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

[shankycricket]

Gary Ballance's innings today was like watching a repeat telecast of his painful World Cup innings (got out for the same score too, the dreaded 10). Feet stuck in cement, unable to rotate strike and get out playing like a terrible shot. I know he has done well in Test cricket so far and we shouldn't mix formats and all that but to me, his range seems too limited to survive in international cricket against bowling attacks that won't give him the freebies to release the pressure like the Indians did.

[Aidan11]

Not often we have something to cheer about.

Good day's cricket.

Is the axe back in the cabinet.

Yup and the outrage bus is safely in the garage. The box of Moores Out hand grenades are still open though.

Might want to double check, think I saw Dickie Bird driving a bus and waving an axe towards Lords.

He's been a bit of a loose cannon since he retired. Gave one of the pigeon's out LBW in Leicester Square the other day.

I said to him "Have you gone off your rocker Dickie? That was missing leg by another set".

[m@tt]

Delighted to see Bell, Root and Stokes make good scores. Early collapse was one inevitable given form of Cook and Ballance. Sluggish start but a healthy strike rate by the end. Hope to see Stokes and Buttler have some fun tomorrow.

[shankycricket]

Hey, Stokes isn't that bad a bat if you put him in a proper batting position, eh?

Or when you give him the grace of playing himself in with Marlon Samuels and Benn at each end, on a dead pitch and after a huge partnership......

Lets not make any bones, this bowling attack is one good player and four very average ones.

The Indian " Test attack" against whom he failed last summer wasn't much better. And of course, he scored a hundred against Australia at Perth. I think its more an attitude issue with him than a quality issue, give him a decent run in a particular role and he'll come good. I don't defend his ODI performances (which is your major issue with him) but definitely think he got a raw deal in Tests last summer, being dropped for 3 bad innings at number 8 and 9, particularly when he was bowling well, the primary skill that he got picked for in those tests.

[hopeforthebest]

If Stokes adds a little patience to his game he will score many hundreds for England but my fear is that at present his ambition is to out beef 'Beefy'.

[Alviro Patterson]

the tredwell inclusion is strange , cant even get a game for kent in FC cricket but is deemed good enough to play for England , would have thought this was the perfect chance to get rashid involved against a relatively weak batting lineup

Typical ECB establishment thinking.

If Rashid was Australian, he'd be long playing international cricket by now.

[Aidan11]

Peter Moores learned a basic rule yesterday. Never try switching your laptop off until the final ball is bowled. He tried to do it yesterday with a couple of overs left and got confused -

[Gingerfinch]

I didn't actually mind a night watchman going in. It was really for the first few overs in the morning session than last night, and if Tredwell can bat out a few overs, then Buttler may benefit.

[mikesiva]

Benn is one of the worst bowlers I have ever seen who has played this many tests. So toothless its unreal.

And they have a guy with one of the lowest FC averages of all time in domestic cricket who never plays!

That's Miller, right?

I really do hope this is Benn's last Test...341-5, jeez another typical WI bowling performance. Take a few wickets with the new ball, but totally innocuous afterwards.

[sussexpob]

Hey, Stokes isn't that bad a bat if you put him in a proper batting position, eh?

Or when you give him the grace of playing himself in with Marlon Samuels and Benn at each end, on a dead pitch and after a huge partnership......

Lets not make any bones, this bowling attack is one good player and four very average ones.

The Indian " Test attack" against whom he failed last summer wasn't much better. And of course, he scored a hundred against Australia at Perth. I think its more an attitude issue with him than a quality issue, give him a decent run in a particular role and he'll come good. I don't defend his ODI performances (which is your major issue with him) but definitely think he got a raw deal in Tests last summer, being dropped for 3 bad innings at number 8 and 9, particularly when he was bowling well, the primary skill that he got picked for in those tests.

As with what I said with Ballance earlier in thread, there comes a time when picking a player regardless of his talent is counter productive. Stokes has talent, and could be a real gem in the next decade if he produces on that talent, but he needed to be dropped because he had lost his head after the last Ashes series.

Unless a player has a superb record over a long time, and are immune to the drop, you have to remove guys when they are on poor form like he was. I seem to remember him scoring a hell of a lot of ducks in quick succession.

[sussexpob]

Benn is one of the worst bowlers I have ever seen who has played this many tests. So toothless its unreal.

And they have a guy with one of the lowest FC averages of all time in domestic cricket who never plays!

That's Miller, right?

I really do hope this is Benn's last Test...341-5, jeez another typical WI bowling performance. Take a few wickets with the new ball, but totally innocuous afterwards.

That's the one. I like the Windies and I want them to do well, but their cricketing board make it difficult to care.

I once read that Benn's first class average was 14 runs more than Miller's when both were picked....... but Benn is given test after test to be mediocre (his record against everyone but BD is appalling for a part timer).... at one point Miller had taken 250 wickets at 15 runs and still couldn't get in the team, he got one test where the skipper hardly passed him the ball. On pitches more reminiscent of Asia now, surely two frontline spinners (sacrificing one of the trundlers they often pick) is the way to go?

If the pot is empty, don't ignore the bloke with bowling figures that make him comparable to a bowling version of Bradman. Its beyond me, in fact it makes me angry they ignore him!! What the hell are they doing?

Id hate to be a Windies fan, the cricket board make the ECB look genius.

[shankycricket]

Hey, Stokes isn't that bad a bat if you put him in a proper batting position, eh?

Or when you give him the grace of playing himself in with Marlon Samuels and Benn at each end, on a dead pitch and after a huge partnership......

Lets not make any bones, this bowling attack is one good player and four very average ones.

The Indian " Test attack" against whom he failed last summer wasn't much better. And of course, he scored a hundred against Australia at Perth. I think its more an attitude issue with him than a quality issue, give him a decent run in a particular role and he'll come good. I don't defend his ODI performances (which is your major issue with him) but definitely think he got a raw deal in Tests last summer, being dropped for 3 bad innings at number 8 and 9, particularly when he was bowling well, the primary skill that he got picked for in those tests.

As with what I said with Ballance earlier in thread, there comes a time when picking a player regardless of his talent is counter productive. Stokes has talent, and could be a real gem in the next decade if he produces on that talent, but he needed to be dropped because he had lost his head after the last Ashes series.

Unless a player has a superb record over a long time, and are immune to the drop, you have to remove guys when they are on poor form like he was. I seem to remember him scoring a hell of a lot of ducks in quick succession.

I'm not particularly convinced on Ballance's talent. Stokes could be a superstar.

[alfie]

Pretty good comeback from England after their poor start - will be happy with 341/5 , even with the late loss of Bell.

I only saw the first couple of hours and the last few overs (a man has to sleep sometime) so I actually took four English wickets for about sixty ... Perhaps England will pay me to stay off air ?

Obviously West Indies just weren't able to sustain their very good early bowling discipline ; appear to be a seam bowler short - and as many here have said , Benn just isn't the man to carry the lone spinner's role. Even so , that is a commendable effort from Bell and Root ; and Stokes underlined what a dangerous player he can be late in the day.
He won't always come off (the situation was pretty well set up for him this time , I'd say) - but if he can get a bit of consistency with the ball he could fill that destructive allrounder position England enjoyed when Freddie was at his top. I'm saying could , just to be clear. Not going to canonize him on one afternoon ; but a good restart...

[hopeforthebest]

My money's on Tredwell making a maiden test 50 today, any takers?

[rich1uk]

not for the first time I am sitting thinking "wtf" when listening to nick knight

saying that joe root is a bit different in front of the mic than we have been used to and shows he is his own man or something , to me he sounds like he just rattles off the same PR clichés as anyone else

not criticising the guy as a cricketer but with the press he just sounds like the next clone off the production line after strauss and cook