England v West Indies Test Series.

Well done to Harry Brook on his 5th Test hundred, with a bit of luck Joe Root will be on for his 32nd this afternoon.

Could turn out to be a good game this one.

centuries for both of our international representatives!
well done indeed!

Well he certainly did!

I turned down the chance to go to Edgbaston next Friday for the next test on the grounds that the series was a mis match. West Indies did do better this time, but not really a good representation of West Indian cricket.
I think England could pick 11 cricketers at random from the various counties and still win. Good bit of practice, and good for confidence I guess.

I bought a few items on an online auction over the weekend, and picked them up today. I was pleased to note that amongst them was a programme and scorecard from the England v West Indies test at Old Trafford in 1976. I have only just recalled that it was the first test match I went to. I took my dad, having only been driving for a couple of years. I have vivid memories of Mike Selvey making his debut and dismissing Fredericks, Richards and Kallicharran very quickly. The scorecard now tells me it was inside his first four overs, and by that time West Indies were 26-4. Gordon Greenidge, one of my favourite players to watch, then scored 134 out of 211, which at the time was a record percentage of runs scored by one man in a full innings, over 63%. Not sure if that has been beaten? He actually scored his runs out of 192 from the bat whilst he was in. He also got a hundred in the second innings, and from 26-4 on that first morning West Indies went on to win by 425 runs. I have also just realised, that my first test match was also Brian Close's last. I always tell people I have no heroes, apart from Brian Close and Jeff Astle, and thinking about it, that may have been the only time I actually saw Close play live, but he was out for 2 on that first evening, and then took a battering from Michael Holding in the second innings, and his test career was over.  I only thought about that coincidence after all these years. 48 years later I turn down a chance to watch the same two teams play without giving it much consideration. 

England go in with an unchanged side tomorrow for the 3rd Test at Edgbaston. Excellent weather forecast for the full 5 days, should it go that far.

I am thoroughly enjoying the Edgbaston Test. Praise for two wonderful young bowlers in Seales and Shamar Joseph, Motie too, and what a shame their batting is so weak. If you're a f-c team and Kraigg Brathwaite is your best player, you've got problems!

As for England, I feel the 1, 2, 3 are not quite the right mix and balance, though I am not sure of alternatives. Hugely impressed with Jamie Smith, who seems a flawless wicket keeper and absolutely top class bat. I have never had a hugely high opinion of Chris Woakes, probably because the vast majority of my live watching has been abroad, where he looks useless. In England, he is averaging something like 34 with the bat and 20 with the ball, which are sensational figures, over so many games.

Is Mark Wood the fastest English bowler since Tyson and Snow? Surely he is up there with anyone who has ever bowled...and so late in his career. Atkinson looks another good choice, and Bashir.