Ben Stokes struck his second highest score in Test cricket ever as England put their stamp on the second Test against the West Indies yesterday.

Stokes eventually fell on 176 when he was caught by Dowrich off the bowling of seamer Kemar Roach with England on 395-6.

But it was an impressive innings from all-rounder Stokes, who attended Cockermouth School,

He faced 356 balls, and hit two sixes and 17 fours and was part of a superb partnership with Dom Sibley.

Former England captain Alastair Cook said on BBC Test Match Special: "It's hard to describe how good a batter Stokes is now.

"Every single situation, he has a game plan for. He can score all around the ground.

"I love watching him bat. The record since he's come back from the Bristol incident has been phenomenal. He's a pleasure to watch."

Stokes and Sibley both celebrated hard-won centuries on day two of England’s second Test against the West Indies as the hosts reached 469-9 when they declared.

The pair came together at 81-3 on the first afternoon and were not parted until the scoreboard read 341, a long and watchful stand that dug their side a deep foothold in the game.

Sibley made a painstaking 120, soaking up 312 deliveries for his second Test ton and lasting more than nine hours, while Stokes accelerated sharply after reaching three figures for the 10th time.

The fourth-wicket pair resumed on their overnight score of 207 and immediately tapped into their previous blueprint, putting on a gentle 57 runs in the morning session.

Of those Sibley scored just 15 in two hours, but that was enough to take him to a first home century. The landmark moment came after 36 balls in the 90s and just before the interval, a punch past mid-on skipping away for three. It was the slowest Test century on English shores in the last 20 years, albeit by just three balls, and even outlasted the lengthiest hundred by the famously obdurate Sir Geoffrey Boycott.

Cumbrian Stokes was less overtly aggressive than usual but also considerably brisker than his partner, scoring 40 before lunch to take the break on exactly 99. The 40-minute wait did nothing to discomfit the all-rounder, who needed just three balls after the restart to join Sibley.

He brought up his celebrations with a well-timed reverse-sweep to the third man boundary and quickly gave notice that business would be picking up. Having taken 119 balls over his first fifty runs and 136 over his next fifty, Stokes flipped a switch and moved from 100 to 150 in just 46 deliveries.

The pick of the shots was an exquisitely timed six over midwicket off Alzarri Joseph, pinging off the middle of the bat with minimal back lift and taking off.

The West Indies were 32-1 at the close of play. So they trail trail England by 437 runs with nine wickets remaining.