Test cricket in the raw returned to the Caribbean yesterday as England's batsmen surrendered a hard-won advantage gained during the morning, with an afternoon collapse on a stiflingly hot, steamy sauna of a day.

By the close of the first day, one over early because of bad light, England were fighting tooth and nail to hold their own in the second Test at Queens Park Oval reaching 175 for eight as West Indies battered repeatedly at the door and finally broke it down.

At times it was torrid stuff, as the ball, manufactured presumably on the Caribbean island of St Vitus, danced for the seamers, led by Curtly Ambrose (3 for 17) but with some strong backing in particular from Kenny Benjamin on his return to the side. A brave rearguard was being masterminded by Nasser Hussain, however, who came close to offering a catch first ball, but survived for almost four hours, to be unbeaten, if not unbruised, on 44.

Although it had been desperately hard work, and required both the attentions of Lady Luck and the early co-operation of the West Indies close fielders, who missed three chances, England had by mid-afternoon reached 87 for the single loss of Mike Atherton, with Alec Stewart acknowledging the applause for a half century.

It was as good as it got. Stewart was leg before wicket to the very next ball, the scoring rate, never skittish in any case, stagnated and by the time Andy Caddick was similarly leg before long after tea, a further five wickets had fallen for 56 more runs.

There was some culpability on England's part. Graham Thorpe for instance, played the pacemen with relative comfort only to edge a catch, cutting Carl Hooper's last ball before tea. And Adam Hollioake was victim of a soft run out from Chanderpaul's throw from point, although there was doubt as to whether the wicketkeeper David Williams had broken the wicket legitimately.

Replays tended to indicate not, although the batsman had long since returned to the pavilion by the time the evidence was presented. It was, said Barry Jarman the match referee, tough but there it was.

But mostly it was the pitch, hard and grassy, playing its part, offering assistance all day, to pace men, and when given the chance, even to Carl Hooper's offspin as well. A batsman simply never was in. Sabina is light years away but the bounce here is already erratic, complementing the lateral movement.

To reach lunch for the loss of only one wicket was, in the circumstances a triumph, although no reason for complacency with wickets likely to fall in clutches.

Stewart, who had ridden his luck with the skill of a rodeo cowboy all morning, carried on in that vein after the interval, surviving chances low to Lara at first slip off Walsh when 41, and to Hooper at second slip off Benjamin two runs later, the fielder poaching the ball from Lara.

Stewart will never work harder for a half century, with the ball moving even more during the afternoon than the morning, but he had scarcely acknowledged the applause when Benjamin's wicked delivery darted back to catch him stiff-legged and inarguably leg before.