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DURHAM - West Indies are eyeing a first win in 20 matches after Shivnarine Chanderpaul's 16th test century put his side on top in the fourth and final test against England on Monday (NZ Time).
"It would be good to get a test win under our belts," Chanderpaul told reporters. "It has been a long time since we won away from home or since we won a test match at all."
They battled to 287, after being 55 for four at one stage, and the indomitable Chanderpaul contributed an unbeaten 136. England were reduced to 121 for four at the close, including the wicket of Kevin Pietersen to the last ball of the day.
Chanderpaul, the 32-year-old Guyanese who has not been dismissed for 804 minutes after his century in Manchester, was fortunate to escape when he was dropped on nine by Ian Bell.
He then batted on with a sore knee and a bruised arm after being struck by a Steve Harmison delivery on 98 but enjoyed the contest.
"I guess the way I bat I go out there and dig in and I try not to care about the situation," he added. "I just want to bat for as long as possible."
England's left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom, who managed eight wickets in his comeback game last month after six years out, claimed five for 88 for his maiden five-wicket haul in tests.
He was disappointed that England could not show more ruthlessness by ending West Indies' innings earlier and said they scored "50 runs too many" as their last wicket was worth 58 runs.
"It's a nice feeling and is a great honour," Sidebottom said of his own performance. "I wouldn't have dreamt of it a month and a half ago.
"I was probably a little bit lucky. Sometimes you bowl good spells when you don't get wickets and other times you don't bowl as well and get wickets."
SCOREBOARD
Day three
West Indies
First innings (overnight 132-4)
D Ganga c Cook b Sidebottom 0
C Gayle lbw b Hoggard 28
D Smith b Sidebottom 4
R Morton c Sidebottom b Harmison 6
S Chanderpaul not out 136
D Bravo b Hoggard 44
M Samuels b Sidebottom 19
D Ramdin c Collingwood b Sidebottom 13
D Powell c Prior b Harmison 1
F Edwards b Sidebottom 5
C Collymore lbw b Panesar 13
Extras (4b, 13lb, 1nb) 18
Total (97.1 overs) 287
Fall: 0, 32, 34, 55, 141, 199, 219, 220, 229, 287.
Bowling: R Sidebottom 29-10-88-5, M Hoggard 26-8-58-2, S Harmison 25-4-78-2, M Panesar 13.1-2-34-1, P Collingwood 4-1-12-0 (1nb).
England
First innings
A Strauss not out 72
A Cook c Ramdin b Edwards 13
M Vaughan c Bravo b Edwards 19
M Hoggard c Gayle b Collymore 0
K Pietersen c Ramdin b Edwards 0
Extras (7w, 10nb) 17
Total (for 4 wkts, 34 overs) 121
Fall: 37, 110, 119, 121.
Bowling: F Edwards 7-0-40-3 (7nb), D Powell 10-3-32-0, C Collymore 10-2-35-1 (3nb, 3w), C Gayle 5-3-4-0, D Bravo 2-0-10-0.
- REUTERS