Port-of-Spain: England took a stranglehold on Day IV of the second Test as they reduced West Indies to 52 for two at lunch in their second innings, still 59 runs behind.

Having resumed on 300 for six, England lost their last four wickets for four runs as they were bowled out for 319, a lead of 111, but Simon Jones dismissed Chris Gayle (16) and Devon Smith (17) to edge them closer to a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was batting on nine while Ridley Jacobs, promoted above captain Brian Lara in a tactical ploy with just 10 minutes to play before lunch, was unbeaten on four.

Outplayed for the first three days, West Indies hit back strongly in the first hour to at least give themselves a chance of saving the match.

Graham Thorpe and Ashley Giles took the lead past the 100 mark but Giles was the first man to go when he was caught by Smith at second slip off Pedro Collins.

Collins then denied Thorpe his 13th Test century when he tempted him to cut outside off stump, a thin edge giving Gayle an easy catch at first slip.

The occasional spin of Gayle then accounted for Jones and Steve Harmison to restrict England’s lead to 111.

Matthew Hoggard and Harmison gave little away with the new ball but after taking more than five overs to score their first runs off the bat, West Indies began to look dangerous.

Gayle, top-scorer in the first innings with 62, hit four boundaries and was looking set for another big score when England captain Michael Vaughan replaced Hoggard with Jones.

The move worked immediately as Gayle was bowled by a ball which kept low, taking out the left-hander’s off stump.

Smith had looked secure in the opening stages of his innings but when he had reached 17 he lost his head, attempting to drive Jones over the top and succeeding only in giving Hoggard a simple catch at mid-off.

West Indies then sprung a surprise as Jacobs was promoted up the order, but he survived as the home side reached the interval without further loss.

Lara, incidentally, was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the first innings.

He failed to negotiate a rising Harmison delivery and was caught at gully.