New faces in England’s top order all out cheaply against West Indies, with the bigger concern being a secure line-up for the Ashes in Australia this winterIt was just muggy enough at Headingley on Friday morning for the spectators to work up a sweat on the short walk from Burley Park station. A lot of them were left mopping their brow and muttering about how close the weather was. Related: Joe Root and Ben Stokes rescue England against improved West Indies Related: England v West Indies: second Test, day one – as it happened Continue reading...
West Indies’ struggles show the problem with the big three’s grab for resources, while teams generally struggle to battle back in matches these days. Joe Root will be happy, thoughFor anyone who lived through the period of domination by West Indies, which lasted about 15 years from 1976, a certain amount of self-pinching has to be done on the eve of a Test match. Yes, we do really yearn for West Indies somehow to find the resolve, the skill and the luck to ensure a good contest at Leeds.Shrewd Yorkshire folk have already come to their conclusion. The ticket sales for the first three days of the Headingley Test are healthy enough. Beyond that no one is prepared to commit...
England still have to determine three batsmen who can be relied upon during the forthcoming Ashes tour and time is getting short“If it was eight-a-side then we would have a great chance in the Ashes,” mused a cricketing friend – an observation that reinforces two realities.After the Edgbaston Test, the series against West Indies has already been relegated to being a gentle, mildly helpful precursor to the winter tour – so, yes, we are now in official Ashes preview territory. Related: The Joy of Six: England v West Indies memories Continue reading...
Windies supporters seem to have all but given up on their losing team after the salad days of the last centuryWhen England defeated West Indies in the summer of 2000 the English public were so keen to see them play that the groundstaff at The Oval had to lock 5,000 people out of the ground on the last day of the Test. There were just not enough seats to go round. West Indies have not won a Test in England since. And while play was winding down in the first Test last Saturday evening, the groundstaff at Edgbaston had to open the gates to let at least as many fans back out of the ground. The game was not over...
Shannon Gabriel and Devendra Bishoo may get a game at Headingley after the West Indies bowlers served up a diet of leg-side fodder to Cook in the first TestJoel Garner, the West Indies’ team manager, and Stuart Law, their coach, in their own different ways and accents, had warned England not to underestimate their side before the Edgbaston Test. Well, it is fair to conclude Joe Root and his team did not fall into that trap. Instead they won by an innings and 209 runs inside three days (and nights). Now there is a greater danger England might underestimate West Indies before the Headingley Test, which starts on Friday.Before the first match it was mentioned here that bowling was probably...