Jack Leach will never forget this winter.

Targeted for treatment, and battered out from the attack Down Under.

Then, he took the blame for England's last-day failures in Antigua and Barbados.

After two horrendous Grenada sessions, it was the Somerset spinner and rookie Saqib Mahamood who gave England hope that they could still make it to the final Test.

Leach joined the Barmy Army disbelieving at the shambolic top and middle order collapses. The entire series appeared to have been blown in 40 overs.

Jonny Bairstow and Skipper Joe Root both went for ducks. Ben Stokes only took two. Three wickets fell in nine balls after lunch, leaving England completely exposed.

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It seemed impossible for them to bat through tea, until Leach led a rearguard fight that changed the mood.

They had made modern history by the time Mahmood died, just one short of his maiden-first-class 50. After a stand that lasted 90 balls and covered 218 balls, England was all out for 204.

Since Australia's last match against England in Sydney, 1885, numbers 10 and 11 have not been the top scorers in Test innings.

Mahmood was crushed by Jermaine Blackwood, who was dragging Mahmood on to his stumps. Leach was unbeaten at 41.

England had something to hold onto on a pitch that offered plenty of opportunities for bowlers with the second ball.

Before that twist, everything was a mess from the moment Kraigg brathwaite won and inserted England.

Their initial agent was an unlikely one. Kyle Mayers bowled five consecutive maidens of medium pace trundlers, and also struck twice.

Zak Crawley calmly chipped him to extra coverage Brathwaite for seven. England lost their skipper in two overs, Mayers scoring the outside edge and Josh Da Silva winning the final.

England won the break with 46-3 when Dan Lawrence, who had scored eight points, was palpably pinched in front of Jayden Seales' leg peg.

The rest of the game was a disaster, with three more balls falling in nine balls and the score at 53.

Stokes was the first toe-end an attempt to pull off an Alzarri Joe short ball back to the bowler.

RENAISSANCE

Lees scored 31 runs five balls later. England was in chaos when Bairstow passed third ball to Seales

It continued like this: Seales was able to jiggle one back past Ben Foakes’ tentative prod to cast him for seven, but Roach was able to account for Craig Overton using one that jagged back.

Chris Woakes, Leach and Leach rounded out the three-figure total. Mayers made a regulation catch at the second slip to give Leach, who was only 10 years old, a life.

They parted after two balls of tea, when Seales rattled a full-length ball into Woakes’ stumps.

That set the stage for Leach's and Mahmood’s act of renaissance. They now have to do it using the ball.