Jonathan Agnew column

By Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent

Flintoff's injury will ask more of the rest of England's bowlers - such as Swann

England would dearly have loved another wicket going into the final day and to have broken the partnership between West Indies' most stubborn batsmen, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Even so, they should still fancy their chances of winning the third Test and levelling the series - but I can't help but feel that it depends greatly on the fitness of Andrew Flintoff.

Flintoff has an injured hip which was given an anti-inflammatory injection after the third day's play. He batted down the order at number nine - bagging a pair - and looked nothing like his usual aggressive self when he bowled three exploratory overs.

Frankly, he looked lame and while England might have been hoping that a quiet day would allow him to bowl properly on the fifth, it is also possible that they are banking on the other bowlers to complete the task without him, which would improve Flintoff's chances of playing in the fourth Test in Barbados next Thursday.

Of the others, Graeme Swann looks the most likely match-winner, although he was below his best on day four.

Having taken five wickets in the first innings, he should have been confident and relaxed going into the second but he dropped too short too often, giving Chris Gayle and Sarwan plenty of scoring opportunities.

Swann did finally trap Gayle lbw for 46, but he did not look anything like as dangerous as in the first innings.

It might have been Flintoff's absence with the new ball, but something was missing from England on Wednesday. They drifted in the second innings - not helped by the ridiculous decision to send in James Anderson as night-watchman.

If they really felt that their batsmen needed protection when the lead already stood at 300, then why not send in a tail-ender who could play positively the following morning - Swann would have been a much better bet.

Instead, Anderson and Alastair Cook did not impose themselves at the start of the day and, as wickets fell while England stumbled towards their 500-run lead, I felt that they lost the initiative.

I can understand, with Steve Harmison unwell and Flintoff less than fully fit, why captain Andrew Strauss decided not to enforce the follow-on, but the positive attitude which served England so well on the first three days was missing on the fourth, and they might come to regret it.