Sarwan and Ramdin stand tall to frustrate England

BARBADOS // Ramnaresh Sarwan and Denesh Ramdin set aside Saturday's controversial technology decisions as England attempted to level the series. By lunch yesterday the duo had taken the West Indies to 483-5 with Sarwan 229 not out and Ramdin 56 not out. Their unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 149 runs took their team well past the follow-on total and only 117 behind England's first innings total of 600-6 declared.

Two of the four dismissals on the third day were highly dubious, made after the intervention of television umpire Daryl Harper. The International Cricket Council's referral system came under scrutiny in the first Test in Jamaica and did so again after Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash were on the wrong end of harsh leg-before decisions prompting the coach John Dyson and manager Omar Khan to visit the match referee Alan Hurst's room.

The fast bowler James Anderson was the beneficiary of the first when Chanderpaul (70) offered no stroke to a delivery and Russell Tiffin ruled him out. Despite the use of technology, which suggested the ball was going well over the stumps, Harper upheld his colleague's view. West Indies subsequently lost any further right of appeal, having used up one over the dismissal of the opener Devon Smith.

Then, at the end of a quickfire stand of 54, Nash was involved in two more leg-before appeals from the off-spinner Graeme Swann. Both deliveries were virtually identical in height and came with Nash on 33. Technology argued in the batsman's favour on both occasions, but on-field official Aleem Dar altered his decision on the second with 66 still required to avoid the follow-on. * PA Sport