Jonny speaks!
Read Ali Martin's report of day one
I think Joe Root will be the happier of the two-captains after that inspired recovery from a soggy dot-to-dot start. West Indies bowled well in fits and starts before that superb Jonny Bairstow innings, from battler to aggressor in stages one, two and three, accompanied by Stokes, Foakes, and Woakes. Here he is post-match, looking gloriously happy:
“It feels amazing to be honest, I’ve been fortunate enough to be on a few tours here and it feels amazing, its great fun playing over here. We’ve spoken about partnerships and how crucial it can be and if we can continue that tomorrow it is really important. I think theres’s still plenty in it, that far end is going to be interesting by the end. It’s had a full day of sunshine and wind on it. We’re going to try and get as many as possible in this first innings and when we do bowl its about being patience, I think its going to be about being attritional.”
That’s it from me, thanks for all the messages and sorry I didn’t get to them all. We’re back tomorrow - see you then! Good night.
Close of play: England 268-6 (Bairstow 109, Woakes 24)
86th over: England 268-6 (Bairstow 109, Woakes 24) With a dash into the legside, the fifty partnership comes up in 96 balls and there’s a stat on Sky about Bairstow and England and fifty partnerships which I don’t quite catch but I think is impressive. Oh and that’s gorgeous from Woakes, he dips the knee and sends the ball flying through extra cover for four. Seales rubs his hands and shakes his head in disappointment. Here’s the last ball of the day: defended with aplomb, straight back down the pitch by Woakes. He and Bairstow hug, Brathwaite doles out a hug too, and Holder, in fact nearly all the West Indies team line up to bump fists. Bairstow grins the broadest of grins, and as he walks off is greeted by a smiling Joe Root.
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85th over: England 263-6 (Bairstow 108, Woakes 20) Holder beats Woakes; Woakes flicks him past the diving man at midwicket for two. An over to go.
84th over: England 261-6 (Bairstow 108, Woakes 18) Woakes orders the ball to the cover boundary, and the ball obliges.
“Good evening Tanya! “Hello Kim Thonger.
“Absorbing stuff. Good old fashioned gutsy innings from Bairstow. Reminds me of Colin Milburn for some reason. I’d have liked to see them bat together. But watching Stokes with Sobers or Root with Richards would have been wonderful too. Surely the quantum wizards and witches who run the simulation in which we ‘live’ could make it happen?”
83rd over: England 253-6 (Bairstow 107, Woakes 13)This is dragging on because of the slow over rate by the way, I think close of play is at 9.30 GMT, whatever number the overs have ticked on to. A leg-bye and a single off Roach.
82nd over: England 253-6 (Bairstow 106, Woakes 13) Seales unleashes an absolute beauty which beats Bairstow, but he picks ups a couple next ball with a stand and swing.
In the stands Andrew Strauss is staring intensely at his phone as the early strains of Neil Diamond are pumped around the ground..
81st over: England 251-6 (Bairstow 104, Woakes 13) A single trumpet echoes over the stadium and clouds start to gather over the pavilion. Fluffy ones. Kemar Roach has the new ball and the first delivery boomerangs in, but Bairstow is equal to it. Woakes picks up three through midwicket.
80th over: England 245-6 (Bairstow 101, Woakes 10) Nothing much to say about those six balls, it all about what happens next.
An email arrives from Andrew Benton:
“Did the Guardian do anything special to celebrate women’s day today for its contributors? I see you didn’t get the day off ! But cricket on telly has been pretty good at mixing up the commentaries it seems - men and women commenting on men and women’s. It’s so much nicer to watch, much better balanced. “
I agree, TV has shown the way, and it felt so natural so quickly.
79th over: England 245-6 (Bairstow 101, Woakes 10) Some pleasingly binary scores there. One over to the second new ball.
bairstow test batting average
— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) March 8, 2022
with buttler in the team 29.4
without 38.9
Hundred for Jonny Bairstow!
78th over: England 241-6 (Bairstow 101, Woakes 6) A leap, a double-clenched salute, a ginger roar! Bairstow goes to his hundred with a sweeping dismissal of Brathwaite’s lobbing temptation. A smashing innings that recast the innings. Fisher brings the end of over drinks and victory banana out to his Yorkshire teammate - a nice touch.
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77th over: England 235-6 (Bairstow 96, Woakes 5) The new ball is available in three overs. Will Jonny want those three figures safely in his pocket by then? Woakes plays out a Joseph over to the sleepy sounds of a day drawing to a close.
Thank you so much Gareth Wilson for finding the article that I couldn’t quite place: the not-so-nervous nineties.
@tjaldred hi Tanja- in case you don’t have time to find it: on the nervous 90s from @ZaltzCricket https://t.co/UKMq3kuStf
— Gareth Wilson (@garethclw) March 8, 2022
76th over: England 235-6 (Bairstow 96, Woakes 5) Just a single off the remarkable, miserly, Holder.
“Hello Tanya,” Good evening Geoff Wignall! “That was an interesting email from Robert Wilson but he’s a bit harsh on Collingwood when there are so many other ‘misfires and misfits’ from whom to choose who didn’t manage a 40 plus average and weren’t worth at least an extra 10 for their fielding.
PS the email link for you at the top of the OBO doesn’t seem to work. It came up as merely freelance@”
Ahh....while I try to fix it, and in case anyone wants to get in touch, it is tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com
75th over: England 233-6 (Bairstow 95, Woakes 4) Events! First Woakes nearly runs out Bairstow as Joseph (drops/brushes his fingers on the ball in his follow through) and the ball slams into the stumps (quick-stepping Bairstow is back in his crease) then he is dropped at second slip by Holder, then he squeaks one through the cordon for four. Woakes shakes his head and refuses to catch YJB’s eye.
74th over: England 229-6 (Bairstow 95, Woakes 0) The cricketer to keep a cool head in a crisis bowls to the cricketer who bend spoons with his intensity. Ying smothers yang and it’s a maiden.
“Hello Tanya.” Hello Tim Sanders! “Lovely stuff about Jonny from Robert Wilson. I beg only to differ on his judgement of Paul Collingwood who was a splendid, fighting Test cricketer who would block for ever, or unfurl his strokeplay, or a bit of both, as the game demanded.”
73rdover: England 229-6 (Bairstow 95, Woakes 0) Joseph has the task of trying to curtail Bairstow, and he mostly does. No boundaries, but two fiercely run twos.
72nd over: England 224-6 (Bairstow 90, Woakes 0) Holder enquires politely after an lbw, but it’s a no from the ump. A single eases Bairstow into the decade of doom (actually I think I once read something that said you weren’t overly likely to get out in the nervous nineties).
71st over: England 222-6 (Bairstow 88, Woakes 0) Baristow greets Joseph with the air of a man who wants his dinner and wants it now. Short arm jab BOUNDARY, ANOTHER through backward point. Apparently, his last seven scoring shots have been boundaries, but he spits in the face of such stats and sprints two.
What's really great about this fightback @tjaldred is the concentration and shot selection. Happy to defend then pick the right balls to hit. We all know YJB is in form but it's superb seeing Foakes play this well. I know I've probably jinxed it... But sod it. They deserve it.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) March 8, 2022
Exactly so.
70th over: England 214-6 (Bairstow 80, Woakes 0) So West Indies Mr unflappable makes the breakthrough, just as he did at the tail end of that already-slightly-hazy white-ball series.
This, by Robert Wilson, captures the essence of Bairstow:
“Hey there. Hope the dawg is well. Also hoping Bairstow gets a ton. In a double decade of Test msifits and misfires (however amiable) like Eoin Morgan, Collingwood and the Buttler didn’t do it, Bairstow has been Mark Waugh. He can properly bat. And has often proved it. His Test average should be a lot closer to his 1st-class one (mid-forties from memory). It’s a mental game and he has some bad habits but he has been multiply humped in selection terms and that has got between his ears for years.
“It makes me think of Talent’s scatterbrained promiscuity, (and its innate sense of mischevious injustice). The God of Talent ladles out the gifts to two basic character types. Obviously to the Warnes, the riotously irresponsible, bibulous and randy wideboys who party for a couple of decades while nonchalantly breaking records set by the industrious and sincere. But also to the chartered accountants of sporting genius like Bradman. Where even the most egregious flair and aptitude are ground fine in the relentless war machine of one dedicated and charmless superego.
“Messi is an outlier. A definite accountant but imbued with so much laughably extreme grace and inspiration that he seems like some kind of angelic pickpocket or pirate.
Poor old Bairstow is an outlier too. Because he’s a mere human being. With a lot of skill and nous. We’ve all helped grind it out of him.”
WICKET! Foakes lbw Holder 42 (England 214-6)
And with the partnership tantalisingly teetering on 99, Foakes plays across the line to Holder’s second ball. He reviews, hopefully, but no cigar. A reassuring and elegant innings for Foakes on his comeback. They take DRINKS with a tasty 50 minutes or so left in the day.
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69th over: England 214-5 (Bairstow 80, Foakes 42) Two slog-sweeps and two more boundaries to YJB, who has the fire now.
68th over: England 205-5 (Bairstow 72, Foakes 41) Bairstow muscles a wide one over midwicket for four, and very next ball is a jaffa, a beauty, steaming off the pitch, kissing the inside edge, somehow missing the stumps before steaming to the rope..To add insult to injury for Roach, it is a no ball. A Jonny riposte follows, a short, sharp jab for four more.
67th over: England 192-5 (Bairstow 60, Foakes 41) Theses two seem to be taking it in turns to score. Foakes has the nod at the moment, with a couple through the covers then a tippy-toed one-two down the pitch and flick: into the on side and over the boundary.
66th over: England 185-5 (Bairstow 60, Foakes 35) Time for Roach to do some donkey work on this sleepy old pitch. Just a no-ball to add to the score.
@tjaldred fantastic to see Jonny Bairstow chatting & smiling with Nkrumah Bonner between balls; it doesn't all have to be mental disintegration and broken f'n arms out there. #WIvENG
— The Stellarossa (Separatist)🏴🇺🇸 (@TheStellaRossa) March 8, 2022
So true.
65th over: England 185-5 (Bairstow 60, Foakes 35) Permaul shimmies through another, and just one to Bairstow.
64th over: England 184-5 (Bairstow 59, Foakes 35) West Indies look like getting the ball changed at last as the box of crimson goodies comes out, but it seems they’ve ended up with the original. Seales, white sweat band on one wrist, watch on the other, glides his long legs to the crease. Foakes nurdles an over-pitched to the rope, next ball sends another down to long on. No sourness curdling his milk.
REVIEW- NOT OUT!
63rd over: England 176-5 (Bairstow 59, Foakes 27) Bairstow gets down on one knee to play an ugly old swipe and is appalled to be given out caught behind. The review shows air between bat and ball and Permaul loses a wicket from his analysis.
62nd over: England 176-5 (Bairstow 59, Foakes 27) Seales is full of beans, varying his length efffectively.
61st over: England 175-5 (Bairstow 58, Foakes 27) Permaul wheals through another, as a selection of light snacks arrive in the living room. Two to Foakes from a dab.
60th over: England 173-5 (Bairstow 58, Foakes 25) Jayden Seales returns, and Bairstow picks up a couple off his boot-caps.
Lionel Richie balladeers over the sound system - I’m guessing more for the benefit of the barmy army than any home supporters.
59th over: England 171-5 (Bairstow 56, Foakes 25) Four more, this time to Foakes, who had become becalmed on 21: a rather charming flurry to midwicket.
“Good evening, Tanya.” Bon soir Charles Lomas in Aulas.
“As an aging pedestrian of somewhat limited mobility, I wish you would not use the word “pedestrian” in a pejorative sense. I walk slowly but I am not a long hop.
You don’t want to sound like David Gower.”
I consider myself chastised, though “I walk slowly but am not a long hop” is a fantastic first line for a riddle.
58th over: England 167-5 (Bairstow 56, Foakes 21) The game suddenly sparks into life, as YJB sizzles Joseph through backward point with a sizzle of insouciance. Two balls later he chops down a bit late and the inside edge flies, in spitting distance of his stumps. Two more come thanks to genuine sprinting back to the striker’s end.
Fifty for Bairstow!
57th over: England 161-5 (Bairstow 50, Foakes 21) A wide one drifts from Permaul’s hand and Bairstow pounces, slap-bang to the rope. Balcony appreciation from his teammates.
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56th over: England 156-5 (Bairstow 46, Foakes 21) Bairstow survives a review, after being hit on the top of the pad by Joseph. An optimistic shout by West Indies - but Bairstow is starting to look cosy in his slippers - it was probably worth a go
Like this strategy:.
@tjaldred I’ve worked out the new red-ball strategy. Turn cricket on its head. Each new batter to double the runs of their predecessor. Genius.
— Simon Gill (@DrSGill) March 8, 2022
55th over: England 155-5 (Bairstow 45, Foakes 21) Foakes navigates another Permaul over. I like Permaul’s style, delivering from wide of the crease with a flamboyant arm and a touch of panache.
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54th over: England 155-5 (Bairstow 45, Foakes 21) Sudden riches as Bairstow plunders ten from Joseph’s over. A slash through a gap in the slips for four, a back foot steer through the covers for another and a determined sprint for two. Very nicely done.
53rd over: England 145-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 21) Yet another rapid maiden from Permaul.
Brian Withington is back! “How predictably tedious of BT to exhume the commentary stylings of David Gower - I guess we should just be grateful that they didn’t extend the favour to the Bard of Brexit.” Oh Brian, I have a to admit to a soft spot for Gower.
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52nd over: England 145-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 21) Young Alzarri Joseph opens the post-tea session with a maiden. We glimpse a few seconds of the ocean, where a white-sailed yacht bobs up and down, the same wind that is billowing shirts on the field.
The players are out and we go again for the final session of the day.
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Pitch talk from David Gower: a bit of bounce, though not a hugely beneficial track for spinners.
You might recognise this crew:
Roland Butcher, Kathy Botham, Lord Ian Botham and Mike Gatting. Antigua Test West Indies v England. pic.twitter.com/YXjNOTki9N
— Roland Butcher (@butcher_roland) March 8, 2022
Well, that’s a much better scorecard for England to sup on than lunch’s 57-4. Bairstow has now escorted England safely through two intervals in the stonewalling role. Foakes has been permitted to play his flair card.
“For a humble ‘proper’ wicketkeeper, Foakes looks disconcertingly decent with the bat,” writes Brian Withington. “Bairstow also offering a more than passing imitation of a specialist red ball batsman - who would have thought he was worth persevering with?”
Tea: England 145-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 21)
51st over: England 145-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 21) Runs! And four of them, as Foakes leans into Permaul’s fourth ball, which lists onto the leg side, and sends the ball singing over the rope. And that’s tea!
50th over: England 141-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 17) Kraigg Brathwaite’s first ball of the match is a pedestrian sponge cake down the leg side which Bairstow regards snottily. His remaining five deliveries are more accurate but can’t tempt Bairstow into something rash. A third maiden on the trot.
49th over: England 141-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 17) The umpires examine the ball, but it passes through the special cricketing circumference instruments and Permaul starts his second over with a touch of flair. Foakes pats him back, content to stagnate with tea not so long away.
48th over: England 141-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 17) Thank you Tim and for your forbearance over my slow puncture. Holder continues in the sun, while in the stands the camera pans to Sir Viv Richards in tight indigo jeans, looking in fine fettle. His fellow name on the trophy, Sir Ian Botham is also in town, clad in a more billowing shirt. A maiden.
47th over: England 141-5 (Bairstow 35, Foakes 17) It’s Veerasammy Permaul, slow left-arm, and he bowls a tidy over for just a single. That’s me done: on International Women’s Day, it’s high time I handed over to Tanya Aldred. Thanks for your company, your correspondence and your quips about the need for England to drop some more bowlers.
46th over: England 140-5 (Bairstow 34, Foakes 17) Foakes, facing Holder for the first time, keeps busy and flicks for two. We may be about to see some spin...
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45th over: England 137-5 (Bairstow 33, Foakes 15) Back to the tussle between Foakes and Roach. It’s less gripping this time but still see-sawing, as a nice busy cut for two is followed by a play-and-miss.
44th over: England 135-5 (Bairstow 33, Foakes 13) Seales gives way to Holder, who decides to home in on Bairstow’s pads. His first attempt is too leg-side and goes for four leg-byes; his second brings a strangled appeal, and so does the third. Holder is back in the maidens: 9-6-7-1.
“Stokes may be out,” says Tom van der Gucht, “but on the plus side, Woakes is probably due a century.” Ha. This slow pitch might suit him down to the ground.
43rd over: England 131-5 (Bairstow 33, Foakes 13) This over from Roach is a miniature rollercoaster. Foakes edges a fine away-swinger for four, between first and second slip, but short of both. Then he off-drives for four, handsomely. Then he plays and misses. And then he straight-drives for four more! He has raced to 13 off seven balls. Is he playing the innings we always expected from Jos Buttler?
42nd over: England 118-5 (Bairstow 33, Foakes 1) With Stokes gone, we have two right-handers at the crease, and two wicketkeepers. They take a single apiece off Seales as Ben Foakes, back from the wilderness, announces himself with a stylish on-drive, which Roach does well to half-stop at mid-on.
“I see,” says Em Jackson, “the England side have appointed Roger Daltrey as today’s guest coach. Our match tactics seemingly ‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss’.”
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41st over: England 116-5 (Bairstow 32, Foakes 0) It’s now up to Bairstow to hold England together, as he did in his last Test at Sydney, making 113 and 41 and singlehandedly seeing off the threat of an Ashes whitewash. Facing Roach, he goes back to being watchful, taking just a single off the last ball.
40th over: England 115-5 (Bairstow 31, Foakes 0) Stokes had just had another escape, nicking Seales just short of first slip, where John Campbell took it neatly on the half-volley. Stokes responded by smoking the next ball for four, and glancing the one after for four more. It looked as if the disappointment had got to Seales, but with the last ball of the over he dug deep and produced an inspired retort. Stokes battled hard and did well to add 67 with Bairstow, but England could still be skittled here.
Wicket!! Stokes b Seales 36 (England 115-5)
Big moment! Seales gets the breakthrough with a swinging yorker that Stokes can only drag onto his stumps.
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39th over: England 107-4 (Stokes 28, Bairstow 31) Kemar Roach is back for his third spell. Bairstow treats him with due respect for five balls, then cashes in on a middle-stump half-volley and caresses it to the rope at midwicket. “That was beautifully timed,” says Butcher.
How did you spend the drinks break? At the risk of being more Guardian than thou, I spent it looking at today’s tweets from the Gender Pay Gap Bot, which has a great angle on International Women’s Day.
Drinks: England in decent hour shock
38th over: England 103-4 (Stokes 28, Bairstow 27) Seales, bowling to Stokes, comes up with an intriguing ball - slanted across him and swinging back in so late that Stokes wonders if he should have played it and Josh da Silva has to change direction to take it. A very high-class dot. And that’s drinks, with England (whisper it) winning the first hour after lunch, but still a long way from being out of the woods.
“We haven’t had anyone out for a duck yet,” says John Starbuck. “There must have been a time when a whole England innings was like that, but I’ve no idea when. Barring commentator’s curse, any suggestions?” I’m going to throw that one out to the OBO Massive.
37th over: England 103-4 (Stokes 28, Bairstow 27) Holder pulls himself together and delivers five dots before Stokes steals a quick single to mid-on, digging out a rare yorker.
36th over: England 102-4 (Stokes 27, Bairstow 27) Seales is back already, at the other end, but still being told off for his follow-through. (Give the kid a rest! Get the spinner on!) Stokes off-drives and gets only one for it as there’s a fine diving stop, but it’s enough to bring up the fifty partnership off 19.5 overs. The first six of those overs, as you’ll remember, yielded just three runs. Bairstow celebrates – and brings up the hundred – with a cover drive for four, the sixth boundary these two have managed between them in 146 balls. Proper Test creekit.
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35th over: England 97-4 (Stokes 26, Bairstow 23) Bairstow cuts, not for the first time, but it is the first time he’s really got hold of it. Four more: poor old Holder has gone to pieces.
Stokes reprieved!
34th over: England 93-4 (Stokes 26, Bairstow 19) Stokes, facing Joseph, is missed at second slip! He mistimed a cut, got it off the toe-end of the bat and squirted it low to the left of Jason Holder – who didn’t move. Either Holder didn’t see it, or he was reeling from the blow of conceding a run.
33rd over: England 89-4 (Stokes 22, Bairstow 19) Jason Holder returns and you’re not going to believe this, but he has conceded a run. In fact two of them, to a cut by Bairstow.
32nd over: England 87-4 (Stokes 22, Bairstow 17) Joseph continues, which is a surprise when he has the long arm of the law hovering over his footmarks. The batters find the gaps with three singles and a two, chopped into the covers by Stokes.
“Fantastic work as ever with the OBO,” says Oliver Smiddy. Thanks, but I get the feeling you’re softening me up. “Good to see New England is the same as Old England, minus our two best bowlers. I’m looking forward to us having a proper keeper though for the first time in forever.” Bit harsh on Jos Buttler, who only had one bad series that I remember. “Might I solicit a plug please? I’m cycling 100 miles with a bunch of colleagues to raise money for Smart Works, a UK charity which helps women find work by providing suitable clothing and coaching for interview. If any generous OBO readers would care to donate, they can do so here. My firm will match any donations so effectively they count double!” From a glance at the Smart Works website, it looks as if The Big Give will match them too.
31st over: England 82-4 (Stokes 19, Bairstow 15) Jayden Seales keeps attracting the attention of Joel Wilson, inspecting his footmarks, but he doesn’t appear to have had a warning yet. He manages a maiden with just a leg-bye to add to the total.
30th over: England 81-4 (Stokes 19, Bairstow 15) Joseph hasn’t got the memo. He drops short, twice, and Stokes shovels for two, also twice.
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29th over: England 77-4 (Stokes 15, Bairstow 15) Just a single, nudged to leg by Stokes, as Seales puts the plug in.
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28th over: England 76-4 (Stokes 14, Bairstow 15) Stokes hooks Joseph, making a good sound but only getting a single as there’s a man out at deep square. Joseph beats Bairstow outside off, possibly with a bit of help from the wind. “The breeze was pretty strong at the start,” Mark Butcher reports, “but it’s really whistling across the ground now.”
“I’m a little worried,” says Phil Russell, “that if England keep on having these batting collapses, they are going to run out of bowlers to drop.”
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27th over: England 75-4 (Stokes 13, Bairstow 15) Stokes is getting giddy now, on-driving Seales for three. Bairstow punches into the covers for a couple to join him in double figures. And then gets away with a top edge! The ball stuck in the pitch and ended up looping over the keeper for four more. That’s 18 in this session so far at a run a ball: we need to know what these two had for lunch.
26th over: England 66-4 (Stokes 10, Bairstow 9) And four from Stokes too! Going back to force Joseph away past point. He adds a straight push for a single that takes him to double figures after 49 balls. I wonder if Brathwaite has made his first mistake of the day, dishing up inexperience at both ends, rather than bringing Holder back.
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A four!
25th over: England 61-4 (Stokes 5, Bairstow 9) Jayden Seales returns, bearing a friendly bouncer, which Bairstow pulls for four well in front of square. That’s the first boundary since Dan Lawrence’s last one, 12 long overs ago. The PA marks the moment with a burst of Hey Ya.
“Just recovering from The Merchant of Venice at The Globe,” says Gary Naylor, “reflecting on parallels between Shakey’s play and Test cricket. Both have a terrible beauty, ruthlessly expose human fallibility and deliver brutal outcomes. And, try as you might, you just can’t look away.” Ha. (But surely there’s only one Shaky.)
“Well, this is fun,” says Geoff Wignall. “I imagine much England self-congratulation over having had the wisdom to shorten the tail by the removal of Branderson.” Ha. Their batting was the one good reason to get rid of them.
Lunch: England 57-4
24th over: England 57-4 (Stokes 5, Bairstow 5) After that spasm of excitement, Bairstow just wants to make it through to lunch. And he succeeds by playing out five dots from Joseph and then clipping the last ball for another single. The morning belongs firmly to West Indies and above all Kemar Roach, but England, thanks to some self-denial from Stokes and Bairstow, still have a chance of recovering from their traditional collapse.
“Reassuring,” says Colum Fordham, ”to see that despite the wholesale changes to the team England have maintained their unrivalled penchant for calypso collapso against good fast bowling. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. With a swinging Dukes ball doing plenty in the capable hands of Roach, Holder et al, I’m sure Broad and Anderson will appreciate the wisdom of leaving them at home. The tricky job of saving England’s bacon is going to fall on the shoulders of Stokes, Foakes and all those blokes. So much for the reset. To pick up on Kaan’s remark earlier, it was a grade A hoax.”
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23rd over: England 56-4 (Stokes 5, Bairstow 4) Roach drops short for once and Bairstow cuts, still carefully, for two. He adds a tuck for a single, so this partnership, which was three off six overs, has now raced to eight off seven.
22nd over: England 53-4 (Stokes 5, Bairstow 1) Holder comes off, so he can relish his immaculate figures (5-5-0-1) over lunch. Joseph returns and Stokes, venturing down the track, clips him for two – though he also risks a leave that is about three inches from doing to him what it did to Root.
“This England Test side’s reboot is going quite well,” says Abhijato Sensarma. “What with, you know, them embracing the Hollywood-esque practice of rehashing the same plotlines, just with different actors...”
21st over: England 51-4 (Stokes 3, Bairstow 1) With a quarter of an hour to go till lunch, Kraigg Brathwaite strokes his chin and wonders how he can make the morning even more of a misery for England. Ah yes, a little burst of Roach, who has the most Test wickets of anyone on this ground (41, apparently). He’s on the spot but Bairstow keeps him out. Bairstow and Stokes seem to be following Michael Vaughan’s advice from before the match: give the first hour to the bowler.
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20th over: England 51-4 (Stokes 3, Bairstow 1) The bowler is Holder. In the immortal words of Bryan Ferry, you can guess the rest.
19th over: England 51-4 (Stokes 3, Bairstow 1) Stokes plays tip-and-run, going up on his toes and dropping a lifter from Joseph into the crease. Mark Butcher is at the mic – still the OBO’s favourite commentator – and he notes that there is more swing in the Caribbean now than there was when he was playing for England (in the only series they’ve won there in half a century, in 2003-04). Today the swing is more pronounced as there’s a strong crosswind, which helped Holder get the movement that did for Lawrence.
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18th over: England 50-4 (Stokes 2, Bairstow 1) Another over from Holder, another maiden.
“Hey Tim,” says Edward Wilson, “two Aussie guys from Mannheim, Germany here.” Love it. “Utterly surprised we can watch this live on TV. Dunno if it’s sunspots or we’re tapping a satellite. Beautiful warm and sunny day and I could go a G&T but partner has to sing in Britten‘s Turn of the Screw at Heidelberg Opera tonight so it’s delayed until tomorrow.” Love it even more. “Gower’s commentary okay but much prefer The Guardian OBO. Keep at it! Cheers, Edward Wilson & Christopher Diffey.”
17th over: England 50-4 (Stokes 2, Bairstow 1) Stokes, facing Joseph, manages to take his second single from his 28th ball; Bairstow takes his first from his fourth. England will be fine as long as these two put on 150.
16th over: England 48-4 (Stokes 1, Bairstow 0) There’s a hold-up, not sure why, before Jonny Bairstow can face the last two balls of Holder’s over. He blocks one and leaves the other. Holder’s figures are ridiculous: 3-3-0-1. Who does he think he is, Jimmy Anderson?
“I don’t think it should surprise anyone,” says Mike Wakeman, “that a callow and inexperienced England batting line-up is struggling away from home against a strong bowling attack with minimal preparation. Test cricket is supposed to be really hard!” Yes, but it doesn’t help if you shove all your rookies into the top four.
Wicket! Lawrence c Blackwood b Holder 20 (England 48-4)
Another one! Holder sets his trap, bowling full and swinging it away. Lawrence falls into it, edging with hard hands, and Jermaine Blackwood finally holds onto a catch – third slip, third time lucky.
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15th over: England 48-3 (Lawrence 20, Stokes 1) Joseph tries a bit of rib music. Lawrence hears it coming and tucks behind square for a single.
14th over: England 47-3 (Lawrence 19, Stokes 1) Holder keeps Stokes quiet and beats him outside off – twice. After two overs, Holder has yet to concede a run. When Root said it would be a tricky first session, he wasn’t wrong.
13th over: England 47-3 (Lawrence 19, Stokes 1) It’s a double change as the man of the morning, Roach, takes a breather with figures of 6-1-28-2. Alzarri Joseph comes on and has Lawrence edging again first ball, but safely through the cordon for four. A worse delivery brings a better shot, a clip for three, and then Stokes gets off the mark by nudging his 14th ball off his hip.
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12th over: England 39-3 (Lawrence 12, Stokes 0) Now we do have a change as Seales (5-3-11-1) gives way to Jason Holder. His Test bowling average in the Caribbean is 21 – almost as good as the man commentating, Curtly Ambrose. Holder is just as tall as Sir Curtly, if not as fast or fearsome. He dishes up four balls of line’n’length, one half-volley which Stokes can only smack to short extra, and a jaffa that beats him outside off. And that’s drinks, with a brave new England in a right old mess.
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11th over: England 39-3 (Lawrence 12, Stokes 0) Brathwaite keeps Roach on, understandably, and perhaps regrets it as the first ball of this over is a dud on leg stump, flicked away for four by Lawrence. But Roach retorts with a much better ball, seaming away, taking the edge – and Lawrence is dropped. The culprit, as with Root, is Jermaine Blackwood at third slip.
“Another fail by England’s opening batters,” says Steffi Steffenson. “Sack the bowlers.”
10th over: England 30-3 (Lawrence 4, Stokes 0) Lawrence, facing Seales, gets a ball on his legs at last and works it away for three. Bowling to Stokes for the first time, Seales produces a perfect inswinger to the left-hander, followed by a nasty bouncer. Stokes meets these different challenges with a rock-solid block and a last-ditch sway.
“Is it too late,” asks Ed Rostron, “to just call this whole thing off and fly them all home?”
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9th over: England 27-3 (Lawrence 1, Stokes 0) To be fair to Root, it was a superb bit of bowling from Kemar Roach – not just the skill to bring the ball back sharply into the off bail, but the character to bounce straight back from having a catch dropped.
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Wicket!! Root b Roach 13 (England 27-3)
Bowled playing no stroke! After being dropped off the previous ball, slashing to third slip. Root goes off shaking his head. The red-ball reset is beginning with a calypso collapse.
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8th over: England 23-2 (Root 9, Lawrence 1) Another maiden from Seales, who beats Lawrence with the last ball even though it appears to move back in. The amount of movement should bring some cheer to Chris Woakes, who badly needs some wickets.
7th over: England 23-2 (Root 9, Lawrence 1) In an astonishing development, England take a single – in fact two. Root dabs Roach into the on side, whereupon Lawrence takes the hint and gets off the mark with a back-foot push into the covers.. One of the many things this team have to work on is their running between the wickets: only Jonny Bairstow is really good at it, and in Tests he comes in too late to set the tone. To celebrate these modest steps forward, Root clips Roach to the midwicket boundary.
6th over: England 17-2 (Root 4, Lawrence 0) Another maiden as Seales finds some more of that shape outside off. Dan Lawrence looks busy but can’t get off the mark.
To go with the gloating Aussie, we now have a fuming Pom. “What will it take for England just to pick their best XI?” demands Ian Batch. “The always arrogant England have once again not picked their strongest team for a Test match. So, I hope they lose.
“Root should’ve been sacked, and dropping Broad and Anderson for the sake of it was ridiculous, especially when Robinson is not yet fit enough, not just for this match, for Test cricket generally. Why no Parkinson instead of Leach? How can Woakes take the new ball away from home? I could go on and on but why bother, I’ll just cheer on the West Indies.”
5th over: England 17-2 (Root 4, Lawrence 0) Root plays out a maiden from Roach, who is enjoying keeping up the pressure.
On a day of firsts, we have the first gloating Aussie of the series. “The match didn’t start until 1am here in Melbourne,” says Tony Hastings, “but I figured I could fit in a few English wickets before heading off to bed. Disappointed that Root only has to come in at bugger all for 1 instead of bugger all for 2 now though.”
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4th over: England 17-2 (Root 4, Lawrence 0) So this new England find themselves in a rather familiar predicament. Jayden Seales earned that by getting his length spot-on in this over after overpitching at first. “A fantastic over,” says Steve Harmison, who knows a bit about bowling in the Caribbean.
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Wicket! Crawley c da Silva b Seales 8 (England 17-2)
Another one! And it’s a great catch, as Joshua da Silva has to change direction sharply and take it low to his left. Not a great shot by Zak Crawley, who drove loosely and got an inside edge through a wide-open gate.
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3rd over: England 17-1 (Crawley 8, Root 4) So Joe Root is in rather early – well, he’s used to that. He gets off the mark with a very Root stroke, the square force that is all touch and no force at all. Bar one no-ball, England are getting ’em in boundaries.
“Kudos to Kaan for his minstrelsy,” says Gabriel Munns. picking up on Rob Lewis’s email at 13:49. “I’d just add that if those three blokes are seen buying Cokes from some other folks, we could turn the whole Test match into a Dr. Seuss book.”
Wicket! Lees LBW b Roach 4 (England 12-1)
No edge, though the ball was close to the bat. That left Lees hoping he’d been struck outside the line, but it was umpire’s call. His first Test innings was good while it lasted, but it only lasted nine balls. It was typically shrewd bowling by Roach, finding just enough movement back in after three outswingers.
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Wicket!? Lees given LBW b Roach 4 (England 12-1)
This looks out, is given out, but Lees reviews, perhaps hoping for the thinnest of inside edges...
2nd over: England 12-0 (Lees 4, Crawley 8) The new ball is shared by Jayden Seales, a young man in such a hurry that he has played more Tests (five now) than other first-class games (three). And taken more Test wickets (16) than other first-class ones (seven). He’s pacey but the pitch is not. Zak Crawley, standing outside his crease, plays a straight drive and a cover drive, both for four, both handsome. Seales finishes with a better ball, shaping away from a good length, but Crawley picks the swing and leaves it.
1st over: England 4-0 (Lees 4, Crawley 0) Kemar Roach takes the new ball, from round the wicket, and Alex Lees faces his first ball in Tests. It’s the best thing he could wish for short of a freebie on his legs: an easy leave outside off, swinging away but going through very slowly. He plays the second ball, a solid block. And he gets off the mark to the fourth, seeing some width and square-driving for four past gully. A comfortable start.
Both sides take the knee. This is greeted, thank goodness, by a respectful round of applause.
The players link arms for the anthems. They’re all in black armbands in memory of the two late greats, Rod Marsh and Shane Warne. It’s good to see, but an even better tribute to Warne would have been to pick a leg-spinner on this bare surface. He advised England to pick Matt Parkinson in Brisbane, and was rather proved right by what happened to Jack Leach there.
“Now that, Tim ...” says David Horn, “*that* was a top-notch preamble.” Too kind! “Can’t wait for the series to start. I’m picturing Jimmy and Stuart-y sitting back in their chairs, arms folded, and saying ‘Right. Get out of this if you can.’” Ha. I’d pay good money to get access to their WhatsApps.
“Don’t disparage Alex Lees as a blocker,” says Mark Douglas on Twitter. “He was brilliant alongside Graham Clark in the Royal London cup last season so he can bat a bit. Saying that, if he blocks his way to a big score I will be made up.” I didn’t mean it as an insult at all, just an observation based on his Boycottian 65 in England’s warm-up game.
Here’s Rob Lewis with a line from his son Kaan, who is 12. “Stokes, Foakes and Woakes?” says Kaan. “It must be a hoax.”
“I’m in the unusual situation,” says Lewis Clarke, “of following this Test on OBO whilst my Dad (on holiday... alright for some :-)) is able to attend his (first?!) Test match in person. Anyway, hello Dad, and here’s to a cracking game.” Hear, hear and hello, Lewis’s Dad.
The match is on BT Sport in the UK and their latest recruit is Sam Billings. He may be setting a new world record for the time taken to go from Test cricketer to Test pundit: one match. “Test cricket,” he tells us, “is all about character. It’s more important than technique.”
Teams: West Indies
A minor surprise from Kraigg Brathwaite as he leaves out Kyle Mayers. He will have five proper bowlers at his disposal, whereas Joe Root will have four plus two halves in himself and Ben Stokes.
West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 John Campbell, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Nkrumah Bonner, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua da Silva (wkt), 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Veerasammy Permaul, 11 Jayden Seales.
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Teams: a new England
Six changes from their last Test at Hobart.
England 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Alex Lees, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Dan Lawrence, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Ben Foakes (wkt), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Jack Leach.
Toss: England win and bat
Joe Root calls right and opts to bat first, although “it’s going to be challenging for the first session.”
The first email of the series comes from Andrew Benton. “It was a bit surprising that Root kept the captaincy,” he reckons. “There is the impression that he’s a bit smug about that, and the Ashes failure was all other people’s fault... Hopefully his days are numbered anyway and he’ll be replaced later this year. If this series is lost with anything less than a truly competitive, gripping performance from England, then that should happen very soon.”
Alex Lees has been presented with his cap by Jonny Bairstow. (No such moment for Saqib Mahmood, so he must be the 12th man.) Lees is the 700th man to play Test cricket for England, and the umpteenth to be invited to open the batting since the days of Strauss and Cook.
Preamble: the morning after
Hello everyone and welcome to the first Test. It’s not just the first Test of a new series, which is always mouth-watering: it’s the first test of a new England. This is the morning after the night of the long knives.
Gone are the head coach, the head coach’s boss, the batting coach, the opening pair that played most of the Ashes series, the No 3 who was there throughout, the No 6 who was supposed to be a rising star, the regular wicketkeeper and sometime vice-captain – oh, and the two most prolific seamers in England’s history. And yet they still have the same captain, fresh from ten defeats in the past 15 Tests. So the question is: was it the night of the wrong knives?
Today we begin to find out the answer. Joe Root and Ben Stokes, the sole survivors from the top seven that started the Ashes, are joined by Zak Crawley, a dasher just emerging from a dreadful year; Alex Lees, a blocker making his Test debut; Dan Lawrence, a talented understudy now thrust into centre stage at No 4; and Jonny Bairstow, the bit-part player who ended up as England’s best batter in Australia.
The gloves go back to Ben Foakes, who becomes England’s fifth Test keeper in the past ten months: after Bracey, Buttler, Bairstow and Billings, it feels like Buggins’ turn. But Foakes is a class act, silkier than the rest. The new ball, owned by Anderson and Broad for the past 14 years, will be handed to Chris Woakes and, for the first time, Craig Overton. Both are skilful bowlers and useful batters, but in Australia one of them was at his worst and the other couldn’t get a game even when England were falling apart. Will they feel the faith Root is suddenly placing in them, or the pressure he is putting them under?
First change will be Mark Wood, who is super-fast and a top-class tourist but recuperating from illness and prone to injury. The fourth specialist bowler is likely to be the lone spinner in the XII, Jack Leach, who tends to struggle in the first innings of a Test. The senior bowler is now Stokes, who is still getting over a side strain. It all adds up to a set of gambles that could easily turn into a shambles.
West Indies’ line-up is even less seasoned yet slightly more settled. There are only four men in this match with a Test bowling average under 30, and every one of them is a West Indian. Kemar Roach is a proper leader of the pack, Jayden Seales an exciting beginner, Jason Holder a superb third seamer, Alzarri Joseph a rapid back-up, Kyle Mayers a handy medium-pacer. The batting feels more fallible, although the captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, arrives on a high after making a career-best 276 for Barbados against Jamaica, and England saw in the T20 series that when Mayers hits the ball, it stays hit.
On paper this looks like a low-scoring dogfight. But the Viv Richards Stadium is the most draw-friendly ground in the Caribbean with only five results in its ten Tests to date. The pitch is apparently shorn, so it could be flat and slow – though there are showers about that should freshen it up for the fast bowlers. Play starts at 10am in Antigua, 2pm GMT, and I’ll be back about 25 minutes before that with the toss and the teams.
