Live - England v West Indies

England 470

Steve Harmison forced home England's advantage with a double strike at the head of West Indies' first innings in the final npower Test of the summer at the Oval.

Durham fast bowler Harmison dismissed openers Chris Gayle and Sylvester Joseph with short-of-a-length deliveries which trampolined off the pitch.

Left-hander Gayle was adjudged caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones and Joseph looped a catch to gully in the following over, the eighth of the innings.

And Andrew Flintoff joined in the act to prise out Ramnaresh Sarwan with a good ball which did enough to catch the edge.

England's push for seven straight victories for the first time in 75 years remained firmly on track as the tourists took tea on the second day at 54 for three, still a sizeable 217 runs away from avoiding the follow-on.

Earlier, England's tail wagged violently despite losing overnight pair Flintoff and Jones, without either adding to their scores.

Harmison and Matthew Hoggard both hit Test-best scores while Ashley Giles equalled his previous high of 52 as the final three wickets yielded 149 runs.
Having resumed on 313 for five, a position of some strength in England's quest for a clean sweep this summer, it was a poor start.