West Indies took control of the second Test in Antigua after their bowlers roughed up the England batsmen on a very lively pitch
Related: Moeen Ali rescues England after another collapse against West Indies
Jonny Bairstow is having a chat on Sky Sports
“Batting was tough, that was pretty evident. There was a lot of uneven bounce and it was very challenging. There were two different grass types on the pitch - there’s either a ridge there or it’s something to do with the grass, and that’s why the bounce was variable.
Related: Wild card wicket puts England in a tangle as West Indies flip expectations | Ali Martin
21st over: West Indies 30-0 (Brathwaite 11, Campbell 16) That’s the end of a near perfect day for the West Indies. They won a vital toss and bowled with malevolent intent, even if they were erratic at times, to dismiss England for 187. Their openers then showed restraint and determination to survive an angry spell from Stuart Broad, particularly the newcomer Joel Campbell. The pitch seems to have flattened out; if it stays that way tomorrow, England are in a deal of trouble.
20th over: West Indies 27-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 16) The penultimate over of the day, bowled by Curran, brings an optimistic LBW appeal against Brathwaite and not much else. It pitched outside leg.
19th over: West Indies 25-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 15) There’s a suggestion England will keep their review because of Sam Curran’s no-ball. I’m not sure that would be fair, especially as it was missing the stumps as well. We’ll see. Meanwhile, Campbell fresh-airs a loose hook stroke at Stokes, who after a slow start is revving up nicely. Just in time for the close of play.
“That initial optimism of Jimmy and Broad in true face-on mode has evaporated, eh Rob?” says Guy Hornsby. “For a team that’s got so much to like about it, we’re really developing a brittle top five with a silky underbelly. It seems that against accurate, aggressive bowling we just don’t really cut it. And I swore I would have a night off the gin.”
18th over: West Indies 24-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 14) It wasn’t even umpire’s call - it was bouncing over the stumps. England have had a bit of a beast with that review.
"Dawn, I'm fed up...." #DavidBrentpic.twitter.com/k5PZkOntJC
Turns out it was a no-ball from Sam Curran. Great stuff. We didn’t even get to see whether it would have been out - and England also lose a review.
I reckon this will be umpire’s call and therefore not out. It was a lovely inswinger from Curran to Brathwaite, and I thought it would be given out on the field. Kumar Dharmasena thought about it for a long time before giving it not out.
17th over: West Indies 23-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 14) In the last 15 years, the West Indies have won only two Test series against teams other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They beat England in 2008-09 and New Zealand in 2012. This, in other words, is kind of a big deal.
“Thank you, Rob,” says Sara Torvalds. “Of course a house-style/forgetting-house-style thing (8th over) doesn’t really help me to choose between Windies and the Windies. Other than giving the semi-official Grauniad stamp of approval to whatever comes to my mind, which is obviously good enough. Also: #FinnsForFinn, obviously! (Ah, I came so close to getting Finny’s autograph at the Oval in the 2013 Ashes... On the other hand that means I still have that to look forward to before I die.)”
16th over: West Indies 23-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 14) Sam Curran replaces Stuart Broad, who bowled a heartfelt spell of 7-2-10-0, and swerves a lovely first delivery past Campbell’s outside edge. It’s a quiet over thereafter. The West Indies openers are strokeless, batting for the close. It’s an approach with which it’s hard to disagree, never mind go the full social media on them.
“The prisoner paradox has really made my head spin,” says Edward Cotterill. “For a second I completely lost concentration of the task in hand of listening to the radio commentary and trying not to lament the fact that it isn’t TMS.”
15th over: West Indies 22-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 13) Breaking news: England are in the doodoo. There is increasingly persuasive evidence that this was a huge toss for West Indies to win, and that they have a serious chance to bat England out of the series tomorrow. Blimey.
Stokes’ second over is slightly better, though Brathwaite is still able to leave most of the deliveries outside off stump.
14th over: West Indies 21-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 12) Campbell is starting to look more comfortable after a torrid, slightly comical start to his innings, although he still finds time to be beaten outside off stump by Broad. That’s his one for the over.
13th over: West Indies 20-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 11) Ben Stokes replaces Jimmy Anderson. He should be a threat, both with swing and zip off the pitch, though his radar isn’t right in that over and it’s uneventful stuff.
12th over: West Indies 19-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 11) There’s just over half an hour remaining, and England could really do with at least one wicket plus a nightwatchman. Broad beats Brathwaite on the inside with a good delivery that comes back a fair way. I do agree with the commentators, however, that there is a bit of Perth syndrome going on. It looks good because the ball keeps flying past the bat, but it isn’t necessarily full enough to threaten the edge or the stumps.
11th over: West Indies 18-0 (Brathwaite 8, Campbell 10) Anderson lands painfully in his delivery stride, prompting a short delay while he sorts out the strapping on his left ankle. He should be fine.
“This cheery conversation about death reminds me of a puzzle that I still can’t quite understand, told me when I was young,” says Ian Forth. “A prisoner is told he’s going to be executed next week but the exact day is to be a surprise. He works out that if he gets to Saturday, the last day, it can no longer be a surprise. Therefore it can’t be the Saturday. But if it can’t be Saturday, and he gets to Friday, it can’t be Friday either. And so, logically, he goes back through the week and reasons that he can’t be executed because none of the days will be a surprise. And yet it is a surprise when they come for him on Tuesday.”
10th over: West Indies 16-0 (Brathwaite 6, Campbell 10) Hahaha. Broad’s first delivery is met with an attempted lap scoop (L-A-P-S-C-O-O-P) from Campbell, who misses it by a long way and is hit in the grille. Broad looks at Campbell with a level of contempt and disgust which no existing language can adequately convey. That was entirely hilarious. Campbell responds with the best shot of the innings, punching a full ball through mid off for four. Broad turns straight on his heels and walks back to his mark in the chastened style.
“Hello Rob,” says Tony Brennan. “There’s a potential conflict chez Brennan, as we find ourselves half an hour from Death in Paradise on BBC1, and a battle for the TV remote is likely to ensue. One of us wants to watch a barely credible drama from the Caribbean, where a selection of UK household names are laid out by a reverse they didn’t see coming, whereas the wife will definitely be up for Death in Paradise.”
9th over: West Indies 12-0 (Brathwaite 6, Campbell 6) Anderson’s not happy. This is not in itself news, as he’s on a cricket field, but he seems unhappy with himself and how the ball is coming out, rather than with anyone else. When he gets it right off the last ball of the over, Brathwaite edges a fraction short of fourth slip. England haven’t bowled badly, but they need a wicket quicksmart.
“Never mind Finny, Rob,” says Phil Sawyer. “Having been extolling the virtues of Toby Roland-Jones for years, I was gutted at how abruptly his England career was cut short by injury. Saw Finn and TRJ bowling in tandem at Scarbados a couple of years ago, and TRJ definitely looked like the one with more of the elusive ‘nip’.”
8th over: West Indies 8-0 (Brathwaite 5, Campbell 3) Broad bowls, Campbell plays and misses, Broad abuses him. I should Ctrl+C that sentence, as it has happened at least seven times in this innings, including thrce in this over. However, Nasser Hussain and Ian Bishop, commentating on Sky, reckon Broad’s length is not quite full enough, which is why the ball is beating the bat rather than finding the edge.
“I need some help,” says Sara Torvalds. “English is my third language, so I’ve yet to grasp the pattern that determines when it’s ‘the West Indies’ and when it’s just ‘West Indies’. When I started following cricket back in 2009, coincidentally when England were touring (the) West Indies and I learnt to love the game after clicking headlines like ‘Where on earth does this humiliation leave England?’ and ‘England humiliated by rampant West Indies’, I had enough new terminology to learn that I did not pay attention to the definite article. Now I’m ready to rectify this omission. Is it a geography vs cricket team thing? Or are there other considerations? Please enlighten me!”
7th over: West Indies 8-0 (Brathwaite 5, Campbell 3) Anderson bowls a couple of deliveries from rround the wicket to the right-handed Brathwaite before switching back to the orthodox stance. Brathwaite digs out a dangerous outswinging yorker.
“I’d like to know when I’m going to die,” says Damian Clarke. “Years from now, might as well clean the bathroom. Day after tomorrow, there’s some people I’d like to let know just what I think of them.”
6th over: West Indies 8-0 (Brathwaite 5, Campbell 3) Campbell didn’t do much wrong there. He kicked the ball away, though I suspect Anderson thought he dragged his spikes over the ball. Campbell isn’t doing much right with the bat, mind you. Broad beats him again with a trampolining short ball, though he is able to work a couple off the pads to relieve a bit of pressure.
5th over: West Indies 5-0 (Brathwaite 4, Campbell 1) A terrific over from Anderson, who follows a series of outswingers to Campbell with a huge inswinger that almost sneaks between bat and pad. At the moment, well though he is bowling, Anderson feels like the supporting act to Broad, who is emphatically on one. Anderson was unhappy with something that Campbell did to the ball when it was dead, though I’m not sure what it was.
“What do you reckon a Steven Finn from 7-8 years ago could do on this pitch (sobs)?” sobs Kevin Wilson.
4th over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 3, Campbell 1) Thanks Daniel, hello again. Campbell misses an almighty yahoo at Broad, who generously provides some four-letter technical advice at the end of his follow through. Broad is all over Campbell: he beats him later in the over with a beauty and then has a desperate LBW appeal turned down by Kumar Dharmasena. Broad celebrated first and appealed almost as an afterthought, but it looked high and Joe Root wisely decided not to review. That was, nonetheless, a sensational over from Broad.
3rd over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 3, Campbell 1) Foakes did indeed bruise his hand getting out; it reminds me of the time my “friends” left some chips out, with Insanity Sauce disguised as ketchup also on the plate, and next to it, vodka disguised as water. Anderson isn’t quite there yet -after Brathwaite shoves on to mid on, he doesn’t make Campbell play enough; and when he does hit one, mistake at point allows him to break his duck.
“Things I love about the England Test side (part 539)“ tweets ASNaturalAsRain. “Their ability to fashion a collapse even from a position of recovery. A layered collapse...it’s like bloody Inception With that said, the Windies bowling...the rejuvenated Windies full-stop, for that matter...”
2nd over: West Indies 2-0 (Brathwaite 2, Campbell 0) Broad begins with some leg-side muck but is on the money thereafter; Brathwaite fumbles him around the corner for a single. This gives him a go at Campbell, who can’t decide whether or not to play, eventually getting out of the road. Two more dots follow, before an absolute beauty kicks off the seam and rears up and away from yerman; this pitch is still doing plenty.
“I must confess I was rather rattled by Kim Thonger’s tea-time definition of failure,” says Brian Withingto, “that initially seemed to be veering alarmingly towards a rather more personal diagnosis than the demise of the sinking ship SS Great Britain. Having just regained my personal composure I see that a rampant WI have now laid waste to England’s flaccid tail. What would Kim make of it all, I wonder?”
1st over: West Indies 1-0 (Brathwaite 1, Campbell 0) Why don’t the Barmy Army cut out the middle man, and just clap themselves instead of singing Jerusalem then clapping themselves? Anderson is quickly into stride, beating Brathwaite’s outside edge, and then drawing him forward to poke a single. A beauty of Anderson is that England don’t need to panic if they don’t get wickets immediately, because he’ll not go for runs - but it’s unlikely Broad sees things in those terms.
Cricinfo are saying that Bairstow is keeping - perhaps Foakes hurt his hand while getting himself out, for extra points.
Out come the players...
Roach was the pick of the bowlers, but don’t underestimate the contribution of Gabriel, who picked up three wickets despite being off his game, and Joseph, whose magic ball got rid of Joe Root. In other words, they’re a proper unit, and isn’t that great to see.
Well bowled West Indies. England fought back in the afternoon session, but were given almost nothing following tea. If Anderson and Broad can’t find something special, and quickly, this series will be over by Sunday morning.
Very well done. Anderson backs away to avoid another short one, exactly what Gabriel wanted him to do; he fires in a yorker, it’s straight, and that’s ta-ra.
61st over: England 187-9 (Broad 0, Anderson 1) Burns, Denly, Root and Buttler scored 18 between them - that’s been the problem for England. Just another 50 and there’s something to defend, but they’re in big trouble here. It’s possible that the new ball caused the trouble, but more likely it was the freshness of the pitch, which is to say that it was a monstrous toss to win. If that’s so, England will do well to concede a first-innings deficit of 100. Anderson does really well to get above a lifter, absorbing it in his gloves - that should soften him up for more short stuff, eh?
60th over: England 187-9 (Broad 0, Anderson 1) Roach has bowled really well today. That angle from around is bothering the lefties, Flintoff-style, and his energy and accuracy have been excellent. But, back in his spiritual home, the Burnley Lara, gets off the mark with a nurdle to leg.
When it goes, it goes fast. Roach extracts some extra bounce and Curran, leaning forward, can’t cover it, instead edging to fourth slip. Excellent captaincy from Holder to put a man there.
Foakes goes again at a short one but is through the pull too early, taking the ball with his gloves from outside leg and rearranging his own stumps. Whoops. Whatever England finish with now, it’ll likely be too few.
59th over: England 186-7 (Foakes 35, Curran 6) Curran was clearly one of those kids who people would mistakenly pick on, only to be savaged in a blur of athletic temper. Gabriel worked him over in Barbados, but he’s not at all arsed, gliding him to the long-on fence with dismissive ease then getting off strike with a single to cover.
58th over: England 181-7 (Foakes 35, Curran 1) Roach nuzzles one against Curran’s left hand, which does not look pleasant but earns a single. On the balcony, SJ Broad pouts handsomely - the stage is set for his second Test ton.
57th over: England 180-7 (Foakes 35, Curran 0) Gabriel strays too far to leg with a short one and Foakes hoiks him around the corner for two, then goes again at a better version of the same, missing. England are struggling to score here, which is a problem given the nature of the pitch.
56th over: England 178-7 (Foakes 33, Curran 0) Curran will feel like who owes his team a score here, after they sold him down the river in Barbados. He plays out three dots.
“I feel so ancient,” says Andrew Clifton. “Someone is looking at that Del Shannon video and saying - ‘Oh look, there’s grannie. Or more likely great grannie’.”
This is huge. Moeen looks to go over the top but is surprised by some surprise bounce, splicing to midwicket.
56th over: England 178-6 (Ali 60, Foakes 33) Roach propels one perfectly, pretty hand, wrist and seam all in a row row row, and it’s too good for Moeen. England are riding it a bit here.
55th over: England 178-6 (Ali 60, Foakes 33) Out of nowhere, Gabriel finds some late away-swing - it’s much too good for Foakes, who fumbles for appearance’s sake before pretending that it never happened. Maiden, but only because a straight drive off the final delivery hits the stumps at the non-striker’s.
54th over: England 178-6 (Ali 60, Foakes 33) Ohhhh look at that! Roach gives Moeen some width, so he presses forward then caresses over point for four. He likes that one, yes he does, striking the pose and holding it before vogueing with his bat. But Roach responds well, beating him with a little bit of away movement just outside off.
53rd over: England 174-6 (Ali 56, Foakes 33) It’s Gabriel from the other end; I hope his dressing-room nickname is Del. Foakes nurdles around his pad for one, bringing Moeen and his nodding dog bat back onto strike. He’s leaving wherever possible, but squirts a single to square leg to extend the partnership to 81.
52nd over: England 172-6 (Ali 55, Foakes 32) Foakes is a bit of an RC Russell isn’t he. They spent tiiiiime not picking him because his batting wasn’t good enough, then they picked him and he made runs straight away. Anyway, Roach is bowling and sends down three dots to Moeen, who then follows one but misses and leaves the next two.
“I’ll just put this out there, having seen plenty of both of them. When Jos Buttler and Ben Foakes bat in the same innings, Foakes will outscore Buttler more often than not.”
Right then, here we go. Will Moeen do a Jonny? Because, let’s be real, that getting out right at the start of the session was Jonny of the purest, uncut variety and Moeen is of similar genus. Let’s see...
“Moeen Ali is surely one of the most delightful cricketers around,” emails Philip Mallett. “Just knowing he is in the team lifts the spirits; if he has a good game, they soar. Watching Derek Randall used to have the same effect – not just admiration for their talents, though that’s real enough, but gratitude for the sense of joy they bring with them. I hope writing this hasn’t cost Moeen his wicket...”
Yes, agreed – he epitomises so much of what can be good about this country.
“Your taking chances in a low scoring game is spot on,” reckons Kim Thonger. “England should have declared on 93 for 6 and checked the new cherry to Stuart Broad.”
I can’t decide what’d be funnier: a 10-23 or a 0-203.
Back to Moeen, it’s funny. The best innings I’ve ever seen him play, probably the best innings he’ll ever play, was the least Moeen innings of them all – that 108 not out against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2014. He’s done nothing remotely like it since.
“Challenge accepted Brian Withington,” emails Kim Thonger. “Psycho-metallurgist reporting for duty.
I refer you to the metallurgical definition of failure. Seem familiar?
‘failure
A general term used to imply that a part in service (a) has become completely inoperable, (b) is still operable but incapable of satisfactorily performing its intended function, or (c) has deteriorated seriously, to the point that it has become unreliable or unsafe for continued use.’”
Synonym: Great Britain.
Thanks Rob and hello again. A question: are England pleased if the track flattens out, so they can post a presentable first-innings score? Or are they hamstrung by it because their 250 all out will be diddled by West Indies 521-7 dec, so they’d be better off taking their chances in a low scorer?
51st over: England 172-6 (Ali 55, Foakes 32) Foakes drives Chase sweetly for four off the last ball of the session. He and Moeen have played with increasing authority, adding 79 precious runs for the seventh wicket after England’s top order were roughed up on a moist, green pitch. After a manic start to the game, Moeen and Foakes have reduced the heart rate of the contest.
There’s a Test match developing here all right. That’s it from me for now. Daniel Harris will be with you after tea. Email him on daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com or tweet @DanielHarris. Bye!
50th over: England 165-6 (Ali 54, Foakes 26) Holder has restored some order with an accurate spell of 5-2-11-0, including another maiden there to Foakes. Time for one more over before tea.
49th over: England 165-6 (Ali 54, Foakes 25) And now a maiden from Chase to Foakes. Tea is an over or two away, and both teams look ready for a timeout.
“Moeen Ali is... mercurial,” says Andrew Sherman.
48th over: England 165-6 (Ali 54, Foakes 25) A quiet over from Holder to Moeen. England are batting as comfortably as at any stage in the match, maybe the series.
“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “Re 45th over Moeen Ali’s psychology: mettle?”
47th over: England 164-6 (Ali 54, Foakes 25) Moeen has another moment of fortune, inside-edging Chase past leg stump for two. All of a sudden England are in a half decent position; when did that happen?
46th over: England 160-6 (Ali 51, Foakes 24) Moeen flashes Holder over the slips for four to bring up a vital half-century from 69 balls.
“God, I love Moeen Ali,” says Phil Harrison. “What a man.”
45th over: England 156-6 (Ali 47, Foakes 24) Moeen slog-sweeps Chase sweetly for six. The world is a better place for Moeen’s existence but it’s a seriously better place when he is playing well with bat or ball. After a jittery start, he has batted superbly.
“Rob,” says Brian Withington. “Your description of the enigma that is Moeen Ali had me reaching for a definition that could embrace both the strength and fragility you identified. I think the right term might be ‘brittle’ although this has some unfortunate connotations in relation to breaking easily under tension. Maybe he is more mentally ductile but inclined to be technically brittle? We probably need a qualified psycho-metallurgist at this juncture ...”
44th over: England 145-6 (Ali 38, Foakes 22) Foakes drags a full ball from Holder through midwicket for four to bring up an admirable, level-headed fifty partnership. Foakes is an easy man to underestimate, too easy at times, so this has been a useful reminder of his batting ability.
43rd over: England 141-6 (Ali 38, Foakes 18) Chase continues to Moeen, who resists the considerable urge to lift every all back over the bowler’s head for six. Just a couple of singles from the over.
42nd over: England 139-6 (Ali 37, Foakes 17) Jason Holder replaces Alzarri Joseph and beats Foakes with a beauty that straightens and bursts from a length. That delivery aside, batting has looked much more comfortable in the last half an hour. As the commentators have just said on Sky, this could be due to any of three things: the pitch flattening out, the ball getting old and West Indies losing their intensity. There’s even an unconfirmed rumour going round the ground that two England batsmen have batted well!
41st over: England 137-6 (Ali 37, Foakes 15) A quiet over from Chase.
40th over: England 135-6 (Ali 36, Foakes 15) Moeen pushes a low full toss from Joseph for a couple, square drives a wide half-volley for four and cuts through point for three more. Just when you think you’ve got on a handle on Moeen, he surprises you again. I can’t think of too many cricketers who oscillate between mental strength and mental fragility to such an extent.
Eleven from the over. West Indies haven’t bowled that well today, certainly not compared to their relentless, disciplined performance in Barbados. I suspect they have suffered from Perth Syndrome, getting a little carried away upon seeing a helpful surface.
39th over: England 124-6 (Ali 27, Foakes 12) And now for something completely different: Roston Chase, who bowled one over before lunch, is coming on to bowl some offspin. Moeen blasts his first ball high over extra cover for four, an emphatic statement of intent. Both he and Foakes are better players of spin than pace so they will be happy with this bowling change.
(NOTE TO DAME FORTUNE: I AM NOT SAYING THEY WILL NOT, CAN NOT AND HAVE NEVER GOT OUT TO SPIN BOWLING.)
38th over: England 119-6 (Ali 22, Foakes 12) Foakes does well to repel a nipbacker from Joseph that also keeps a touch low. This, as Mike Atherton says on Sky, is the end where most of the uneven bounce has occurred. England will hope it becomes the Stuart Broad End. A poor ball from Joseph later in the over is flashed past backward point for four by Foakes, who then survives an LBW appeal after jumping across his stumps. It was probably too high and might have missed leg. Foakes has played with a lot of commonsense. That’s easier said than done when, in the parlance of our time, your beans are going.
“That photo of Root is almost akin to that era-defining photo of Robin Smith,” says Adam Hirst. “Surprising that it wasn’t actually in the Caribbean.”
37th over: England 115-6 (Ali 22, Foakes 8) Moeen moves into the twenties with a delicious straight drive for four off an attempted yorker from Holder. It’s an odd thing to say about a scratchy 22 not out but this has been a really admirable innings from Moeen in the context of his form, the pitch and the match situation.
“The Brexit team has a furious row in the dressing room about what the new rules should be, coming up with three different versions each of which favours them over the opposition,” says Garry Sharp. “They are then truly astonished when the cricket authorities politely take no notice of them whatsoever.”
Drinks
36th over: England 111-6 (Ali 18, Foakes 8) Joseph beats Foakes, who tries to cut a ball that keeps a bit low. Another maiden. The pitch is still misbehaving, if not quite as frequently or dramatically as it did before lunch. The ball that got Joe Root was almost Sakeresque.
“Would this pitch attract the ECB inspectors were Lancashire playing Derbyshire on it?” says Gary Naylor. “I suspect it might.”
35th over: England 111-6 (Ali 18, Foakes 8) A double bowling change, with Holder replacing the bloke he’s replacing. Kemar Roach, yes. Moeen inside-edges a drive onto the pad, with the ball landing safely. West Indies don’t have a silly point or short leg.
“At this rate, 150 all out looks like a triumph,” says John Sarbuck. “How often does a side redefine its targets?”
34th over: England 111-6 (Ali 18, Foakes 8) Alzarri Joseph replaces Gabriel. His first ball is too straight and Moeen touches it off the pads for four. I’m probably going to regret this comment when Foakes fends a half-volley off his face in the next over, but I wonder whether the pitch is just starting to settle down.
33rd over: England 106-6 (Ali 13, Foakes 8) Foakes plays out a maiden from Roach, a short interlude from the testosterone cricket at the other end. Foakes has, that one iffy pull stroke aside, started his innings as if he was playing on a normal surface. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t Sabina Park 1986, but it is still doing plenty both vertically and horizontally.
“I misread an earlier photo caption as, ‘Joe Denly and Rory Burns of England walk out to open the baffling,’” writes Archie Campbell. “On second thoughts, maybe ‘baffling’ would be correct?”
32nd over: England 106-6 (Ali 13, Foakes 8) Gabriel rams a gorgeous bouncer straight past the face of Moeen, and follows up with a hard faced, no-word gesture. Though Moeen is not exactly oozing permanence, he is scrapping really hard to get England towards a workable total. There’s more than one way to show character.
“Despite England’s travails, I’m really enjoying this. Give me a lively pitch where every session counts double any day,” says Phil Harrison. “Also, don’t think England are out of this, by a long chalk. Broad and Stokes in particular, will be no fun at all on here.”
31st over: England 106-6 (Ali 13, Foakes 8) Foakes has started his innings with a resting heart rate, which is an achievement in itself in these circumstances. Of course, the moment I type that he mishits a flustered pull stroke back over Roach’s head for a single.
“Dear Rob,” says Robert Wilson. “Looks like Stokes’ You-guys-are-history face didn’t end that well. He’s a lot of things, Stokes, but Robin Smith he ain’t. Because no one is. That particular exemplar of testosterone faced up to that bedwettingly terrifying attack with only a pair of Popeye forearms and a mullet on which you could bake a fish. All the while sporting the facial expression of a mildly anxious market-gardener or a decimal-averse provincial accountant. Now, that is how a man should look.”
30th over: England 102-6 (Ali 12, Foakes 5) Foakes drags Gabriel round the corner for four to get off the mark and take England into three figures. Moeen then misses an attempted uppercut at a top-floor bouncer from Gabriel. He missed that by a long way, in fact. Ooh hoo, this is fun.
“Davis padded up at No.3 telling everyone within earshot the opposition are hopeless and you’ll never get better opportunity to fill your boots this season,” says Phil Russell. “Has to go out in the 2nd over after Boris nicks off (didn’t walk). Attempts a massive yahoo first ball at a straight one and completely misses it. Given LBW in front of all three. Reviews it. Ball is hitting the middle of middle. Stands his ground for beyond a reasonable length of time before stalking off. Goes back to the pavilion to carry on telling everyone how it will be an easy game to win because the opposition are terrible, in particular the wicketkeeper who is so bad they are using a backstop.”
29th over: England 97-6 (Ali 12, Foakes 0) Moeen drags a drive down the ground for four off Roach. This has to be the right approach from England, to get their runs as quickly as possible. It’s also a touching tribute to the boys of 1985-86.
“Hi Rob,” says Eva Maaten. “Greetings from sunny South Africa where the Proteas are doing slightly better against Pakistan than England against the West Indies... Regarding the lunch-time query, the BBC is broadcasting coverage via its website. It’s called The Cricket Social. I haven’t yet listened to it myself, though, we get the TV Sky coverage here which is rather good.”
28th over: England 93-6 (Ali 8, Foakes 0) This innings will be bracketed alongside the 77 all out. Trust me, they have as much in common as chalk and chardonnay. Batting has been fiendishly difficult on a nasty surface.
“David Davis should definitely be brought in to help run the team,” says Tom Carver, returning to Brexit. “For one, he would do away with the fielders and install an infallible, albeit yet-to-be-invented technology-based solution to prevent the ball crossing the boundary.”
Shannon Gabriel wins the battle with a superb delivery to dismiss Ben Stokes! It was angled in from around the wicket and then snapped away off the seam to take the edge as Stokes fished instinctively outside off stump. Brilliant bowling!
27th over: England 91-5 (Stokes 13, Ali 7) Stokes and Gabriel are still at it during the next over as Roach bowls to Moeen, who edges along the ground for four. This is great stuff, a bit of the old bare-knuckle cricket. I know one Antigua veteran who would love to be out there right now.
26th over: England 87-5 (Stokes 13, Ali 3) Stokes is smacked on the bottom hand by a vicious lifter from Gabriel, and instinctively throws his bat down before wringing his hand in pain. That looked seriously painful, but it seems to have switched Stokes on. He doesn’t ask for treatment, gets ready for the next ball with a slightly scary look in his eyes - and drives it beautifully down the ground for four.
That response from Stokes had a ‘You Guys Are History’ feel to it, not that Stokes said as much. In fact he was smiling, just about, at the end of the over as he and Gabriel exchanged unpleasantries. Gabriel wasn’t smiling.
25th over: England 81-5 (Stokes 8, Ali 2) The new batsman is Moeen Ali. He made 0 and 0 at Barbados, and he was lucky to get that many. He almost gets another duck when he plays a loose drive at Roach and is beaten, but then gets off the markl with a push though mid-off for two.
“As a Windies supporter I am obviously very happy with the first session,” says Jason Dunkley. “However, part of me hopes we don’t bowl England out too quickly, not sure I fancy batting on this pitch today!”
He’s out! He missed it by a fair way, in fact. It was a good delivery from Roach, full and angling in from over the wicket. Bairstow’s front foot got stuck, meaning he had to play across the line, and he was plumb LBW.
Bairstow survives a huge LBW appeal from Kemar Roach off the second ball after lunch. West Indies are going to review. I think there was an inside-edge, but if not he’s in trouble.
“Hello,” says Jeremy Stigter. “Apart from enjoying your (written) words tremendously, any advice on how to catch live commentary ? I live in France so talk radio doesn’t work…”
I have no idea. You’re welcome! I’m sure the less ludditical readers can help you on this one. It should be on Guerilla Cricket as well.
Thanks Daniel, afternoon everyone. That first session was riotously entertaining, with England scrapping to stay in the series after being put in on a volatile green pitch. Their batsmen didn’t do too much wrong, despite a scoreline of 78 for four, and Joe Root fell to a monstrous snorter from Alzarri Joseph.
Jonny Bairstow’s hyper-aggressive approach can be frustrating at times but England would be in many sorts of trouble without his 52 not out. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Jonny, indeed. He has clearly decided to get as many as possible before the pitch gets him. And he has batted brilliantly.
What a great session that was. For West Indies in particular, but also for anyone with a passing interest in the achievements of mankind. I’ll be back this evening, but in the meantime Rob Smyth will guide you through what promises to be a belter of an afternoon. Talk to him: rob.smyth@theguardian.com or @somepulp.
24th over: England 78-4 (Bairstow 52, Stokes 8) Gabriel will bowl what will be the final over of the session, and already I can’t wait for the next ... assuming England don’t lose the remainder of their first-innings wickets during it. Bairstow takes a rare single, then Stokes turns around the corner for four - Gabriel hasn’t been right this morning, perhaps because he’s injured, perhaps because that sometimes happens. And there are two more, Stokes flicking to midwicket, before a better line and length has him digging one out; another dot follows, and that’s lunch.
23rd over: England 71-4 (Bairstow 51, Stokes 2) Roston Chasetaq into the attack and, paralysed with fear, Stokes allows him a maiden.
“WERE Rancid a punk band?!” chides Nick Moreton. “Still very much going strong. I once saw them ably supported by Snuff, who do a rather wonderful version of Soul Limbo.”
22nd over: England 71-4 (Bairstow 51, Stokes 2) Gabriel back into the attack ... with a beamer which Stokes takes off the hip for one. Down comes Bairstow to the strikers’ end, and he’s made his mind up about the pitch: anything that’s there to be hit, he’s hitting, because you don’t know when you’re getting hot. So he slashes over slip for four, then brings up a vital fifty with a glorious drive through cover point. Can he now convert?
“Considering how YJB is batting compared to the rest of England,” emails Chris Parker, “the Bannerman record is well and truly in danger here. As of right now (21 overs) it’s 69.35% for Bairstow vs 67.34% for Bannerman.”
21st over: England 62-4 (Bairstow 43, Stokes 1) Bairstow is batting well here - he really, really needs to make something of this, and not with a top-scoring 72 but a match-altering 126. It’s a funny quirk of cricket that when things don’t go well, sometimes you blame the players in form rather than those out of it, and this is one such sitiuation. And look at that! Bairstow reclines in the crease to zetz, shmeiss and frask Holder over extra cover for six! Brilliantly done - he has such a good eye, and if he can find the discipline to match it, he’ll be such a player.
“Surely David Davis would precede the tour by first assuring the nation that the WI bowlers need to be bowling at us just as much as we need to be facing them,” reckons Brian Withington. “Hence opening the batting would be the easiest deal in history. Then he would contrive to get dropped before a ball is bowled in anger and finally point out that he was only talking about the next tour being the easy one ...”
20th over: England 55-4 (Bairstow 37, Stokes 0) Joseph hustles through a maiden.
19th over: England 55-4 (Bairstow 37, Stokes 0) So how does Stokes play this? Like Stokes, or like Stokes trying to be Root? What we’re seeing here is different to what we saw last week - this is a team low on confidence unsure how survive against good bowling, rather than a team high on misplaced confidence caught unawares by good bowling.
“I’m not sure that it was appropriate to post the video in the 11th over immediately after the word Maiden,” chides Paul Headon. “Iron Maiden and Metallica were never the most comfortable of bedfellows … I’m trying to shoehorn some other heavy metal riffs in there, but sadly after the day I’ve had nothing comes to mind.”
Buttler never looked comfortable, and after moving down the track to put Holder off his length, was beaten by the same kind of ball he was seeking to hamper, edging to second slip. West Indies have caught very well this morning, and England are rocking.
18th over: England 55-3 (Bairstow 37, Buttler 1) Joseph is looking nasty, and after Buttler gets off the mark, he wallops the seam and beats Bairstow between bat and thigh. But he responds in typical fashion, guiding four down the ground then fairly tumping four more through cover. He’s seeing it now, so please brace for the crashing of timber.
“Seeing the words ‘Holder into the attack’ reminded me of watching Vanburn Holder as a boy,” emails Kim Thonger. “Vanburn Alonzo Holder is a former Barbadian first-class cricketer who played in forty Tests for the West Indies from 1969 to 1979. He became an umpire when he retired. I always thought Vanburn a marvellous name, and now I’m reminded that his middle name is Alonzo I shall be recommending the combination to my son Fred for my next grandson. It oozes class. Unlike our surname perhaps.”
17th over: England 46-3 (Bairstow 26, Buttler 0) More like it from England, Bairstow chleansing successive fours through mid off then point. and there’s another down to long off. Here comes the counter...
“You overestimate Davis’s prowess perhaps?” tweets Cosmo. “I’d guess he’d trip coming down the steps and land awkwardly on his own bat.”
16th over: England 34-3 (Bairstow 17, Buttler 0) That bounce that did for Root, I don’t know - nothing we’d seen previous to it suggested that it was possible, and now that it is, batsmen need to account for it. Buttler, in above Stokes for whatever reason, is tentative pushing forward. Perhaps you have to see it as a freak and accept that if it happens again you’ve got a problem, but in the meantime assume it’s not happening. Wicket maiden.
THIS IS BRILLIANT! An absolute expletive of a delivery gets HUMUNGOUS on Root, clipping his handle; at second slip, Campbell dives high and right, parrying for Hope, running round from third, to complete the job. West Indies are all over it and England are in all sorts!
15th over: England 34-2 (Bairstow 17, Root 7) Root takes one and then Bairstow swipes at a short one, getting four more over slip. On the one hand, a shot like that is asking for trouble; on the other, without it and its ilk, England would have hardly any runs.
“Since the only job that seems to be less secure than England opener is Brexit secretary,” emails Miranda Jollie, “perhaps they should swap. See what Keaton Jennings can do about the Irish backstop and stick David Davies and Dominic Raab in against Kemar Roach.”
14th over: England 29-2 (Bairstow 13, Root 6) Bairstow looks to leave then can’t help having another look, somehow guiding four past gully. The runs are coming freely now! And two more follow, a single to each batsman; this is hard, excellent stuff.
“The last time England batted first and had a century opening partnership,” laments Matt Emerson, “was against Australia at Lord’s in July 2009. That’s nearly ten years ago...”
13th over: England 23-2 (Bairstow 8, Root 5) West Indies have bowled excellently this morning - they’ve given England very little for nowt, and one of the few gifts got them a wicket. This attack might struggle in Australia where medium pace gets whacked, but otherwise I can see it causing aggravation all over, which is am affirming thought: are West Indies about to be good again? Holder is grooved now, hitting a length and Root can’t decide whether to come forward or go back so does both and is beaten. So Holder then offers him a tempter to drive ... and Root goes after it, edging ... between the two gullies! Four, but of the streaky variety.
12th over: England 19-2 (Bairstow 8, Root 1) It’s an interesting pitch this - the pace and bounce aren’t uniform, which should make for a low-scoring and exciting match. These are the kind of conditions in which a technician like Root could make the difference, but he’s at the other end as Joseph beats Bairstow’s cut ... and edge, just. Bairstow responds with two down the ground off the final ball.
11th over: England 17-2 (Bairstow 6, Root 1) Holder into the attack, on a track that might just suit him. He’s such an impressive character and quickly pulls Root forward then moves past his edge; Root responds by coming down the pitch. Incidentally, Root, with his yellow bumfluff, looks like the one in the boyband who left because he was deep and could play the intro to Nothing Else Matters. Which is all well and good, but it’s been a while since his team could rely on him to get them out of trouble and, as we know, he is talented enough to be that player; now we be a good time to show it. Maiden.
10th over: England 17-2 (Bairstow 6, Root 1) Looking at the wicket again, that’s nerves, pure and simple. It was a terrible ball pleading to be clumped, but Denly forgot to move his feet and just stretched in desperation. Anyway, more of the same causes more mayham when Root chased outside off with both feet off the ground - the resultant miscue drops inches short of Chase at point.
Oh dear. At no point has Denly looked comfy, and this dismissal sums up his innings, swiping a toe at a filthy, wide loosener. Poor bloke.
9th over: England 16-1 (Denly 6, Bairstow 6) Another single to Denly, then Bairstow takes two to leg. He’s looking solid here, moving across his stumps to cover any movement.
“Cricinfo says Joe Denly’s nickname is ‘No Pants’,” tweets ZK Goh. “I wonder who’s drawn the short straw of rooming with him on the tour.”
8th over: England 13-1 (Denly 5, Bairstow 4) There’s not much in the pitch but Gabriel persuades one to lift off a length and Denly does well to get over it, knocking down and behind. And then, when he’s sent a wide one, he drives hard to earn three to cover. He’ll be feeling a bit better now.
“Decisions like that are bonkers,” reckons Oliver Smiddy. It hit his back pad, bang in front. While the umpire clearly had a shocker, DRS is there to dig him out of the proverbial, but failed to do so. Denly is a lucky, lucky boy. That delivery deserved a wicket. Properly good fast-bowling from the West Indian openers here.”
7th over: England 10-1 (Denly 2, Bairstow 4) Joe Denly looks like the kind of bloke who has a fleece for each day of the week, their colours ranging from beige all the way up to brown. He also wears hiking trainers for trainers and sunhats in the shade. Anyway, he’s there as Roach races in and takes a single to the leg side before Bairstow plays out four dots.
6th over: England 9-1 (Denly 1, Bairstow 4) Bairstow clips three to midwicket, and looking at that review again, it’s quite phenomenal that it was given not out on the pitch - it was so dead it was embalmed. Anyway, Denly drops his 15th delivery into the off side and Bairstow is there for him, scampering through for one. Well batted that man. Naturally, Bairstow celebrates with a dangerous swish.
Hmmm. It caught the back pad and was moving away, clipping leg stump half-ball. That’s got to be the closest it’s possible to get to an overrule without overruling. Joe Denly’s search for his first Test run ... goes on.
5th over: England 5-1 (Denly 0, Bairstow 1) Looking at the wicket again, it was a really good ball, squaring Burns right up; that’s the beauty of the round the wicket angle. Bairstow immediately gets off the mark with a clip to leg, then Roach hammers Denly’s pad! That looks good! It looks very good! But the umpire says no and West Indies review!
This is very nicely done. Roach has been moving them away looking for the outside edge and late movement from a straight one was all he needed. Burns was already committed to play because he had to play, and Holder took a good catch, low down at two.
5th over: England 4-0 (Burns 4, Denly 0) And there it is! England have scored! Roach is yooo straight, and Burns picks him off his toes, sending him to square leg for four.
4th over: England 0-0 (Burns 0, Denly 0) Joseph prepares to bowl, only for Gabriel to punk him and return just in time. He seems fine, though, and Denly again tries to erase that big fat hunky-chunky 0, before driving straight to cover. On the balcony, Jonny Bairstow bites his nails, and well he might - it’s probably just me, but he’s the one I find most frustrating. He thinks he’s the player he should be, not the player he is, and until that changes it’s hard to see him improving. Four maidens in a row.
3rd over: England 0-0 (Burns 0, Denly 0) Oh dear; Gabriel has limped off feeling his hamstring. That is bad news for West Indies and bad news for us. Anyway, Roach continues probing and Burns wafts at a wide one, enticed by a fuller length, missing by plenty. Maiden.
“When Joe Denly played for Middlesex,” emails Miranda Jollie, “we used to greet his arrival at the crease with a chorus of ‘Everybody’s doing the Joe Denly stance’ to the tune of Len Ganley Stance by the mighty Half Man Half Biscuit. Hoping he does well, if only so we can try and introduce this into the Barmy Army’s repertoire.”
2nd over: England 0-0 (Burns 0, Denly 0) Right then Joseph, let’s see what’s what. Shannon Gabriel has the ball and his first go with it slants across the pads and around the corner. As the aforementioned Giggs would say, he’d’ve took it. Next up, a solid push forward then an ill-timed clunk to point, and he’s in the match. I’ve literally no idea how you process the emotion of a moment like this, and that’s before you’ve even thought about the pressure; I’d be greeting my eyes out and I’m not even a greeter. Speaking of which, when was your most inappropriate bout of tears? I’ll start: on my stag, in a Blackpool theme park, I was overcome with a ride of which i was scared and following a rather busy night, so bawled like a baby . Anyway, Denly has clearly resolved to play his natural game because he then waves at one and misses, then chases a wide one and misses again. He does not like the aesthetic of Denly 0. But he’ll have to wait to address it because that’s another maiden.
1st over: England 0-0 (Burns 0, Denly 0) Gosh, that’s some start! Roach goes around immediately and Burns goes to play then to withdraw, knocking the ball into the ground and so nearly into his stumps. That was bracing. Meanwhile, the Barmy army sing Jerusalem then applaud themselves, and rightly so; Burns plays out a maiden.
...Burns will face.
Kemar Roach has the ball...
Here come the batsmen...
If you’re Denly, do you face? I suppose you might want to get it over with, but you probably won’t want to be out first ball of the match.
“Peter Salmon appears to have forgotten Sam Curran, Jack Leach, Rory Burns and Ben Foakes,” notes Peter Lee.
Sorry, that’s my fault – I’ve been ill in bed all week. That’s probably why I’m not 691.
The conditions, reckons Athers, are pretty English. They’re going to ruin themselves for no reason any minute now.
Bumble and Athers are talking about Ben Stokes, and his change to a more defensive style. It reminds me a bit of Ryan Giggs - Alex Ferguson said something about his mid-90s period spent “trying to become the perfect footballer”, instead of focusing on what made him special to begin with.
I think, though, that Stokes is a victim of his team-mates so is trying to be two different batsmen: a technically-correct number 3, because that’s what the team needs, and Flintoff with technique, which is his natural game. Basically, he needs some help.
“Congratulations to Joe Denly on becoming England player 690 today,” emails Peter Salmon.“Here’s something to ponder on though – the next highest cap in the English team is Jos Buttler at 665 – so 25 players have been tried and discarded before Denly. In fact, going back 30 caps, only Buttler and Moeen survive, and only Haseeb Hameed (43.80) and Ben Foakes (47.33) have averaged over 37 with the bat, and only Toby Roland-Jones (19.64) and Jack Leach (26.21) under 30 with the ball. I’m sure Denly will buck the trend though...”
Robert Key, who’s good mates with Denly, says he likes him as an opener, while Collingwood says that his age is an advantage - he knows that he can score runs because he’s scored them.
He’s not opened for a while, but is excited for the opportunity and is glad he can get on with it rather than sit in the shed waiting.
Denly can’t stop smiling – it’s beautiful to see, and quite moving. He learnt on Tuesday afternoon that he was playing when, doing some bicep curls in the gym Root called him over. “It’s an emotional time”.
West Indies: Brathwaite, Campbell, Hope, Bravo, Chase, Hetmyer, Dowrich, Holder, Roach, Joseph, Gabriel.
England: Burns, Denly, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Ali, Foakes, Curran, Broad, Anderson.
England would’ve bowled too. I’ll bet. West Indies will fancy getting in amongst them right away, all the more so given Joe Denly making his debut. He comes in for Keaton Jennings, and Stuart Broad comes in for Adil Rashid.
...and will have a bowl. I’ll bet!
Time for the toss from a blustery Sir Viv...
Pitch report: from my vantage point in a north London box-room, I can tell you that it’s damp and should offer something to the bowlers.
Jos Buttler taking short-ball throwdowns off a deliberately soaked concrete pitch at nets today. Ben Stokes administering... https://t.co/hO1nTnMUKppic.twitter.com/2ALnNAbbGU
It’s been raining in Antigua this morning, but we ought still to get away on time. And, according to Cricinfo’s George Dobell, Jack Leach is the man who misses out for England.
As those of us who’ve played the game can attest, back to back Tests are an absolute killer. But, in this instance, it would be unacceptable for the authorities to make us wait any longer to see what happens next.
Test cricket has many beauties, but one that distinguishes it from all other sports is the incomparable buzz of watching your team take a kicking. Slaughtered by South Africa? Yes please! Pickled by Pakistan? Get in there! Wasted by West Indies? Give me more!
And last week, England were wasted by West Indies; it was absolutely glorious, just as it will be if it happens again this week. In part, this reflects a simple love for the game and its Caribbean iteration in particular – but there’s a bit more to it than that.
The current England team have somehow coalesced into a feckless collective, their relationship to their talent bordering on the disrespectful. There’s nothing new in a brittle batting order, but there’s everything new in one this able crumbling this frequently – all the more galling given how likeable they are as individuals. We want better from them because we want better for them, and if they’re rude enough to deny us that gratification, we’ll make damn sure to enjoy their pain.
In short: these next five days are going to be great. Here we go!
Play: 2pm GMT
Related: Joe Denly’s England Test debut to double up as Ashes audition
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