West Indies vs England, Barbados - Friday 1st May to Tuesday 5th May

First topic message reminder :

With England having taken an unexpected (at start of day) lead in Grenada we move to Bridgetown for the last match of the tour. Team selection will be interesting, though I do expect England to select the same team.

Good arguments can be made for giving Lyth a chance to open, while by and large the bowlers have not looked overly threatening. This is demonstrated by the four different centurions WI have had, plus some good late partnerships.

WI may well have Taylor back. Holder has been the least impressive of the Windies seam bowlers, but his batting will be valued. Bishoo bowled well, but had to bowl too many overs in Englands first innings due to lack of options. Perhaps Taylor could return for a batsmen. If so whom? Blackwood has a century, but also some brainless cricket, so the old man Chanderpaul could be the most vulnerable. It woudl be a shame if his career was to end like this - but Phil Simmons will not allow sympathy or emotion to drive his selections.

If the weather holds could be a fascinating clash.

There is a bit of turn there but even so I am surprised to see the spinners bowling quite so many overs. Both batsmen looking comfortable against spin and we know spin is Moeen's strength. I would have liked to see him tested early on, now he's settled he should find things more comfortable.

Pleased for Moeen to get runs, he's had a tough time with the bat since that hundred against SL. Also it should give him confidence for his bowling which will be key.

Distinctly unimpressed with Permaul. Not quite sure what the reasoning behind dropping Bishoo was TBH. Loads of loose stuff, and Root's wicket was a bit of a gift - if anything a product of how well he's been playing.

I think Cook now has 6 fifties in his last 9 test innings?

Moeen really moving through the gears quickly. This could be a long session for the West Indies. They owned the first session, not for the first time in the series, and they just let it slip, again for the umpteenth time in the series.
Taking nothing away from Cook and Moeen though.

Bishoo injured. Tore his spinning finger

Moeen Ali is run out. At first thought it was Ali's fault but looking at it it was a bad call from Cook. Never a run there. England 189 for 5.

Thanks LT didn't realise that.

What a daft way to lose a wicket. Terrible call from Cook. Why didn't Ali just say no?

Mike Selig wrote:Thanks LT didn't realise that.

What a daft way to lose a wicket. Terrible call from Cook. Why didn't Ali just say no?

Captain's call. I suppose what the captain says goes and besides Cook was already halfway down the pitch so a run out was inevitable really.

Ali should never give up half way down though. At least put the pressure on Ramdin and the fielder. Horrible call from Cook though.

Another run-out for Moeen. He was playing so well and looking really good while doing so. Totally needless.
Perhaps the batsmen didn't fancy facing the vicious offies of Samuels!.

JDizzle wrote:Ali should never give up half way down though. At least put the pressure on Ramdin and the fielder. Horrible call from Cook though.

I just don't think Ali is that quick a runner. He always seems to amble but it was such a bad call I don't think that made any difference here.

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Thanks LT didn't realise that.

What a daft way to lose a wicket. Terrible call from Cook. Why didn't Ali just say no?

Captain's call. I suppose what the captain says goes and besides Cook was already halfway down the pitch so a run out was inevitable really.

Yeah but it should have been Moeen's call, he's running to the danger end. I think there was a very small frame there where if Ali says "no" immediately on Cook's "yes" then perhaps you can avoid a run-out. More likely Cook is run out, and in that respect then if Ali was knowingly self-sacrificing then fair play to him. However I think it more likely Ali only recognised how bad the call was when he was half-way down (ish).

None of this is attempting to exonerate Cook BTW. 99% his fault (or pluck other arbitrarily close figure to 100).

Big innings for Stokes this one also. Needs runs and wickets with Woakes to return.

New ball in 4 overs. Will Ramdin take it? That is the sensible option, but you can expect Samuels being unleashed with the old one instead!.

LondonTiger wrote:Bishoo injured. Tore his spinning finger

Such a shame for the guy. Comes back to test cricket after 3 years, bowls just about alright, takes 4 wickets and then gets injured.......
Is Roach injured or dropped?

Mike Selig wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Thanks LT didn't realise that.

What a daft way to lose a wicket. Terrible call from Cook. Why didn't Ali just say no?

Captain's call. I suppose what the captain says goes and besides Cook was already halfway down the pitch so a run out was inevitable really.

Yeah but it should have been Moeen's call, he's running to the danger end. I think there was a very small frame there where if Ali says "no" immediately on Cook's "yes" then perhaps you can avoid a run-out. More likely Cook is run out, and in that respect then if Ali was knowingly self-sacrificing then fair play to him. However I think it more likely Ali only recognised how bad the call was when he was half-way down (ish).

None of this is attempting to exonerate Cook BTW. 99% his fault (or pluck other arbitrarily close figure to 100).

Yes I certainly see what you are saying. I was watching Moeen and throughout his innings when backing up as soon as Cook hit the ball he was setting off to run regardless of whether a run was there or not and only turned back when Cook said no. That is probably what happened with the run out but still Cook's fault.

As Taylor is still bowling, you might actually see Samuels after the 80th over with the old ball!. It indeed is a real possibility.

A strange day's play. If you had offered England this score at the start of the day they would probably have not taken it. However, when they were 38 for 3 they would have ripped your arm off for this score.

Ramdin's captaincy just bemuses me. There's been a bit in this pitch for the faster bowlers, both with new and old ball. Stokes edged one through the slips in about the 75th over and it was still carrying comfortably off a defensive shot.

Yet Samuels has actually bowled 26 (tidy, but not exactly life threatening) overs, and Parmaul has bowled 20 overs of fairly rubbish stuff.

Windies need one more wicket. Ramdin seems a over rate type captain.

Unless the Windies can get another wicket today I think it will just end up as England's day. Apparently, average first innings score here is 311 so England on course for around that at least you would have thought.

Feel like the shopkeeper in Mr. Benn now - as if by magic a wicket falls. Poor shot choice from Stokes there. Level day now or maybe just the Windies day?

Stokes kind of gave it away again, he didn't pick out the deep fielder but that wasn't a good shot really.

West Indian day. England can feel pleased scoring 200 runs from 38-3, but it's Windies day.

Well done Alastair.

Cracking century that from Cook Looks to be re-finding form in time for the Ashes. England 238 for 6.

Ton up for Cook!. The long, long wait is over at last.

Great knock from Cook - but what a horrific way to get out in the final over of the day

The spin wizard from Jamaica on for the final over!.

West Indies day that unfortunately

What do we know about Skipper Ramdin!? As the Wiz spun out the England skipper, the West Indies can have the ownership of the day.

And Cook falls to a long hop. West Indies have had a very good day. England end on 240 for 7.

I go with the pundits though. Wait to see how Windies bat on this pitch. There seems to be more in it for the bowlers than the first two tests.

Only saw the last 20 minutes. Quite baffling going from cricinfo as to who bowled how many. From the comments above, most of you feel the same.

For all Ramdin's strange captaincy, it was a splendid catch to get Cook at the close. Valuable too. Sky pundits talking about the possibility of England ending up with 325 - 350, that seems some way off at the moment to me.

Saw Trott's dismissal at the end of the tv coverage. Mitch Johnson must be licking his lips if we're going to stick with him.

On the England positives, the headlines obviously go to Cook. Seemed like an innings heavy on concentration until the very end. Pleased as well for Moeen getting some runs - was highly impressed by a century he scored for Worcs at the Oval last season and rate his batting more than most here.

I didn't see the last session. But from the day :

Pitch does look to have a bit more for all the bowlers : why on earth spinners bowled so many overs is beyond me ...is Ramdin worried about sanctions for slow over rates or the precarious fitness of his quicks ? Granted two of them were coming back after injuries ; but they looked healthy enough to me...Not giving Gabriel another spell for so long after his first brief effort was very strange.
Cook will rightly be delighted to break his century drought - especially on a day when runs were hard to come by. Well done him ; you can question his technique at times , but not his character. Will be annoyed to get out at the death though.
Moeen Ali has clearly been working on his methods of dealing with the short ball that is inevitably going to be employed against him...handled it very well in the period leading up to tea. Now if he can just avoid run outs ( Yes , I gather this one was largely his partner's fault ; but he does look a bit dodgy running anyway)
Joe Root has at present that look the very best players get , of batting on a different pitch from everyone else...was a shock that he got out.
The big wicket of the day for West Indies. In fact both the big wickets fell to spin ...ironic.

West Indies day yes...but Buttler , if he gets started in the morning , could add a fair few yet with the far from useless tail. Too early to call the advantage yet , I think.

As the West Indies batting is rather brittle, even a score of 240 is a decent effort against them.
Jordan can bat a bit and Anderson can hang around. Even Broad could hold a bat some time ago. So if they stick with Buttler, then England can still push it pass 300. West Indies would want to restrict them around 270-280, England would want at least 320-330. The ball is still new, first hour offers a bit to the bowlers anyways, and this is looking more like a decent test wicket unlike the other 2. So it won't be easy.
But for all that, Samuels might get a 10 over spell with the new ball in the morning with Permaul and Blackwood for company and England might end up scoring 400.

Cook has taken the headlines and pleased to see him get a hundred. But overall that's a really poor day for England, not a great score made at a slow rate with just the tail left to try and support Buttler.

Little early in the Windies development to be planning to bat once and take England out of the game, but they'll probably be hopeful of a biggish lead if they can skittle an English tail which hasn't quite wagged (after effects of the Johnson treatment?). Batting last on a pitch which looks like a result producer means they'll need go counteract that negative with a biggish lead.

That is big talk from the Windies. They need to avoid the follow on first!

Good start today for West Indies.

Jordan may have been unlucky there ...not sure he hit that ; but without the hotspot/snicko gadgets his review was always a fragile hope.
Certainly the on field umpire had no doubts , so fair enough.

Buttler might need to try and take charge here..

Broad bowled for 10 and England are 257 for 9. No fireworks from Buttler yet either.

And following ball Anderson bowled as well. Well played by Windies getting the tail mopped up so quickly. England bowled out for 257.

All action this morning !

Taylor wraps up England in quick time and Jimmy strikes third ball...

Pacemen enjoying this after the pudding they had to bowl on at Grenada.

Gonna watch for an hour or two before I head out for Cinco de Mayo. Well done to Windies. Against SA, or Aus... and probably NZ and India (at home anyway), England are staring down the barrel of a very long gun. Against WI though. Hardly a irreversible situation. Probably ideal in a way. A reasonably safe "emergency drill" for a summer which could very well be packed with emergencies!!

Wheres old Trebell to reverse Jinx England out of the quagmire??

Like I said last night - judge how things stand once both teams have batted on the pitch. West Indies up against it at 16 for 2.

West Indies bats all at sea so far. Two down ; should be three.

Bravo has possibly already used up their luck ration for today... No justice for Broad yet .

Another wicket for Anderson as Samuels is trapped plum lbw leaving an in-swinging delivery. Decision reviewed and wasted. West Indies 21 for 3.

Splendid stuff from Anderson ! Samuels looked good up the other end ; but was totally bemused there...

I did say this was a safe game to decide to collapse in the first innings

Interesting move from Cook to introduce Moeen here ...

Two lefties...worth a try.

And Root as well...

Glad he resisted the temptation to overbowl Jimmy. Might see a bit of spin today ; though I fancy the quicks will still be dangerous throughout.

At lunch the Windies are 37 for 3. They need a big partnership to settle the rocking ship. One thing is sure there will be a positive result in this Test match considering how quickly this match has moved on.