Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood produced a remarkable rescue job as they shared a 90-run last-wicket partnership to push England up to a first-innings total of 204 after collapsing to 114-9.
After getting put in to bat by the hosts, England lost two early wickets to the medium pace of Kyle Mayers when Zak Crawley and captain Joe Root both fell cheaply. Crawley chipped a catch to short extra cover for seven and Root was promptly removed in Mayers' next over for a duck, getting caught behind by Joshua Da Silva.
Dan Lawrence then became the third England wicket to fall in the morning session when the impressive Jayden Seales pinned him lbw for just eight. After Alex Lees and Ben Stokes saw England through to lunch on 46-3, the visitors suffered an all-too familiar collapse after the break.
When Stokes was out for two inexplicably looking to take the attack to the West Indies and miscuing a pull shot straight back to Alzarri Joseph, it triggered a collapse that saw England lose three wickets for no runs.
Lees, who had impressed in the morning session and was the only England batter to reach double figures, was then getting caught behind off Roach for 31 the following over. And Jonny Bairstow soon followed, falling to Joseph for a duck.
Seales produced an absolute beauty to bowl Ben Foakes for just seven, leaving England in complete disarray at 67-7. Bowlers Chris Woakes and Craig Overton did fare slightly better, adding 25 and 14 respectively.
However, with England 114-9 when Woakes was cleaned up by Seales, the unlikely pairing of Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood managed to guide the visitors to a first-innings total of 204. They shared a last-wicket partnership of 90 runs, with both players passing 40 as the ball got softer and the West Indies became more frustrated.
In the end, Mahmood fell just one run short of a first-ever half-century, chopping a delivery from Jermaine Blackwood onto his stumps. Although England only just passed the 200-run mark, it could have been so much worse and Leach and Mahmood's partnership has given them a fighting chance.
Here are five talking points from the day's play.
Mayers' immediate impact
Although primarily a batting all-rounder, it was Mayers' bowling which came to the fore on day one in Grenada as he picked up 2-13. Brought into the side to replace spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who has proved expensive, Mayers made an immediate impact.
Bowling at speeds of around 75mph, he removed both Crawley and Root early with scramble seam deliveries. Crawley chipped a simple catch to Brathwaite at cover and Root edged behind for a nine-ball duck.
The two wickets left England in trouble at 29-2, with Mayers bowling five back-to-back maidens in his opening spell. "I thought it was a good spell, bowling five overs for no runs and getting two wickets," Mayers told BT Sport. "I just tried to stick to my plans, bowl my stock ball for as long as possible and be patient."
"Consistently inconsistent" Crawley
So far on this tour Crawley has batted five times, scoring his second Test match hundred but also getting out for three single-figure scores. The opener is clearly talented and highly thought of by England but, now 21 Tests into his career, he needs to find some consistency.
There is a lot to like about the way Crawley bats, but there are also obvious issues which need to be addressed. Nasser Hussain an "obvious flaw in his technique" which leaves him "vulnerable when the ball is doing a bit off the seam" and Michael Vaughan has expressed concerns after his latest dismissal sparked an England collapse.
"Zak Crawley is going to be consistently inconsistent if he bats like that and plays the big drive," Vaughan told BT Sport. "He played a nice drive down the ground, but once again he's got out playing the big booming drive. The trap was set and Crawley has been caught in the trap."
England's top order frailties exposed again
After safely negotiating the first ten overs, England lost seven wickets for just 44 runs as the West Indies ran riot. It was Crawley's poor dismissal that sparked the collapse, but the West Indies seamers bowled brilliantly with the first new ball on a pitch which offered them some assistance.
Aside from Crawley, Stokes' dismissal was a poor one as he mistimed a pull shot and was out caught and bowled to Joseph. However, Roach, Seales, Mayers and Joseph were absolutely sensational for most of the day, with the ball Seales bowled to get Foakes out an absolute beauty.
Although the West Indies bowled well, the collapse once again exposed England's frailties against the moving ball as every member of England's top seven was out for single figures. "West Indies have bowled well, but England's batting is so fragile," Vaughan said. "The techniques and mindsets we see from the players you are not surprised to see this happening when the ball is moving around.
"You need a bit of luck on this pitch with the ball moving around, but you also need to leave the ball better with a strong technique and capitalise on anything loose. This was just like the Ashes when the ball was moving around they chased it."
Seales an impressive prospect
The 20-year-old is a hugely talented seamer and has enjoyed a very impressive start to his Test career. Before this series, Seales had taken a total of 16 wickets at an average of 21.31 in his four previous matches against South Africa and Pakistan.
And he has continued to impress against England, picking up a total of 10 wickets so far at an average of 26.50. He is currently the West Indies' leading wicket-taker in the series and that is no mean feat given he is playing alongside quality bowlers like Roach and Holder.
In Grenada, Seales picked up 3-40 in England's first innings, producing two brilliant deliveries to dismiss Foakes and Woakes.
Leach and Mahmood's fightback
After England's top order collapsed, it was their last-wicket partnership which somehow saw them pass 200. Both Leach and Mahmood scored more runs and face more deliveries than any other England batter.
Together the pair added 90 runs, the highest partnership of the entire innings, with Mahmood making a career-best score of 49 and hitting his first ever six in first-class cricket. "West Indies lost their impetus and aggression but it was really high level skill from Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood," Vaughan said.
"I wouldn't say England have won the day because they are still below par but they have grabbed the momentum. Saqib Mahmood is in his second Test match. He bowled well in his first Test and he's held an end in a second Test - it is really promising signs. It shows a lot of character."
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