West Indies vs England: Alastair Cook's side make headway but James Anderson and Stuart Broad fall short

West Indies 188-5

Alastair Cook of England leaps to avoid a cover drive from Marlon Samuels (GETTY IMAGES)

This Test match is one of the greatest sporting occasions in Grenada’s history. They have had their moments. In 2012 Kirani James won the 400m gold medal at the London Olympics but in the place itself they have not come much bigger than this, including the 2007 World Cup.

For the first day of this match 11,000 tickets were sold, which is about 10 per cent of the country’s population. Imagine 800,000 popping into Lord’s, even with the Ashes on the line.

As it happened, they did not all show up, though those who did partied all day. They did not, in truth, have much to cheer as England, themselves with copious support, had much the better of proceedings while not always helping themselves.

For the sixth time in the 13 matches that Alastair Cook has won the toss as England’s captain he asked the opposition to bat and was rewarded with wickets at regular intervals. England’s bowling was not always satisfactory – too short too frequently given the conditions – but it was helped by batting which lacked the necessary diligence. Maybe that was part of the plan.

West Indies knew they would have to bat patiently if slow pitches were to be the order of the day in this series. They failed to be diligent enough.

There was talk of England including Adil Rashid as a second spinner but that came to naught when they decided the ball would swing. Their only change was the recall of Moeen Ali for James Tredwell, while West Indies brought in the leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, plus fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for Jerome Taylor who has an injured shoulder.

Rain delayed the start by more than an hour. It evoked memories of England’s last trip to the island in 2004 when they were due to play a one-day match.

They spent three days in the place, it rained every day and on the morning of the match the players never bothered going to the ground so torrentially had it poured overnight. They were more fortunate this time, although there was one aborted attempt to start after the toss. The forecast suggests that thunderstorms may cause further interruptions for the rest of the match.

It was one of those days when the humidity alone would have influenced captains to bowl if they won the toss. No scientific proof has been offered about this but it simply felt like a good day for swinging.

To take advantage, of course, bowlers have to pitch it up close to the stumps and coerce the batsman to play. England somewhat squandered the moment, although, as outcome is everything, they may deem it as acceptable, since West Indies were reduced to 77-4.

Neither their new record holder, Jimmy Anderson, nor his long-time bowling partner, Stuart Broad, appeared to have read the instructions for long. This was the 47th occasion they had shared the new ball and only two pairs, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis (53) and Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh (49) have done so more often. They should have known and done better.

The batsmen were allowed to leave the ball far too often as it passed the top of off stump from short of a full length. If they were confident of swing – and they should have been – the drive could have invited more than it did.

It was not the first time. At Lord’s on a green top against India last summer, England mystified everyone watching by declining to bowl a full length and went on to lose the match. That was a lesson apparently unlearned.

Perversely, when Anderson made early inroads with his seventh ball of the day it looked as though England would supply exactly what the conditions required. It was a bobby-dazzler of a delivery, swinging in late and prodigiously and bowling Kraigg Brathwaite.

If there is a criticism of the batsman it is that he might have played further forward but he would still have needed hair-trigger reflexes to prevent the ball’s journey between bat and pad.

In the penultimate over before lunch, England were gifted a second wicket. Devon Smith, having surveyed the scene on his home ground and having his every run uproariously received, played a flick a touch casually and was dropped by a diving Gary Ballance at leg slip. Thus reprieved, two balls later Smith followed one well outside off from Chris Jordan and threw the bat at it. The batsman might have reflected on his way back that he had let down the crowd who were willing the first Grenadian to play a Test in Grenada to do well.

Darren Bravo was as culpable when, after seeming relaxed and content, he too pushed at a straight ball outside off and gave Alastair Cook a regulation catch at first slip. England might contend that it was merely a reward for patience, allowing the batsman to let the ball pass in the hope that eventually they would play at one through sheer boredom.

The prized wicket went deservedly to Ben Stokes. He bowled a fullish length straight away and was repeatedly denied a wicket in Antigua despite days of honest toil. His second ball brought dividends when Shiv Chanderpaul drove at a ball moving away to be caught by Moeen Ali diving forward at gully.

England could and should have had a fifth wicket at 108 when Marlon Samuels, who had batted fairly seamlessly, drove at an away-swinging ball from Jordan. It was not as straightforward as Cook’s earlier catch but slips who shell these will soon found themselves despatched to the country.

Cook had to move a little to his right but had a good view of the catch. The trouble is for the poor chap that he cannot afford to commit lapses in any form of his game at present. It will soon be asked: is the captaincy affecting his slip catching?

Before too long, Jermaine Blackwood, centurion hero, of Antigua was lbw to Chris Jordan after a review. It was England’s day.