Antigua and Barbuda (AFP)— Nkrumah Bonner found another useful partner in Joshua da Silva with the West Indies closing in on England’s first innings total in reaching 271 for five at lunch on the third day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.

Recovering from the loss of Jason Holder’s wicket at the start of the day’s play, Bonner’s unbeaten 68 and 29 not out from da Silva in a sixth-wicket partnership so far worth 65 runs put the home side within 40 runs of the tourists’ total.

Ben Stokes was the successful bowler on an otherwise frustrating morning for England who again laboured to make further inroads into the West Indies batting line-up despite taking the second new ball as soon as it became due after 80 overs.

Their hopes were lifted when Stokes found the edge of Holder’s bat in the third over of the morning to send the former captain back to the pavilion on 45, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes making no mistake with the straightforward catch.

However Bonner continued in his usual phlegmatic manner, the 33-year-old Jamaican right-hander looking calm and assured in defying every challenge presented by England’s seamers in reaching the fourth half-century of his comparatively young Test career.

He has so far faced 175 deliveries in an innings spanning more than three-and-a-half hours, stroking six fours and six.

Da Silva, 10 years Bonner’s junior whose Test debut in December of 2020 came less than two months before the older batsman’s first cap, brought his experience as an opening batsman with his club in Trinidad and Tobago to bear in coping effectively with the potential threat of the second new ball.

He was also aided by the television technology as an lbw verdict against him by umpire Joel Wilson off the bowling of Craig Overton was overturned on review.

England’s task was made all the more difficult when their fastest bowler, Mark Wood, left the field after bowling just one over with the second new ball.