England V West Indies, Lords, 1st Test Thread

[Duty281]

Just a little under 15 hours now until the English Test Summer gets underway with the first of three tests against the lowly West Indies. This is seen as little more than a tune up for England, with the bigger obstacle of South Africa to come later in the summer.

Indeed, England are seen as overwhelming favourites for the series despite a disappointing Winter campaign in the UAE and Sri Lanka which saw them just about hold on to their World no.1 ranking. In the red corner, the West Indies are coming over to England on the back of a 2-0 home defeat to the Australians but their captain Darren Sammy remains hopeful of an upset.

Teams

England 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

West Indies 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Fidel Edwards

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Enjoy!

[Fists of Fury]

The Windies top three looks horribly shaky. If England bowl and there is a bit of hoop on offer I really can't see them lasting awfully long.

[Shelsey93]

The Windies top three looks horribly shaky. If England bowl and there is a bit of hoop on offer I really can't see them lasting awfully long.

Edwards is a threat... look at the average, and he bats in an unorthodox and aggressive manner which could unsettle England. But I agree that against Anderson and Broad, Barath and Powell will be walking wickets.

[Fists of Fury]

Edwards is decent, but let's not pretend that average was made against England or South Africa, the only two really threatening bowling attacks in world cricket (Pakistan too, I guess).

Here's a little series preview of mine. It's in no great depth, as there are only so many ways you can say "I expect the Windies to get crushed": http://andy-bloxham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/windies-at-cross-roads.html

[Guest]

Chanderpaul is the key for the windies..

he has to fire if they are to have a chance of posting a decent score.....he and the likes of bravo and edwards are their best batsman and are very good players.

[Stella]

Is that you cf90?

Finn for Bresnan in your team Duty.

[Biltong]

I agree it depends on Chanderpaul if West Indies want to make a fight of it, however the english bowlers showed good form recently, and for chanderpaul to withstand their attack for 6 innings is highly unlikely.

[Fists of Fury]

I think Bresnan might just play. England will likely be looking for as strong a batting line-up as possible ready for when the Saffers roll in to town, though the attacking move would be Finn.

I feel for Onions. If he hadn't got injured years back he would likely have still been a member of this England side. He is a terrific bowler and wouldn't let anyone down with his deadly accurate wicket to wicket approach. He is tremendous against left handers, too.

[Mad for Chelsea]

news just in from cricinfo is that England have indeed plumped for Bresnan ahead of Finn (and Onions), while Bairstow will make his debut. No team news for WI yet. Shame for Finn, but he will get his chance later in the summer if he stays fit, as it's unlikely England will play all six tests with the same bowling line-up.

[Mad for Chelsea]

England win the toss, and unsurprisingly Strauss decides he'll have a look at that WI top order...

[Fists of Fury]

Sammy gets his call wrong and England have opted to bowl. Overcast at Lord's - it should go round corners.

All over by tea time Saturday?

[Mad for Chelsea]

no Ravi Rampaul for the WI, in comes Shannon Gabriel for his debut. Big blow that, Rampaul would get some swing in these conditions you feel. I'm assuming this means they're going in with four seamers.

[Fists of Fury]

Yep, they are indeed. Will a lack of spinner cost them? A spinner is always a nice option to have against England, who often find ways to get themselves out to the slower men.

Gabriel seems though he has some fire, though quite whether he will prove effective against this batting line-up remains to be seen.

I love Test cricket, can't wait for the start.

[Mad for Chelsea]

so here we are then, Jimmy to start off. Barath and Powell opening up for the WI. Ready to go

[Mad for Chelsea]

Anderson and Broad on the money up front, and the ball is swinging. Barath with one nice cover drive for four, but had no clue when Jimmy bowled him the inswinger.

[ShankyCricket]

Looks a slow pitch.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Anderson, having been driven a couple of times to the cover fence, switches to inswingers to Barath and has him in more than a spot of bother, decent LBW shout turned down. Fraction too high.

[Mad for Chelsea]

good start from the WI this. England have bowled pretty well, but WI openers so far equal to the task. One small criticism is that they're not rotating the strike at all.

[Mad for Chelsea]

GOT IM! Jimmy magnificent, gets a full one swinging away which Powell has a dicey drive at and misses, the next swings back in viciously and by the time Powell spots it it's way too late to bring his bat down. The ball strikes off-stump, and England have their first!

[Fists of Fury]

Jimmy!

[Fists of Fury]

The man is a genius.

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

Good start Mad4? Or a wicket down with bugger all on the board? OK you obviously posted that just before Anderson struck

yes its a time to bat sensibly but the difference with a genuine test opener would that they could milk a few runs whilst defending. The opening pair despite looking modertaly secure managed 4 scoring shots between them in 53 deliveries, its not really enough is it.

[Mad for Chelsea]

yowzer! Edwards's first delivery is a massive inswinger, but it's swinging too much, would've missed leg stump (pretty comfortably in the end).

[Mad for Chelsea]

GOT IM! Just as I was going to write that it hadn't been a bad hour for the WI, Anderson swings one into Edwards, catches him plumb in front, and WI are 32/2. That just looked out, Edwards wisely doesn't review it, crashing into middle.

Barath has looked pretty comfortable (with the odd moment of fortune), but WI are in trouble already.

[ShankyCricket]

Jimmy, you are just flippin awesome.

[trebellbobaggins]

Morning all. Lively start today. Glad to see they don't have our weather up there, wet and miserable here.

[Fists of Fury]

On a rope, I believe is the phrase. Magnificent bowling.

[Mad for Chelsea]

eugh, I nearly gave Barath the kiss of death there, that was a horrible flirt with the ball outside off.

[Fists of Fury]

Broad seems a little short of practice.

[Biltong]

now, now, boys it is the ball that did the work.

[trebellbobaggins]

Holdings a bit of an angry man today. Felt England were a bit arrogant assuming Windies couldn't cope with swing and that Windies performance here proves them wrong and this has put them in control. Thinks Eng have made a huge mistake by the sound of it.

[trebellbobaggins]

and he thinks Eng lack bowling depth. Really?

Blimey, he really thinks his boys are up against a weak side by the sounds of it.

[Liam]

Have to be honest i'm slightly disappointed they went with Bresnan. He does a decent job but I think they need to be looking at Finn. He's been superb all season and has that extra bit of pace the other England players don't have.

Bowlers take wickets, batters score runs. I know Bresnan bats a bit, but the fact is after Prior, Broad and Swann can always chip in with the odd quick fire 20/30 and both capable of scoring fifties.

[Fists of Fury]

Really? Is Mikey losing the plot in his old age? Ludicrous claims.

[ShankyCricket]

No. I dont think he said something like that.

[ShankyCricket]

and he thinks Eng lack bowling depth. Really?

Blimey, he really thinks his boys are up against a weak side by the sounds of it.

He said WI.

[alfie]

Holding apparently feels rather too much is made of West Indies batsmen and their weakness against swing bowling - points out that England lost a few wickets to Pakistan's swing bowling a year or two back... OK he has a bit of a point but really the difference is that West Indies batting in recent times hasn't done very well against any bowling , and an overcast day at Lords isn't going to be easy for them at all.
Pitch looks a bit slower than England would have wanted but I still fancy they'll be able to work their way through this lineup for an under-par score.

Not as if this pitch is going to turn square on the last couple of days anyway - and of course even if it did West Indies have no spinners... Can't see any reason not to have put them in ...

[trebellbobaggins]

oh i misheard it in that case shank. He's definitely angry england bowled first and seemed to be feeling it was dismissive of Windies.

I agree Finn should be there BTW. Been so good and earned his place.

[Fists of Fury]

It was an overcast morning and Windies don't have a spinner - it made perfect sense to bowl first.

[Stella]

It was an overcast morning and Windies don't have a spinner - it made perfect sense to bowl first.

Yep.

He would have been stupid and ridiculed if he hadn't.

[Guest]

Broad opening after lunch, if we can get one of these out two out in the first half hour of the session and get shiv in then we will grab the intative.

[Fists of Fury]

Thankfully Jimmy is back on. Nobody else has produced an ounce of threat. Broad seems well off the pace.

[alfie]

True , Fists ... I didn't see all of that first session , but enough to agree Jimmy was the dangerous one and Broad not quite up to his usual standard...Is he lacking a bit of match practice perhaps ?
They were never going to do it , but it had crossed my mind that if Broad were a bit "underdone" a case could have been made for Anderson/Bresnan/Finn ...

...and now he has an lbw shout : and a review ...legal delivery? No

[Mad for Chelsea]

Broad bowls a fine over at Barath, and eventually gets his man as Barath has an ill-advised swoosh and Jimmy clings on at the second attempt.

[Fists of Fury]

Broad, after another infuriating wicket from a no ball, gets his man just a few balls later as Barath is taken by Anderson in the slips.

[alfie]

Never mind .. Slash to gully and Jimmy does the rest !

End of a handy Barath innings ...

Lucky Broad : if he hadn't reviewed the lbw , the no ball would not have been called , and he wouldn't have had that seventh delivery

[Mad for Chelsea]

wasn't a wicket anyway Fists, umpire's call on height. In fact England's review got them a wicket as it came off the extra ball

[Fists of Fury]

Now then, this is the partnership to break. We are really in amongst them once we do.

[trebellbobaggins]

It was a great catch.

[JDizzle]

Even if Broad is bowling badly, or not as well as usual, he is still a threat as he has a habit of picking up wickets even when he isn't bowling great. You've just got to stick with him!

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