Second Test: West Indies v England, April 21-25

[Aidan11]

The weather could be the winner of this test.

[yuppie]

I'm getting thundery storms for the first half of the day, and showers tomorrow.

Have you got a link AC to that. The one im seeing of google is saying the weather should be ok

[Alviro Patterson]

Accuweather suggests a glorious day

http://www.accuweather.com/en/gd/st-geo ... ecast/5900

[backfootpunch]

Accuweather suggests a glorious day

http://www.accuweather.com/en/gd/st-geo ... ecast/5900

With a name like that they must be right

[sussexpob]

Accuweather suggests a glorious day

http://www.accuweather.com/en/gd/st-geo ... ecast/5900

Suggestions at the start of the match were day 1 and 5 would rain, with good weather on 2/3/4....

[backfootpunch]

Weather is good according to the sky sports news reporter at the ground

Beefy is doing an interview and the sun is out

[yuppie]

Buttler gone early.

All down to Root to get the lead up here.

[backfootpunch]

Brainless from buttler, didn't give himself a chance to get in

[Aidan11]

Been working like a dog for the last 4 hours so I don't even know what's happening in the world, never mind the test match.

[Aidan11]

Ah I see we've lost Buttler but the 400 is up.

[yuppie]

My wife has just seen a picture of Jo Root and says he looks like Ellen Degeneres. Ouch

[Aidan11]

My wife has just seen a picture of Jo Root and says he looks like Ellen Degeneres. Ouch

Already noted in the cricket look-a-likes thread.

[Aidan11]

Root quicker to 2000 test runs than Sachin.

[yuppie]

My wife has just seen a picture of Jo Root and says he looks like Ellen Degeneres. Ouch

Already noted in the cricket look-a-likes thread.

[shankycricket]

for me root and buttler are the two key players for England for the next 10 years and as powelly said previously we are wasting buttler at #8

moeen did well for us last year but we really do not need him and stokes in this team , one of them needs to be replaced with a specialist bowler

Moeen will be replaced if a better specialist spinner comes along.

They've got to invest in Stokes. As AC said, developing an allrounder is a big project and you've got to be prepared for a bit of inconsistency in the early years. Out of the squad, I think he is a more threatening, if not necessarily reliable bowler than Plunkett and Jordan. So I think England can afford to persist with him as an attacking 4th seamer who can make things happen when nothing else is going on and he can play crucial knocks from time to time. He'll be inconsistent but England have got to make that investment. The guy will be really special in a few years, if he stays fit and is managed properly.

Moeen is expendable. My views on his batting are pretty much clear. If you can't handle Bhuvneshwar Kumar's short balls, I wouldn't be too optimistic against Mitchell Johnson and co and his subsequent struggles against genuine pace bowling in ODIs have confirmed that his short ball problems vs India weren't a one-off. But he does England a reliable spin option. More reliable than Rashid and more attacking than Tredwell. Do England actually have a better spinner to take his place? If so, get him in. Batting shouldn't be a consideration. But from amongst the options I've seen (Tredwell, Rashid, Kerrigan) I'd have Moeen over them purely as a bowler. If the likes of Riley, Ravi Patel or Briggs are any better, they could be brought in. I haven't seen much of them (except a few T20s off Briggs a few years ago).

The guy who I think should be replaced is Jordan. Nothing against him, he offers a good allround package (excellent slip catcher, bats well and gives his all with the ball). A proper workhorse. But is he really the 3rd best seamer in England? To me, he smacks off a Bresnan type selection. He doesn't look like someone who is going to get world class batsmen out (unlike Stokes, who may be erratic but can bowl really good spells at times). For me, Stokes as the 4th seamer (3rd seamer in Asia, he can reverse the ball) and allrounder is worth the investment. Replace Jordan with a better specialist seamer (I'd give Wood a go) and Moeen should be judged purely on his bowling vis-a-vis other spinners.