England might have had the audacity to rest their two leading strike bowlers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, for a dead rubber at Edgbaston but their domination over West Indies remained as all three members of their pace attack picked up wickets by tea as the third Test belatedly got underway after two washed-out days.
The Test had a familiar theme: Marlon Samuels was in consummate form while the rest of West Indies' batsman struggled. A serene six over long on against the offspinner Graeme Swann, followed by an equally unruffled drive through extra cover, brought up his half-century in 76 balls. His raise of the bat was aimed pointedly at Graham Onions, the latest England fast bowler to learn - or refuse to learn - that back chat to Samuels, however good natured, is counterproductive.
Assad Fudadin, a 26-year-old Guyanese left-hander, resisted in different fashion. He showed all the obduracy of his absent compatriot Shivranine Chanderpaul as he laboured for 110 balls over a Test debut innings of 28, but he was unhinged by a bouncer from Tim Bresnan as West Indies faced a familiar struggle in a bedraggled English spring.
Fudadin, who was one of four changes from the West Indies side beaten at Trent Bridge and who got his opportunity when Chanderpaul, the bedrock of West Indies' batting, pulled out with a side strain suffered in the gymnasium earlier in the week.
Bresnan provided England's sole breakthrough before lunch with the wicket of Kieron Pollard as cloudy chilly conditions, with floodlights blazing down, provided another burdensome experience for the West Indies, and Bresnan, Onions and Steve Finn all prospered.
England gave Bresnan the new ball, another example of their conservatism and overriding respect for seniority. Bresnan was the man in possession and had won the man-of-the-match award in the second Test at Trent Bridge, taking eight wickets in the match. He no doubt welcomed the opportunity as well.
All that considered, though, it was still a debatable decision to see him preferred to Steven Finn, a more attacking bowler. Bresnan's loosener was driven gratefully to the cover boundary by Barath and he dedicated himself to four overs to no great effect before he was briefly relieved of his duties.
But he struck with the first over of his second spell, an uncertain catch by Graeme Swann at second slip to dismiss Kieron Pollard. Two balls earlier, Powell had driven Bresnan confidently down the ground, but frustratingly for West Indies a decent start again failed to come to fruition.
This was the first Test in England to lose its first two days to the weather since an Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's in 1964. History suggested that a positive result would take some getting. Only two teams have ever pulled off a Test victory after the first two days were washed out. England beat New Zealand at Headingley in 1958 when the spinners Jim Laker and Tony Lock shared 19 wickets in the match. New Zealand also beat Bangladesh in similar fashion 11 years ago when they made them follow on and Chris Cairns took seven wickets in the second innings.
There was encouragement for the pace bowlers, but not to the extent that England had envisaged after the pitch had spent two days under the covers.
The poker-faced Onions was the pick of England's attack, maintaining an insistent line and finding a little movement both ways. England lost a review when Andrew Strauss, the captain, gave in to Onions' entreaties to send an lbw appeal against Barath, then 5, to the third umpire, but any sub-conscious desire on Strauss' behalf to encourage the replacement failed to pay off when replays ruled the decision remained Umpire's Call.
England's progress was slowed by two dropped catches at third slip by Ian Bell, who was standing in for Anderson, unmatched in that position, and who was not flattered by comparisons. Bell, sunglasses donned on a cloudy day, was on his home ground and fields regularly at slip for Warwickshire, but twice he was slow to react to relatively comfortable catches
Onions was the first to suffer - Barath dropped on four - and Bell's swoes continued in the second over after lunch when he dropped a sitter, Finn finding the shoulder of Fudadin's bat.
Onions finally dismissed Barath in the following over, although not before West Indies had unsuccessfully reviewed Tony Hill's lbw verdict against Barath, another decision upheld on Umpire's Call.
Darren Bravo's poor tour continued when Finn broke off from discussions at third man with England's bowling coach, David Saker, to take a return catch as Bravo checked a stroke around leg stump.
Strauss had made no apologies for England's decision to leave out their two senior fast bowlers, Anderson and Stuart Broad, with the series already won. "We look at things from a very simple point of view - what is best for the England cricket team," he said. A fourth wicket in the afternoon session ensured there would not be too much carping, Narsingh Deonarine edging to Strauss at first slip to give Onions his second wicket.
