Denesh Ramdin, Jason Holder stage recovery as West Indies reach 268/6 at tea on Day 5 of 1st Test vs England

West Indies had a relatively succesful second session in the final day of the opening Test against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound in Antigua on Friday, reaching a score of 268 for the loss of six wickets at the end of 99 overs with skipper and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder batting on 48. Right-arm off-spinner Joe Root continued to be the pick among the bowlers with figures of 9-4-13-2. Live Updates: West Indies vs England, 1st Test, Day 5 West Indies went into lunch at a precarious score of 162 for five after 71 overs, having lost the important wickets of Devon Smith (65), Marlon Samuels (23) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (13) during the first session of the day. The presence of Jermaine Blackwood, who scored a fighting century during the first West Indian innings to guide them to 295, as well as Ramdin was slightly reassuring for the hosts as task of batting out the remaining overs in the day seemed mountainous. Live Cricket Scorecard: West Indies vs England 2015, 1st Test at Antigua Day 5 Blackwood hit a few boundaries post-lunch, including two off the same over by Tredwell, as he moved to the 30s. The pair added 27 runs in the second session, before Blackwood departed after getting an inside edge to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off the bowling of Chris Jordan to depart for a 60-ball 31, with the hosts losing their sixth wicket for 189 runs. The situation looked tense for the West Indians, who perhaps lost their last hope for a draw and were heading towards an inevitable defeat. Free Live Streaming: West Indies vs England, 1st Test, Day 5 Ramdin and Holder, however, managed to somewhat turn things around for the hosts. The pair defied the likes of Anderson, Broad, Tredwell and Root to stitch an unbeaten 79-run stand for the sixth wicket, with both batsmen on the verge of bringing up their respective half-centuries. The second session saw the hosts add 106 runs for the loss of just one wicket — that of Blackwood — as the hosts suddenly appear favourites for a draw. Live Cricket Score: West Indies vs England, 1st Test, Day 5 at Antigua With four wickets in hand, and two set batsman at the crease, the chances of batting out the remaining overs of the day appears possible, unless the likes of Anderson or Root decide to pull up something special to get rid of the thorns. For Anderson, the prospect of eclipsing Sir Ian Botham to become the highest-ever Test wicket-taker for England still awaits. England tour of West Indies 2015: Complete coverage Brief scores: England 399 (Ian Bell 143, Joe Root 83, Ben Stokes 79; Kemar Roach 4 for 90) & 333 for 7 decl. (Gary Ballance 121, Joe Ro0t 59, Ben Stokes 35; Jerome Taylor 2 for 42) lead West Indies 295 (Kraig Brathwaite 39, Marlon Samuels 33, Jermain Blackwood 112; James Tredwell 4 for 47) & 268 for 6 (Devon Smith 65, Darren Bravo 32, Jermaine Blackwood 31, Denesh Ramdin 48*, Jason Holder 48* ; Joe Root 2 for 13) by 170 runs. Full Scorecard Photo Gallery (Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)