Swann removes stubborn Chanderpaul

England had Graeme Swann to thank as they at last saw the back of Shivnarine Chanderpaul just before tea on day four of the first Investec Test against West Indies.

Chanderpaul (91) was barely five minutes short of batting through a third successive session at Lord's, only for Swann to defeat his crab-like crawl to what would have been a 26th Test hundred.

Swann struck with the first delivery of a new spell, Chanderpaul lbw sweeping and unable to extend his previously interminable stay even by resorting to DRS. He had nonetheless kept out 421 balls in the course of this match, following his first-innings 87 not out, to underpin the West Indies' unexpected bid to push this contest into a final day.

Chanderpaul lost his fifth-wicket partner Marlon Samuels (86) to the second new ball early in the afternoon, and could himself add only 18 runs in almost two more hours' batting.

But he still stood between England and significant progress for nearly six-and-a-half hours as West Indies, who on Saturday conceded a first-innings deficit of 155, moved back into three-figure credit on 265 for six.

Chanderpaul and Samuels' stand of 157 in 54 overs was the cornerstone of the tourists' resistance. They gave England's bowlers precious few moments of encouragement that a breakthrough might be on the way throughout a wicketless morning.

England's best chance against Chanderpaul appeared to be the ever-present possibility of a run-out mix-up. They almost got him that way too on 38, when he was painfully slow to respond to Samuels' call for a single into the leg-side and would have been short by yards had Kevin Pietersen's back-handed throw hit the stumps.

Samuels comfortably beat his senior partner to 50. Successive pulled boundaries off Broad were followed by a cover-drive for his eighth four, off James Anderson, to bring up his 98-ball half-century. It was Samuels too who took the Windies back in front, with the first of two cuts for four from the first two balls in today's first over of off-spin from Swann.

Chanderpaul, appropriately for his admirable but never pretty innings, completed his painstaking 50 with an inside edge past his stumps off Tim Bresnan for his sixth four. Under floodlights in persistently murky conditions, England's seamers went into a holding role in anticipation of the second new ball straight after lunch.

It was Broad who profited when it became available, drawing the edge with full-length swing as Samuels drove without feet from the crease and was caught at second slip. He had demonstrated to his team-mates, though, that Chanderpaul was not the only one capable of permanence - and Denesh Ramdin took his cue for the remainder of the afternoon.