First Test: West Indies v England, Antigua, April 13-17.

[captaincolly]

Had 130 overs to bowl out West Indies. Should have won reasonably easily even on this flat pitch.

To be honest, i don't care Jimmy broke the wickets record. We drew the game.

When Graves gave his coded warning before the series started I took it to mean that a 3-0 win was the required result. Flat pitch maybe a partial excuse here but with so many overs available England should have been able to get the win without too many problems.

[Making_Splinters]

Let's not forget we had a bloke who's never scored a first class ton knock off a Test match saving one against us.

[captaincolly]

Let's not forget we had a bloke who's never scored a first class ton knock off a Test match saving one against us.

With relative ease as well.

[dan08]

Let's not forget we had a bloke who's never scored a first class ton knock off a Test match saving one against us.

Never passed 52 in first class cricket before this.

[captaincolly]

It won't happen but Mark Wood would be a decent pick for the second test especially if it's another flat pitch-90 mph, can get some lethal reverse swing and the sort of bowler who can conjure up a wicket when games seem to be drifting.

[Alviro Patterson]

Do England make changes for the next Test? Ali can't come in unless he's able to bowl 20 or so overs a day.

If Moeen is fit then him and Rashid in for Jordan and Tredwell.

thats what i would do

we have had serious problems getting the bowlers out in recent teams, i reckon rashid would solve that, tailenders dont have much of a clue when the ball is turning both ways

as well as tredwell did in the first innings, he doesnt put enough on the ball to consistently get batsmen out who are intent on defense

the all round ability of stokes and mooen would allow us the luxury of picking rashid

Not sure how taking out two frontline bowlers for two all rounders will increase the chance of taking 20 wickets. Also the batting becomes congested with one of Mooen, Buttler or Stokes batting at eight.

[yorker_129-7]

Pathetic effort by England which is being washed away in the fuss about Anderson and the record.

The problem was he, along with England's other seamers, bowled poorly in this game. Tredwell performed in the first innings, but went missing in the second, which is when you back your spinner to come good. Abject batting from certain members of the line-up and poor captaincy. Why did he have a deep cover to Roach with 7 overs remaining?

Frankly if it wasn't for excellent innings by Ballance, Bell, Root and Stokes England could well have been embarrassed in this test. It's still pretty embarrassing to fail to force the issue from the position England were in at lunch against a West Indies team who, let's be honest, are missing most of their big stars at some domestic pyjama knock-about in India.

[dan08]

Frankly if it wasn't for excellent innings by Ballance, Bell, Root and Stokes England could well have been embarrassed in this test. It's still pretty embarrassing to fail to force the issue from the position England were in at lunch against a West Indies team who, let's be honest, are missing most of their big stars at some domestic pyjama knock-about in India.

They're only missing Gayle and it's not as if he's done much in Tests lately.

[Durhamfootman]

It won't happen but Mark Wood would be a decent pick for the second test especially if it's another flat pitch-90 mph, can get some lethal reverse swing and the sort of bowler who can conjure up a wicket when games seem to be drifting.

that would be dificult given that Cook would give him 1 slip and 5 boundary riders

[backfootpunch]

Do England make changes for the next Test? Ali can't come in unless he's able to bowl 20 or so overs a day.

If Moeen is fit then him and Rashid in for Jordan and Tredwell.

thats what i would do

we have had serious problems getting the bowlers out in recent teams, i reckon rashid would solve that, tailenders dont have much of a clue when the ball is turning both ways

as well as tredwell did in the first innings, he doesnt put enough on the ball to consistently get batsmen out who are intent on defense

the all round ability of stokes and mooen would allow us the luxury of picking rashid

Not sure how taking out two frontline bowlers for two all rounders will increase the chance of taking 20 wickets. Also the batting becomes congested with one of Mooen, Buttler or Stokes batting at eight.

moeen is better than tredwell, gets way more revs on the ball and is actually a threat, tredwell got wickets in the first innings when the west indies were attacking him, he looked toothless in the second when they were trying to survive

and rashid has obvious wicket taking potential, do we really need jordan?

does he offer anything that anderson, broad and stokes dont?

personally i think picking rashid is worth the risk, he may bowl poorly in both the tests, he may win us a game

we wont find out until they pick him

can 4 right arm seamers who bowl 85mph be any more effective than 3?

[Arthur Crabtree]

It won't happen but Mark Wood would be a decent pick for the second test especially if it's another flat pitch-90 mph, can get some lethal reverse swing and the sort of bowler who can conjure up a wicket when games seem to be drifting.

that would be dificult given that Cook would give him 1 slip and 5 boundary riders

England had two slips just after lunch and Blackwood (who looks a good candidate in that position) wafted Stokes through third slip. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't have some catchers in. A WI win wasn't a possibility. It's too late to attack in desperation as England did late in the day.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Hussain's championing of Cook makes him look a bit idiotic, whatever his motive. And he's obviously not an idiot

[captaincolly]

It won't happen but Mark Wood would be a decent pick for the second test especially if it's another flat pitch-90 mph, can get some lethal reverse swing and the sort of bowler who can conjure up a wicket when games seem to be drifting.

that would be dificult given that Cook would give him 1 slip and 5 boundary riders

England had two slips just after lunch and Blackwood (who looks a good candidate in that position) wafted Stokes through third slip. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't have some catchers in. A WI win wasn't a possibility. It's too late to attack in desperation as England did late in the day.

Yes, there was no reason to have that gap in the slips. Wasn't there a similar instance in the first innings where Cook took out a slip fielder only for the next ball to go straight to the vacant position.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Let's not forget we had a bloke who's never scored a first class ton knock off a Test match saving one against us.

Never passed 52 in first class cricket before this.

Well that makes the outcome feel a bit freakish and just one of those things. Though it's quite possible that Holder is an emerging talent.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Yes, there was no reason to have that gap in the slips. Wasn't there a similar instance in the first innings where Cook took out a slip fielder only for the next ball to go straight to the vacant position.

Stokes got edged into gaps a few times, and was let down by Tredwell's drop. Cook said in the interviews that it wasn't a bad drop as Tredders was stretching. And it wasn't. But Cook had someone standing between first and second and someone between third and fourth. He was basically pretending that two people were four.