shaves all over and we say Welcome to the Smooth Club.”

3.17pm BST

36th over: England 119-6 (Stokes 53, Moeen 0) That was the last ball of the over. It was a timely wicket for West Indies - and a deserved one for Roach, who bowled superbly to Bairstow.

3.16pm BST

I thought it might be a touch high, and maybe going down, with Roach bowling from wide on the crease. The umpire took his time before giving Bairstow out. Here comes ball-tracking... and it shows three reds, so Bairstow is out. That’s an excellent decision from the umpire Chris Gaffaney, because there were a couple of doubts and he could easily have played it safe.

3.14pm BST

This is a bit of a slugfest between Roach and Bairstow. Roach beats the outside edge with a beautiful lifter; Bairstow creams the next ball to the extra-cover boundary. And now Bairstow has been given out LBW!

3.11pm BST

Hello folks. I come bearing stats. Only two England players have scored a hundred and taken a five-for in a Test: Tony Greig, who did it once, and Sir Ian Botham, who did it a superheroic five times. Ben Stokes has a chance to join that club. He is lording over this Test like a colossus, and this could even become his take on Beefy’s Jubilee Test (without the 4am drinking games). Overhead conditions have made batting so difficult for everyone else in this game; for the moment, the Stokes aura has neutralised the Lord’s atmosphere.

3.11pm BST

35th over: England 113-5 (Stokes 52, Bairstow 16) That’s a nice shot from Bairstow, even if it picks out a fielder at extra cover and he gets no runs for it. The next ball beats the batsman again, but was a massive no-ball so any wicket wouldn’t have counted. And with that I’ll hand you over to Rob Smyth, email him here if you feel so inclined. Bye!

3.06pm BST

34th over: England 110-5 (Stokes 51, Bairstow 15) Stokes’ half-century featured 10 fours, 10 singles and 31 dots. Bairstow remains in search of fluency, and has an inadvisible slash at Roach’s final delivery.

3.01pm BST

33rd over: England 109-5 (Stokes 50, Bairstow 15) Stokes pushes the ball gently with a straight bat and it rumbles down the ground for four, slowly enough that a fielder has to chase it all the way, quickly enough that the chasing fielder has no chance of catching it. All about the timing. A single brings up his 50, from 51 deliveries, and he’s basically won the man of the match award already, hasn’t he?

2.58pm BST

32nd over: England 104-5 (Stokes 45, Bairstow 15) Stokes tries to drive through the covers and instead gets a thick edge. Still, the effect is the same, as the ball flies wide of gully and away for four. “Hoping our ginger warriors can at least reach their own averages until the sun comes out, batting conditions improve and we can have a Test that lasts beyond Saturday,” murmurs Ian Copestake.

2.52pm BST

31st over: England 99-5 (Stokes 40, Bairstow 15) Stokes, though, is looking comfortable. He pulls Holder’s first delivery through midwicket for a tasty four, and a single then takes his past Powell’s 39 and makes him the biggest scorer of the match so far. Holder then delivers some short nonsense that Bairstow capitalises upon, also with a pull through midwicket for four.

2.47pm BST

30th over: England 90-5 (Stokes 35, Bairstow 11) Roach is back after a change of ends, and tempts Bairstow with a delivery that’s too full to safely drive, but wide enough to be tempting. The batsman tries to hit it and is lucky to miss. The last ball of the over prompts an even wilder swing, equally imprecise.

2.43pm BST

29th over: England 89-5 (Stokes 34, Bairstow 11) Holder bowls short and wide, Stokes swings his bat, and when he connects only with its toe and sends the ball bouncing limply to cover the look of regret and disgust on his face is a picture. He absolutely nails the next, a stonking pull through midwicket, but it flies straight to the only fielder in the neighbourhood for a single. “Is it tempting fate to say that Stokes will get at least 124?” wonders Matthew Doherty. Yes, I’d say it’s definitely tempting fate.

2.37pm BST

28th over: England 86-5 (Stokes 33, Bairstow 9) That’s nice though! Gabriel bowls towards Bairstow’s hip, and he gently nurses it to the deep square leg boundary. And then he flicks the ball off his pads and through midwicket, though it’s fielded in the deep.

2.32pm BST

27th over: England 79-5 (Stokes 33, Bairstow 3) Here’s a curious stat, particulaly because he’s never played in the West Indies, and his average in England is 44.20. At the other end of the scale, in three matches against Sri Lanka Bairstow averages 129.00.

Jonny Bairstow averages 12.83 against the WI. His overall Test match average is 40.08 #ENGvWI

2.28pm BST

26th over: England 75-5 (Stokes 29, Bairstow 3) Gabriel starts with a wild, short, wide delivery across Stokes, which but for a fine leaping save from Dowrich would have flown away for four but as it was remained a dot. A single later Bairstow is back on strike, and still looking awkward. He does get a couple through square leg, mind.

2.23pm BST

25th over: England 72-5 (Stokes 28, Bairstow 1) A fine over from Roach, with Bairstow looking uncomfortable throughout. There’s a strangled appeal for lbw at one point, but all that comes of it is a couple of leg byes.

2.19pm BST

24th over: England 70-5 (Stokes 28, Bairstow 1) And so it starts again, and in the first over back there’s a drop! Gabriel bowls, Stokes gets a thick edge and it flies straight to third slip! Sadly, West Indies had a third slip until the previous ball, when they decided they didn’t really need one and moved him away. Thus Kyle Hope at second slip had to dive high to his left, and though he got his hands to it, he couldn’t make it stick. A tough chance, but catchable. They immediately bring back a third slip, but the next ball goes down the ground for four.

2.12pm BST

The players are out! This is actually happening!

2.03pm BST

Possible imminent cricket claxon! It has stopped raining again, perhaps for a while this time, so they are going to play cricket at 2.15pm BST!

1.48pm BST

So the umpires abandoned their inspection and will have another go in a bit, perhaps half an hour or so.

1.40pm BST

Bad tidings: it’s started raining again.

1.35pm BST

The umpires should be inspecting the field precisely now. An update should be imminent. In the meantime, you can read about rain falling (or not) elsewhere here:

Related: County cricket: Warwickshire v Somerset, Lancashire v Essex and more – live!

1.23pm BST

@Simon_Burnton how late can play go today? Met Office says clearing from 4, sunshine by 7

Yesterday play could potentially have gone on until 7.10pm, so it could certainly continue until then, particularly if there’s some sunshine.

1.18pm BST

The umpires have been out, and decided that there should be a further pitch inspection in about 15 minutes.

1.15pm BST

It’s not raining! But it will be again in a bit, and there may be showers after that. But the thickest, darkest, most unfriendly bit of cloud has now moved on eastwards.

12.48pm BST

This isn’t promising. It looks like there might soon be a rainless half-hour or so, but it won’t last.

@simon_burnton rain bouncing higher than Ben Stokes near Didcot now. Not even Michael Fish could convince that this isn’t coming to Lord’s

12.42pm BST

Lunch is being taken. It’s still raining. “If you went dressed as Gaillardia Goblins, a yellow and maroon dwarf variety of plant that beds in well but requires a lot of liquid, you would probably pass the Lord’s club colour, stature and quenching criteria,” suggests Raymond Reardon. Now, on to weightier matters: I’ll have the halibut and the chocolate torte, if you’d be so kind.

The players are taking an early Lunch and judging by the menu, we could not blame them! #ENGvWI

What would you choose? #LoveLords pic.twitter.com/Sg0quP8D6E

12.22pm BST

Update: it’s still raining. “Maybe subtle fancy dress is required,” suggests Robin Hazlehurst. “Going as Michael Fish would blend in with the old buffers while making an understated comment on the weather. And it would be instantly recognisable while not actually screaming ‘Fancy Dress’. Although you might need a pretty good wardrobe and make-up department to help achieve it convincingly.”

12.19pm BST

“Please tell Alec we weren’t of course planning to make our costumes visible,” writes Kim Thonger. “They would be worn underneath ordinary attire, it’s more subversive that way. Doesn’t everyone do this at work? I just assumed it was the norm.” Flippers would have been hard to pull off, but I’d love to have seen you try.

12.03pm BST

I’d like to give you some good news. I am unable to. “You can wear pretty much anything in Club colours,” Alan Synnott tells me. “I was admiring the egg and bacon scuba tank in the MCC shop only yesterday.”

11.42am BST

It still looks reasonably bright in St John’s Wood, but I’d be surprised if we get more play before lunch. If you’re in Beaconsfield, Abingdon or Didcot, your last hour is our next hour, and something tells me it wasn’t a great one. Well, someone.

@Simon_Burnton I'm in Beaconsfield and it's been hammering it down for half an hour. I reckon you won't get more than five overs today.

11.37am BST

Two balls into Gabriel’s over the umpires decide it’s time to head for cover.

11.36am BST

23rd over: England 58-5 (Stokes 20, Bairstow 0) A maiden. If it was raining wickets yesterday, it seems the downpour is continuing. And it is also actually literally raining, and my rain radar suggests it isn’t going to stop for a while. It has started gently, though, and the players remain on the field.

11.32am BST

It had been a comfortable opening to the day for England. Even quite sedate. No more, though! Malan is squared up by a ball that straightens and kisses his edge, giving Dowrich the most straightforward of catches!

11.29am BST

22nd over: England 58-4 (Malan 23, Stokes 20) There’s an unsuccessful lbw appeal against Malan, the ball having pitched outside leg, and once again Gabriel’s final delivery is speared away for four, this time by Stokes. Now, doesn’t allow fancy dress? Have you seen the state of some of the people in the Pavilion? How would you describe the MCC’s own bacon-and-egg blazer if not as the most fancy of dress?

@Simon_Burnton Lords doesn't allow fancy dress. I nearly got kicked out for wearing an oversized Guinness hat on a hot day

11.23am BST

21st over: England 57-4 (Malan 19, Stokes 18) Kemar Roach gives Stokes a bit of width, and the ball is cut away for four. In other news Theresa May, our dear leader, is in the audience, and Ian Copestake has taken to his keyboard. “A 24% chance of rain before lunch?” he writes. “I much prefer ‘might’ or ‘it’s possible’ to this arrogant insistence on the measurability of all things. 65% of me is fuming.”

11.19am BST

20th over: England 52-4 (Malan 19, Stokes 13) Shannon Gabriel starts day two, and Malan drives his final delivery through the covers for four. A fine shot, that. “Morning Simon,” writes Kim Thonger. Morning Kim. “My wife and I are going to Lord’s tomorrow and in view of the weather forecast are in a quandary as to which fancy dress outfits to wear? I favour the full Jacques Cousteau (and Mme Cousteau) wetsuits with SCUBA gear. My wife is tending towards Captain Troy Tempest and Maria the Mermaid. I’ve advised her that getting up the steps to the top level of the Warner Stand may be tricky without feet. She argues that it’s no harder than in flippers, and anyway a gentleman would carry her. Could your readers please settle the dispute? (By DRS if necessary)” Tomorrow’s forecast is pretty good, so I’m afraid I would suggest a total rethink, focusing perhaps on land-based entertainment.

11.14am BST

Looking at the rain radar, I’d say we’ve got 45 minutes, tops.

11.13am BST

The players are out! We’re going to have cricket!

11.11am BST

If you’re at Lord’s, looking at the skies and feeling unlucky, you’ve actually got it pretty good:

☔ Following this morning's inclement weather, lunch will be taken at 11:50am and there will also be a further pitch inspection at 11:50am. pic.twitter.com/C4VfOugveA

11.02am BST

Ottis Gibson has been tlaking to Sky about Ben Stokes, and the state of English pace bowling:

Look, we’ve seen that before with Ben, in the Ashes in 2015 at Trent Brige. When the ball is swinging, next to Jimmy Anderson he’s probably the best swing bowler we have. Yesterday morning we were chatting, and he’d not had the best summer. The ball was swinging a lot yesterday morning. I said, when the ball is swinging the only skill you need to have is accuracy. Don’t worry about pace, just concentrate on accuracy. That goes against his normal character. To see him drop it on a length and let the swing do its work was outstanding. He’s not somebody who likes too much technical stuff and coaching, and relies on natural ability. He controlled length really well yesterday. When he missed length and got hit he got very angry with himself. He lets his natural instincts control not just his cricket but his life.

I think England are in a great position, to be honest. Woakes had an outstanding summer last year, but we’ve not had him most of this year. Toby’s come in this year and given a really good account of himself. Mark Wood, who I still think is going to be the x-factor for England. He’s still got a lot too offer. I was very impressed with Olly Stone in the T20 Blast.

10.50am BST

Important news! Play will start at 11.15am. Unless it doesn’t.

10.46am BST

The covers are back on. It’s going to be one of those days, I fear.

Well that was nice while it lasted.

Covers are back on #ENGvWI https://t.co/IWaem4Qfct

10.28am BST

The covers are off at the moment - @englandcricket & @westindies are training on the outfield.

Play still scheduled for 11am start. pic.twitter.com/Bc0K7jWTsA

... and the forecasters now put the odds on afternoon rain no higher than 60%, and (unlike the rain) falling.

9.45am BST

Hello world!

The good news is that, as I write this, the weather in north London is considerably better than it was when I woke up a few hours ago, and the forecast for today is also much improved from yesterday’s bleak rainfest. Neither however could exactly be described as excellent: the heavy clouds at the moment are light grey and not chucking water at us, but they remain fairly menacing. Meteorologists inform me there is but a 24% chance that they will start to shed their watery load between now and lunch. After lunch, however, it’s an entirely different story, with the chance of rain currently hovering between 75% and 90% between 2pm and 5pm. Still, that leaves us at least a 10% chance of a rainless day, which is something to celebrate I’m sure you’ll agree (I’ve looked at the rain radar, and if that’s what happens I suggest we all invest in some lottery tickets).

Not the prettiest forecast sadly, but there's still potential for cricket to be played at some point today! #ENGvWI

Fingers crossed. pic.twitter.com/7NFAXdjNvy

Better news @HomeOfCricket

Covers slowly coming off.

We might get some play after all. #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/t5MVBLWt9L

8.38am BST

Simon will be here shortly. Ben Stokes took six wickets on day one and said afterwards his bowling performance was “a monkey off my back”:

Ben Stokes spoke of his pride at recording his career-best figures with the ball after believing he had been letting the England team down this summer. But, given a wicket-laden first day during which West Indies hit back late on with four strikes themselves, the third Test remains in the balance.

By claiming six for 22 from 14.3 overs in a masterful exhibition of swing bowling either side of tea, Stokes helped Joe Root’s side to dismiss the tourists for 123 in the series decider and became only the sixth England cricketer to get his name on both honours boards at Lord’s.

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