BRILLIANT Ben Stokes bludgeoned a remarkable ton to give England a Barbados bounce.
England was able to declare on 507-9 within minutes of tea thanks to Stokes's 11th Test century, which was a highly belligerent and savage performance.
Stoke stunned the crowd with his stunning century
Stokes was finally out at 120 after only 128 balls
Joe Root's team is unable to score a fourth win in 17 visits at the Kensington Oval, despite rookie Matt Fisher striking only with his second ball to catch John Campbell.
The Windies closed at 71-1, 237 short of the follow-on mark. England was as strong as ever at the close.
This was a day dedicated solely to Stokes.
Headingley 2019's hero admitted that he and his team-mates had been let down in Australia.
He was at his best when he hit Jaydon Seales with a long-on boundary to score his first scoring stroke.
Stokes hit six sixes, 11 fours and 11 fours during a 128-ball match that saw England dominate the tournament. However, they will not be the only winners.
It was a classic, magnificent Stokes. He broke the spirit of the bowlers, launching the ball to all parts and even sending one in the direction central Bridgetown.
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Sir Garfield Sobers and South Africa's Jacques Kallis were the only ones to reach the double of 5,000 runs, 150 wickets and a shorter time than Stokes' 78 matches.
This is his measure of his talent and status in the game. He is a player that makes opponents fear him with bat or ball.
Root opened his innings with the first delivery. Root made a quick-fire partnership of 129 for the fourth wicket. Root scored 153, the 12th consecutive Test run that he has exceeded 150. Root then succumbed to Kemar Roach's leg after a successful review.
Stokes' shots are truly amazing, a perfect blend of elegance, style and native power.
Permaul watched in dismay as the ball flew into the distance and was also sent flying past the square leg boundary.
Stokes was just as brutal on seamers who erred in length. He flung Alzarri Joseph to death with one strike of astonishing ferocity.
It was all too easy, it seemed so simple, the pitch seemed utterly lifeless. Root and Stokes made it seem effortless, the skipper steadily building up with risk-free batsmanship until he fell at noon.
Root scored 153 points of his own -- a second century in the same number of Tests
Jonny Bairstow made more runs in tandem, scoring a quick 20 before going deep at square leg.
Stokes reached three figures with just 114 balls. He then did a one-day drop and run and took off his helmet, pointing to heavens in memory of his father. Finally, he left for a remarkable 120 to try to get a third consecutive six from Kraigg Brathwaite.
Foakes, Chris Woakes and others tortured their way to 75 before the keeper got stumped. Jack Leach will be delighted with the turn of Permaul. England added eight more before the declaration.
This was England's eighth-highest score in the West Indies, and their first attempt to surpass 500 since beating India in Chennai in February 2021.
Root was able to attack without worrying about leakage runs. However, Woakes took some time to locate his line and length.
Fisher, a Yorkshire right-armer, was not so successful. He fenced to the boundary with his first shot but bagged Campbell with the second and continued bowling with pace.
Campbell, the West Indies opener, was bowled by Debutand Fisher
Although he might have been the second victim, Zak Crawley's expression suggested that he knew he had ground the ball, grabbing Shamarh Brooks' edge, and the score was on 41.
Leach was, however, getting grip, bounce and rip, Brathwaite saving Brathwaite's edge when one grubbed through in the middle.
England will support itself to assume total control on day 3.
Stokes spoke out about his ton after day's play and said that it was the best he'd felt at the crease in a while.
"It's always good to get 100, but I have to give credit to Joe and Dan for their performance on Wednesday.
"That set us up and allowed the middle orders to go out and liberate their arms.
"You have to be able to see the situation and take advantage of the opportunities that are available.
"I believed that putting pressure on their bowlers was the best option.
"I was thinking ahead, and thought it would be nice to have some bowls at them after tea, with some big runs across the board. So that worked out pretty well.
"We are aware that the wicket is good, but it has changed over the past session and a quarter and we have seen some balls spin with Leachy.
"The seamers felt that they were involved in the game a lot. There were some balls that went through the wicket's top, so it will be interesting for another day of cricket to compare their performance.
They are positive signs. It is always good to win the toss, bat first, and put 500 on the board.
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