ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

West Indies face a huge challenge to save the third Test, after England set them a highly improbable, if not impossible, target of 503 for victory yesterday.

West Indies were 143 for three in their second innings, with Ramnaresh Sarwan not out on 47 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out on 19 at the close on the penultimate day of the Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Sarwan and Chanderpaul shared an unbroken 47-run partnership in the last hour to put the brakes on England's progress and will carry the burden of saving West Indies from defeat into today's last day, after the home team wobbled following a steady start.

Top score

West Indies were left with a minimum of 135 overs to bat over the remainder of the match, after England declared their second innings closed on 221 for eight, a little over an hour before the scheduled tea break.

Alastair Cook hit the top score of 51 for England, Paul Collingwood made 34, Kevin Pietersen got 33 and night-watchman James Anderson frustrated West Indies for over an hour for 20.

For West Indies, Daren Powell collected two wickets for 33 runs from seven overs, Ryan Hinds took two for 45 from 11 overs and Sulieman Benn two for 58 from 13 overs.

West Indies then started their chase comfortably, when their captain Chris Gayle and fellow left-handed opener Devon Smith were hardly troubled and shared 59 for the first wicket.

But West Indies slipped to 96 for three about an hour after tea to shift the balance of power solidly in England's favour.

Smith was adjudged lbw for 21, playing back and across to Steve Harmison. Gayle was also adjudged lbw for 46, sweeping across the line to off-spinner Graeme Swann and Ryan Hinds was caught at mid-on for six, driving Stuart Broad's slower ball firmly to the fielder.

West Indies had lost three wickets in the space of 62 balls during this passage of play and Sarwan and Chanderpaul had to draw on their combined experience of 194 Tests and over 13,000 Test runs to stop the rot.

Earlier, West Indies found it difficult to contain England's hunt for quick runs, after the visitors had resumed from their overnight total of 31 for one.

Before lunch, Daren Powell captured two wickets, but England reached 135 for three at the interval.

West Indies new-ball pair of Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor had stifled England's scoring early and Gayle wasted a chance for an early breakthrough when he put Anderson down on 11 at first slip off Edwards.

ENGLAND 1st Innings

566 for nine declared

(A. Strauss 169, P. Collingwood 113)

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 285

(R. Sarwan 94; G. Swann 5-57)

ENGLAND 2nd Innings

(overnight 31 for one)

A. Strauss c D.S. Smith b Edwards 14

A. Cook c D.S. Smith b Hinds 58

J. Anderson c wkpr Ramdin b Powell 20

O. Shah b Powell 14

K. Pietersen c wkpr Ramdin b Benn 33

P. Collingwood b Hinds 34

+M. Prior not out 15

S. Broad run out (+Ramdin) 1

A. Flintoff c Hinds b Benn 0

S. Harmison not out 7

Extras (b12, lb3, w5, nb6) 26

TOTAL (8 wkts decl'd, 50 overs) 221

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Strauss), 2-69 (Anderson), 3-97 (Shah), 4-145 (Cook), 5-189 (Pietersen), 6-195 (Collingwood), 7-201 (Broad), 8-206 (Flintoff)

Bowling: Edwards 9-1-36-1 (nb5, w5); Taylor 9-2-34-0; Powell 7-0-33-2; Benn 13-0-58-2 (nb1); Hinds 11-0-45-2

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 503 runs)

C. Gayle lbw b Swann 46

D.S. Smith lbw b Harmison 21

R. Sarwan not out 47

R. Hinds c Shah b Broad 6

S. Chanderpaul not out 18

Extras: (lb4, nb1) 5

TOTAL: (3 wkts, 45 overs) 143

Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Smith), 2-81 (Gayle), 3-96 (Hinds)

Bowling: Anderson 9-2-24-0 (nb1); Broad 9-2-22-1; Swann 16-4-50-1; Harmison 6-0-17-1; Flintoff 3-1-12-0; Pietersen 2-0-14-0

Position: West Indies need 360 more runs to win with seven second innings wickets standing

Umpires: R. Koertzen, D. Harper, TV Replays: N. Malcolm, Reserve: C. Mack

Match Referee: A. Hurst