[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

July

Wednesday 8th - 1st Test vs West Indies, Southampton (West Indies win by 4 wickets)
Thursday 16th - 2nd Test vs West Indies, Old Trafford (England win by 113 runs)
Friday 24th - 3rd Test vs West Indies, Old Trafford (England win by 269 runs)
Thursday 30th - 1st ODI vs Ireland, Southampton (England win by 6 wickets)


August

Saturday 1st - 2nd ODI vs Ireland, Southampton (England win by 4 wickets)
Tuesday 4th - 3rd ODI vs Ireland, Southampton (Ireland win by 7 wickets)
Wednesday 5th - 1st Test vs Pakistan, Old Trafford (England win by 3 wickets)
Thursday 13th - 2nd Test vs Pakistan, Southampton (Match drawn)
Friday 21st - 3rd Test vs Pakistan, Southampton (Match drawn)
Friday 28th - 1st T20I vs Pakistan, Old Trafford (Match abandoned)
Sunday 30th - 2nd T20I vs Pakistan, Old Trafford (England win by 5 wickets)


September

Tuesday 1st - 3rd T20I vs Pakistan, Old Trafford (Pakistan win by 5 runs)
Friday 4th - 1st T20I vs Australia, Southampton (England win by 3 runs)
Sunday 6th - 2nd T20I vs Australia, Southampton (England win by 6 wickets)
Tuesday 8th - 3rd T20I vs Australia, Southampton (Australia win by 5 wickets)
Friday 11th - 1st ODI vs Australia, Old Trafford (Australia win by 19 runs)
Sunday 13th - 2nd ODI vs Australia, Old Trafford (England win by 24 runs)
Wednesday 16th - 3rd ODI vs Australia, Old Trafford (Australia win by 3 wickets)

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England completed their intra-squad warm-up today with a flag-waving Mark Wood singing Jerusalem from the stand as the teams took the field. Having been set 255 for victory by Team Buttler, Team Stokes batted out a draw, shaking hands at 157-4. Gloucestershire opener James Bracey top-scored with 85 on the first day, before being caught behind off Jamie Overton. There were also half-centuries for Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope on a Southampton pitch that was slow from the outset, with many nicks not carrying to the keeper and several short deliveries sitting up nicely for the batsmen to attack. Despite significant turn in the final session, Ben Stokes was his carefree self, contributing an unbeaten 37 off 17 balls, including three towering sixes and a reverse-sweep for four in a single over off Matt Parkinson.

The West Indies added reserve Shannon Gabriel to their match squad on Thursday, while England will name their 22-man squad for the first Test on Saturday morning, with Sam Curran now available after testing negative for Covid-19 on Friday.

[themaclad]

England have named Dom Bess as their spinner in a 13-man squad for the first Test against West Indies, which begins on Wednesday.

Off-spinner Bess is chosen ahead of Jack Leach and Moeen Ali, who is not among the list of nine reserves.

Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Joe Denly will be the top four in the absence of Joe Root, who misses out for the birth of his second child.

Ben Stokes will stand in as captain for Root in Southampton.

England squad: Ben Stokes (capt), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Reserves: James Bracey, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone.

Stokes will become England's 81st Test skipper and the first all-rounder to take charge since Andrew Flintoff.

One of his first decisions will be the make-up of the pace bowling attack, with the coronavirus lockdown that has prevented England from playing Test cricket since January resulting in a fully fit complement of fast bowlers.

Pace bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes will vie for what are likely to be three places in the team.

Sam Curran, who may also have been in contention before falling ill during a practice match this week, is among the reserves.

He is joined on the back-up list by fellow seamers Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood, and left-arm spinner Leach.








Looks like Moeen and Bairstow slipping down the pecking order

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Series against Ireland and Pakistan confirmed and added to schedule.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

With the hilarious inevitability of an English summer, the day we've waited months for looks like a mid-October morning. Toss delayed, and I think it's going to be a very stop-start day if we actually get going at all.

[themaclad]

First Test, day one, Ageas Bowl
England 35-1: Burns 20*, Gabriel 1-19
West Indies: Yet to bat

England endured a frustrating return to international cricket as the opening day of the first Test against West Indies was disrupted by rain.

Only 17.4 overs were possible in Southampton, in which time England battled to 35-1.

This series and the rest of England's rejigged home summer is being played behind closed doors and in a bio-secure environment, with everyone on site subject to coronavirus tests, temperature checks and adhering to strict safety measures.

The home side, being led for the first time by Ben Stokes while regular captain Joe Root is isolating after the birth of his second child, opted to omit pace bowler Stuart Broad in favour of James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.

Just before play got under way three hours late, all players and officials paused in silence to remember those lost to coronavirus and West Indies legend Sir Everton Weekes, then took a knee in a powerful gesture of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Opener Dom Sibley, making his home debut, was bowled playing no shot to Shannon Gabriel to the fourth ball he faced and departed without scoring.

Rory Burns, returning from an ankle injury, looked comfortable for his unbeaten 20, while Joe Denly required more fortune in reaching 14.

Bad light forced the players to take an early tea, with rain and more gloom ensuring they did not return.

[Lord Snooty]

Bit of a struggle this morning. 106-5 at lunch. Could've been worse with Stokes dropped.

[Lord Snooty]

Stokes dropped again on 32.

---

Out now though. Caught behind for 43.

[themaclad]

First Test, day two, Ageas Bowl
England 204: Stokes 43, Holder 6-42, Gabriel 4-62
West Indies 57-1
West indies trail by 147

England were dismissed for 204 thanks to West Indies' captain Jason Holder's superb 6-42 on day two of the first Test at an empty Southampton.

Holder, who at one stage took 3-1 in 14 deliveries, was backed up by 4-62 from the pacy Shannon Gabriel.

On a pitch offering plenty for the bowlers, England's batsmen showed obvious signs of rustiness in their first Test since the coronavirus lockdown.

Captain Ben Stokes was dropped twice in his 43, wicketkeeper Jos Buttler briefly impressed for 35, and it needed a last-wicket stand of 30 between Dom Bess, who made 31 not out, and James Anderson to carry England past 200.

England were then not at their best with the ball, with West Indies moving to 57-1, 147 behind.

On a grey, murky day, the floodlights were on throughout, and bad light forced the close with 26.3 overs still remaining.

The weather is forecast to improve on Friday, meaning the tourists could get the best batting conditions.

However, with the surface already showing signs of uneven bounce, they also face the disadvantage of having to bat last.

The circumstances in which this match is being played mean neither side have had ideal preparations - England's training camp involved one internal practice match and West Indies' two.

In conditions that should have suited England - cool, damp and the ball holding the upper hand over bat - West Indies had much the better day, displaying all the discipline, application and organisation that helped them take the series when these two sides met in the Caribbean 18 months ago.

They bowled a fuller length than England, then suffered only one setback in an evening session that could have posed a real danger to their batsmen.

West Indies' intelligent use of the review system also helped them overturn five decisions during the day.

England still have the opportunity to fight their way back into the contest, especially if they make early inroads on Friday.

However, the performance of tall seamer Holder has only enhanced the suspicion that the omitted Stuart Broad would have been a real asset to England this surface.

While at one stage it looked like Stokes would hold England's batting together, he became the first victim of a Holder burst that ripped the guts from the middle order.

Holder had earlier trapped Zak Crawley lbw and got Ollie Pope to poke behind, and returned to end a sixth-wicket partnership of 67 between Stokes and Buttler.

Finding seam movement and bounce from a full length, Holder got Stokes to push at one, resulting in a nick, then produced a beauty to take the edge of Buttler, with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich taking an excellent one-handed diving catch.

When Holder overturned an unsuccessful lbw shout against Jofra Archer, it completed an England slide from 154-5 to 157-8.

The combative Bess played some punchy strokes but was left stranded when Gabriel, who took the first three wickets, returned to splatter the stumps of last man Anderson.

After England resumed on 35-1, Rory Burns made 30 before getting too far across to Gabriel, while the battle between Joe Denly and Crawley had two losers as Denly was bowled by Gabriel for 18 and Crawley played across the line to depart for 10.


Pope looked fluent before a loose stroke and Stokes was dropped on 14 and 32, the second of which, by Shamarh Brooks at cover, was as simple a chance as you will see at this level.

Overall, England looked a little flat, not matching West Indies' energy in the field or busyness between the wickets.

The returning Anderson plugged away to have John Campbell lbw after seeing two decisions overturned. Mark Wood bowled at speeds of 95mph, but Archer too often was too short.





Firstly it good to see live cricket, man of the day Jason Holder quality player
Had a bad day award both umpires had shockers

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Stokes decision to bat first looks questionable right now, to say the least.