Stuart Broad led an England fightback on day two of the second Test but the West Indies were 25 ahead at tea in Antigua, with five first-innings wickets in hand.
The stakes were high at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium as the tourists sought to claw their way back into both the match and the series and Broad marked his recall to the side with a pair of wonderful spells that brought two wickets but could easily have delivered more.
With one session to play, the hosts were 212 for five, England having put down two tough catches and a dolly where a perfect fielding performance was needed to compensate for their 187 all out.
Variable bounce continued to play its part, though the violent lifters of day one were here replaced by shin-high shooters.
England managed a solitary wicket in the morning session at a cost of 96 runs, though Broad did everything in his power to improve that equation.
He saw Kraigg Brathwaite dropped in the first over the day for four, substitute fielder Keaton Jennings almost clinging on, was given the wicket of John Campbell only for DRS to correctly over-rule and then saw the left-hander horribly shelled by Jos Buttler at third slip.
Ben Stokes eventually ended Campbell's fortunate knock on 47, Buttler partially making amends with the catch.
The afternoon was kinder to England, and Broad, who had been omitted from three Test matches and gone wicketless in Colombo since his previous wicket in September.
Moeen Ali got the ball rolling, Brathwaite out bat-pad to Jennings at short-leg, before Broad got belated rewards in his second spell.
Shai Hope feathered a searching delivery behind and three balls later – one of which flew through the vacant third slip – Roston Chase was bowled by an unplayable shooter.
Shimron Hetmyer got over-excited, lofting Moeen to the alert James Anderson at long-off, but Darren Bravo and Shane Dowrich began building the lead.