Key events
We got our first genuine sight of Bazball this summer as England reached 50 from just 26 balls.
That’s a record for any Test first innings. That opening salvo included 10 boundaries.
According to Simon Burnton at Trent Bridge, this was a fitting start to a Test that felt wedged into a city bustling with activity.
We’ve got our first bit of correspondence and it’s a doozy from Krisnha Moorthy:
“Good morning Daniel. A biblical question could be answered today. Is one Pope bigger than two Josephs. Let’s see.”
I need to wait for the caffeine to kick in before I tackle this one.
Ollie Pope said he was “lucky” during his knock of 121, and credited the presence of his mate Aaron Ramsdale for his good fortune.
The England goalkeeper watched on as Pope was dropped twice as he stroked 15 fours and biffed one six across 167 deliveries.
Preamble
It says a lot about the state of these two teams that England, having been put in to bat, raced to 416 all out at the close and still both captains will feel mildly pleased and annoyed in equal measure.
Given the way the West Indies batted at Lord’s this could end with another innings defeat. And yet it could have been a whole lot worse as several English batters chucked their wickets away or fell to soft dismissals.
Ollie Pope’s century was the highlight of the day and he proved that this is a deck with plenty of runs in it for those able to keep their head. Starts for Harry Brook (36), Ben Stokes (69), Jamie Smith (36) and Chris Woakes (37) could not be converted.
Some credit to the West Indies bowlers is due (even if they were let down by their fielders at times). Alzarri Joseph was the pick with a three-for with Kevin Sinclair – who has put his name down for best celebration in world cricket – bagging a couple. Kavem Hodge also got himself a pair which will encourage England’s young spinner, Shoaib Bashir, who didn’t get to bowl at Lord’s.
I’d love to be able to promise you a day of fierce resistance from the tourists, with just the right amount of one-legged pull shots and flailing drives through the covers. I fear we may have another troubled reply.
But you never know. Perhaps this is the day that the Windies turn up.
First ball at 11am BST. I’ll ping a couple of bits and bobs on the blog til then. Feel free to drop me a line and share any thought you have with the group. I’d love to hear from you.
