CRICKET:ANDREW STRAUSS struck his 16th Test hundred to charge England out of the blocks in their must-win fourth Test against West Indies in Barbados.

Captain Strauss and Alastair Cook shared England’s first double century opening stand for more than four years, in fact, to make good of winning the toss at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

But once their stand of 229 came to its conclusion minutes after tea – the highest since Strauss and Marcus Trescothick turned the momentum of a match against South Africa in Durban in December 2004 – the runs dried up.

England totally dominated the first two sessions, only to be pegged back by a loss of wickets in a turgid evening period, and closed on 301 for three.

Strauss was dismissed for 142 in spectacular manner by fast bowler Daren Powell to provide a breakthrough in the 65th over.

A full delivery demolished Strauss’ stumps to provide Powell with some joy after much suffering.

Opening partner Cook then perished five overs later, six short of a hundred, when he mishit a pull off Jerome Taylor which was clutched by a diving Ryan Hinds at midwicket.

The jittery nature of Cook’s innings was in contrast to Strauss, who followed his 169 in the drawn match in Antigua last week by celebrating his latest three-figure contribution before the halfway point of the opening day.

He did so in great style, hauling a delivery from spinner Sulieman Benn into the second tier of the Greenidge Haynes stand.

Strauss took advantage of being dropped on 58 to reach his latest hundred from 144 deliveries.

It was a strong statement from an England team attempting to overcome the odds to win a campaign they trail 1-0 with two matches to play.

Owais Shah then perished, after spending 47 balls over seven, when he chopped a delivery from the 6ft 7in Benn to slip.

The Middlesex batsman contributed to a clogging up of the scoreboard: only 39 runs were scored in 22 overs between tea and the new ball being taken at 260 for three.

Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood took advantage of some further loose stuff.

Things turned particularly ragged in fact when Taylor bodged a skier to fine leg after Fidel Edwards had hurried Pietersen, on 20, with a bouncer in the fourth over before the close.

Wides, no-balls and byes followed in an over which yielded 15 runs in all to emphasise that England had been let off the hook.