[theo_luddite]

Two batsmen needed to park the bus for a session and we send Trott and Cook out to the crease

[spireitematt]

Cook needs to resign and go back to playing county cricket for Essex to gain some confidence the same goes for Trott as well. The only reason Cook is in the team is because he's captain and he's only captain because there's no one else good enough. Cannot see us winning the Ashes come July its going to be an absolute whitewash. When we lose the Ashes, Moore's will have to go.

[Lord Snooty]

Why have we brought Trott back ahead of the Ashes? Ridiculous decision, given what happened before. He's the past. Lyth and Lees are the future.

---

Close Day 3: 
England 399 & 116-3 (Ballance 44no, Root 32no.)

West Indies 295
England lead by 220 runs with 7 wickets remaining

[spireitematt]

Why have we brought Trott back ahead of the Ashes? Ridiculous decision, given what happened before. He's the past. Lyth and Lees are the future.

---

Close Day 3: 
England 399 & 116-3 (Ballance 44no, Root 32no.)

West Indies 295
England lead by 220 runs with 7 wickets remaining

Two opening batsmen who can't even get a hundred between them over two innings and the rest of the team have to get Cook and Trott out of a hole. Moore's cannot pick Trott and Cook for the Ashes. We need batsmen like Strauss and Trescothick who used to spend hours at the crease and build up a partnership slowly but surely. I've noticed before with certain batsmen in the England squad they try and slog it to the boundary instead of trying to play safe.

[theo_luddite]

Saw this graphic on Sky Sports web page yesterday and nicked it off the Daily Fail today




Rooty-Tooty and Ballance both hit 50's+ today, digging our openers out of the mire again. Rooty out playing on again but at least he gets in and makes some runs. We'll probably end up with him back as an opener again before long but not before or during the Ashes please !!!!

Correction Ballance went on to make 122.

[themaclad]

Time to declare and set the deadly Tredders on to tgem

[Lord Snooty]

Close Day 4:
England 399 & 333-7 dec

West Indies 295 & 98-2 (Smith 59no, Samuels 2no.)
West Indies require another 340 runs with 8 wickets remaining

[Lord Snooty]

268-6 at Tea. Four wickets still to get. Can our brave boys pull it off?

---

Off shopping now. Expect it all to be done and dusted by the time I get back.

[Lord Snooty]

Well that were a big disappointment.

England 399 (Bell 143) & 333-7 dec (Ballance 122)

West Indies 295 (Blackwood 112no) & 350-7 (Holder 103no)



Match drawn

---

Mon Apr 6 - Tue Apr 7, St Kitts & Nevis Invitation XI. 10:00 local (15:00 BST), Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. - Draw Scorecard
Wed Apr 8 - Thu Apr 9, St Kitts & Nevis Invitation XI, 10:00 local (15:00 BST), Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. - Draw Scorecard
Mon Apr 13 - Fri Apr 17, 1st Test, 10:00 local (15:00 BST), Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. - Draw Scorecard
Tue Apr 21 - Sat Apr 25, 2nd Test, 10:00 local (15:00 BST), National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada.
Fri May 1 - Tue May 5, 3rd Test, 10:00 local (15:00 BST), Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.

[Lord Snooty]

West Indies v England

The 2nd Test Match
Tuesday April 21st - Saturday April 25th
at the National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada.
starting at 10:00 local time, 15:00 BST.

Team news:

With Benn dropped from the squad, the stage is set for Devendra Bishoo to make his Test return after a three-year hiatus. Shannon Gabriel has also been recalled and alongside Carlos Brathwaite adds to West Indies' options but they are set to stick with the same three-man pace attack.

West Indies (probable) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt/wk), 8 Jason Holder, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.

James Tredwell's arm injury looks like limiting him to another one-off Test appearance (five years after his first) as Moeen waits in the wings. Wherever he bats, it will strengthen the line-up. England's preferred template would be to stick with four seamers but Adil Rashid remains with the squad if the pitch invites a gamble. Despite the quick turnaround, Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood are expected to stay on the sidelines.

England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Jonathan Trott, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Jos Buttler (wkt) 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.