Monty Panesar exposed West Indies' frailty against high-class spin on Saturday with four wickets on the third day of the first Test at Lord's.

The orthodox left-armer bowled Devon Smith (21) with his first delivery of the match 10 minutes before lunch after England had declared at their overnight total of 553 for five.

Panesar then won lbw appeals against captain Ramnaresh Sarwan (35), vice-captain Daren Ganga (49) and Runako Morton (14) in the afternoon session.

At tea, West Indies were struggling at 217 for five and their plight would have been worse had it not been for the patience of opener Ganga who laboured for almost three hours before falling one run short of his 10th test half-century.

England were indebted to Panesar, who compensated for the shortcomings of their pace attack by bowling unchanged from the Nursery End throughout the afternoon.

England lost the services of their most experienced bowler Matthew Hoggard, who left the field with a thigh injury before lunch after delivering the first ball of what would have been his 11th over.

Steve Harmison, with plenty to prove after a wretched series in Australia, bowled with hostile intent before lunch but went for 32 from six overs directly after the interval.

Liam Plunkett, who yorked the dangerous Chris Gayle (30) with his second delivery of the match, sprayed the ball persistently wide.

Gayle set the early pace when he took two boundaries off Hoggard through mid-wicket after the Yorkshire swing bowler over-pitched trying for late inswing. He punched Harmison for fours through mid-on and mid-off but was then bowled off-stump by Plunkett groping at a swinging yorker.

Smith struck four boundaries before he was completely deceived by Panesar and Sarwan batted attractively then missed a Panesar delivery which straightened a fraction. Ganga was dismissed in similar fashion prodding forward.

Morton survived a chance off Plunkett with the total on 166 and his score on one when Paul Collingwood leaped high at second slip but could not hold on to the catch.

Morton celebrated by off-driving Plunkett to the long-off boundary and slicing another four over slips before becoming Panesar's third lbw victim.