Preamble: After being chivvied by Trevor in the comments for being late on parade, I’ve now had coffee and arrived at my spot in the ground. Square of the wicket in the Mound area by the way, though wandering around is permitted which is wonderful.
Stuart Broad said England need a batting hero today, and he’s probably right about that, but first up is the small matter of taking the last four wickets before the already significant deficit becomes a chasm. The possibility that this is the final day of the Test does loom large, for if England don’t bat extremely well later, this Test and this series is done.
For later on, these are the kinds of decisions that are more important though:
The crowd appears to have thinned again today, albeit hopefully more locals will be in given its a weekend and their team is (to be blunt) winning.
0910: Weather report, the skies are mostly clear, with a few fluffy clouds. No rain this morning at all so far.
0920: Desperate news from the West Indies camp that Alzarri Joseph’s mother passed away this morning. Nothing more to be said, dreadful.
0922: I think what I like about this ground, and presumably the others in the region, is that it’s a no shits given kind of venue. Do whatever you like, no one is bothered what you are doing or where. It’s so refreshing.
0930: Wise words from Chris Tremlett
0936: England still playing football in the warm up.
It amazes me so much gets written about this. It’s a relaxing way to get loose, and injuries can happen whatever they do. And they do as well. Not a thing wrong with it, when exercising, muscles can ping, ankles can be turned. Scrapping football won’t change that.
0949: view from the other side of the ground. Nothing to do with going to get another coffee.
0958: Out come the teams:
PS, the decent photographer on these pages is Dmitri. Me? I take as many as possible on the phone and pick the one that’s vaguely acceptable. My total lack of interest puzzles him.
1050: That nasty blow for Bravo is a sign of things to come for England. As was the Holder wicket. As the lead stretches, and with England needing to score a minimum of 250 to have any kind of realistic chance, this Test looks to be going only one way.
1057: Alzarri Joseph got a wonderful reception from the crowd as he walked out. But the PA isn’t very clear here, so most around me didn’t know and were asking why people were standing and applauding.
1119: It’s probably gone as well as it could have for England this morning. The real business of seeing how England bat is to come.
1134: That is a big lead on this.
1204: Being conditioned to expect the worst is a terrible thing. But getting to lunch without losing a wicket is mildly surprising all in all. Seeing England duck and weave though is a fantastic reminder of how Test cricket was at times in the past, before pitches became placid, slow and uniform, existing only to break the hearts of fast bowlers. So it’s a bit uneven. So what?
1244: I actually hate it when the press publish photos of their lunches that are provided for them, but since I queued and paid for this, I’ll mention the goat curry was excellent.
1258: Fancy an opener playing a risky pull shot in a crisis situation. Would never have happened a few years ago.
1322: It looked a terrible shot live. It looked worse on replay from Burns. A late cut (of sorts) straight to the slips is, well, brave.
1342: Still 52 overs scheduled today. So England should be significantly ahead assuming they’re still in by the close. One way or another, we’ll be a fair way to knowing the outcome.
1348: that’s another ridiculously ambitious shot. Bairstow said in the first innings that he didn’t feel ever in, hence attacking everything. Seems the second innings was to be the same.
1410: Don’t worry, they’ll learn from this. It’s just an aberration, right?
The atmosphere in the ground is great now though, the locals are climbing into this England team with relish and gusto. Who can blame them?
1419: this is shambolic. Again.
1420: Alzarri Joseph being the catalyst for it though, that’s pretty special.
1425: Just a brilliant atmosphere. Though just heard the England fans next to me say “bollocks to going to South Africa to watch this shit”.
Oh England are winning the rugby at least.
1432: Meet Michael, who has provided plenty of entertainment to the crowd all around the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. He’s currently offering all the sad England fans a free flight home tonight and not to cry too much.
1441: Dominant session from the West Indies. And every chance they’ll wrap up the series after tea.
1450: My legs are burning. I await your sympathy.
1521: England are playing a positive, exciting brand of cricket, remember. Are you not entertained?
1530: Six down, four of them bowled. This aiming at the stumps lark is clearly overrated.
1543: Just to emphasise that no one cares what you do in this ground, there’s an enormous reefer being passed around just to my left. Lord’s next.
1556: Ironic cheers all round as England make the West Indies bat again. What a hiding this is.
1559: Seven wickets this innings have been bowled or lbw. England did that once when they bowled.
1610: “The England teams are very clear that part of their responsibility in playing this bold and brave cricket – this commitment to playing an exciting formula of cricket every time they go on the park – is linked to this.” – Tom Harrison.
That’s alright then.
1614: So. Beach tomorrow then.
1628: Just trying to get a few different photos of the finish, I’ll then pop them up with a few words. It’s not like anyone is on tenterhooks about the outcome!
1633: West Indies sneak it, in the end.
1641: On my way out of the ground now. Some photos and some video of the winning runs…edit: why the hell this is upside down is beyond me.
And a last farewell to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium:
Two Tests played, two thumping victories for the home team. And my goodness did they deserve it. They outbatted and outbowled England by a distance, pretty much from start to finish. England have made a point when they lose matches of saying they haven’t executed their skills or some such guff. It’s nonsense, they’ve just been outplayed by a better team in these conditions.
The inability of the England team to graft and show fight is quite striking. Rabbits in the headlights when faced with the revolutionary tactic of a team bowling straight at them. It was a pleasure to witness the West Indies play, and to see the amazed pleasure of the locals who have watched their team struggle for too many years. And if a sporting success can bring a small crumb of comfort to a young man in distress, so be that too.
But some of the English media appear to be in disbelief that such a thing could happen, so convinced by the ECB mantra that all is going swimmingly that rational analysis has gone by the wayside. England are brittle they have been for some years. Doesn’t mean they can’t win, doesn’t mean they won’t win. But faced with challenging circumstances, they wilt more often than not and appear to struggle to cope with needing to change their method. That a player as free scoring as Darren Bravo gave them a lesson in Test match batting ought to ring alarm bells. But alas of course, it will not.
Have a good rest of the evening folks, been a pleasure to share the Test with you. TLG.
Being Outside Cricket 
TLG – hit the Lobster for lunch, and on your ground-wide strolls, get some others views to the crunch, whilst our team digs a deeper hole?
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Looking nice again TLG. Enjoy!
Excellent comment by D’Arthez on the last post. I’ll copy a bit of it:
“I am fairly confident that the non-performance of Curran is not even being talked about by the think tank. Or that somehow the explanations that did not apply to Rashid, suddenly do count as excuses for Curran.”
Very true. We’ll see whether he plays the third test as a specialist number 9, or if there’s another reshuffle. Definitely some muddled thinking going on in the tank, which doesn’t bother me too much in this series but will annoy me if it continues into the Ashes. There’s little point playing so many bowlers if Root doesn’t bowl all of them. But is the management team’s ability to read pitches and conditions good enough to go in with 4 effective bowlers? Seemingly not.
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The thing I’d say with Curran is that he’s a kid, he’s learning, he’s still growing and he’ll get better. What the selectors choose is up for debate, but I wouldn’t say it’s fair to talk about Curran himself when he’s just a novice. Few are the finished article at that age.
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I was finished as an inarticulate well before I reached 20…
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There is definitely that, but with all the talk about England picking players for the present, rather than the future (which is why England have not taken plenty of opportunities to blood a full-time spinner), why make an exception for Curran?
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Absolutely fair question.
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I agree. It’s more about the overall shape of the team. How many all rounders do we actually need? Might it be better to pick one or more of them as specialists batsmen instead? Are there any specialists (with either bat or ball) who could come in to strengthen the structure?
At the moment England are making things far too complicated for themselves with asymmetrical team selections, as well as ludicrous virtual embargoes on selecting experienced pros like Bell or Hildreth. But everything’s OK because we beat Sri Lanka. The same Sri Lanka who are currently being utterly marmalized by the weakest Aussie side in 40 years.
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I think the Curren/ Rashid comparison is ludicrous. (Sorry Rooto)
Curren is, as legglance points out, just a kid. He has had a great start to his test career, and this is his first set back.
He is NOT an opening Test mactch bowler (which is why picking him as such in the first test was a poor selection) He may get away with the new ball in England if there is some swing, and movement.
I like the way he pitches the ball up. For too long we have bowled too short, particularly in English conditions. He seems to have a very positive approach, and of course has been useful with the bat as well. He reminds me of Mathew Hoggard. Pitches it up and swings it, but not express pace. He may find it tough away from England on flatter pitches. Time will tell.
I think Rashid has been treated very badly by the England set up and media. There has been zero encouragement or strategy.They just seem to expect him to bowl like Shane Warne. However, he has had a lot more cricket than Curren for England. Again these conditions are just not suitable for him.
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Ha, ha! No problem.
My main annoyance is with the selection process rather than Curran and his particular set of skills.
However, when it comes to the coverage of the team and analysis of any failures, Curran is being backed by the establishment, and is ‘inside’. That’s fair, not least for the reasons TLG said upthread. The selectors are even further inside, of course, and therefore insulated from criticism. What’s not fair is certain players, in this case Rashid, being ‘outside’. It’s not a team, but an establishment clique.
This conclusion is not news to anyone here!
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Even if they play Curran, what is the logic behind making him bat at no.9 ? He is quite good with the bat and is in form, and on most days he is just left with Anderson to bat. Can’t he be elevated in the order? Out of form Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali can bat lower down.
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70 overs left today… can TeamECB/Sky make TLG come back tomorrow.. ?.#unlikely
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As a semi-serious point, with the Rec it’s in town so people would rock up on spec. This stadium is a 45 minute drive from anywhere. It’s actually a really, really nice ground. But in the middle of nowhere. So no, I’m not coming back for a session’s worth of play tomorrow if that’s all there is.
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Thus, your challenge for today… find a non- local, non English, non cricket lover and discuss and send, even if it means sharing your ‘lobster’ with them… 🙂
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Was chatting with South Africans yesterday! They were part of a super yacht crew, taking a day off.
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That is a shame. Easy access to a test match ground should be a priority.
Mind you, as a kid I had a 25 minute walk to the bus stop. 40 minutes on the bus, followed by a 30 minute walk to the ground. Nothing would have stopped me.
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I remember that time. Mind you, the buses and trains were more reliable than nowadays
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I think your photos are fine.
You are doing the right thing by getting lots of people in your shots. I find that these are much more interesting many years later rather than endless mountain ranges or landscapes that you can’t remember for the life of you where they were taken.
Last night I watched France vs Wales in the rugby rather than the English cricket team. And again I’m going to watch Ireland vs England while England’s batsman try and make a score this afternoon.
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Lots of live club Rugby Union on C4 and C5, plus Six Nations and Rugby Union World Cup live on free to air tv. Unlike the now notorious English cricket blackout.
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/02/pca-hundred-super-counties
‘lesser’ counties voting for their own demise for a short term handout… as if they didn’t know already
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I mean, absolutely no-one, but no-one saw that coming.
Then, when they sell the franchises, watch these franchise holders start offering the top stars a few extra quid, and them not play for any of their counties, or possibly England.
Still, Empty Suit has the pathway with his strategic partners.
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Excuse my cynicism, but wasn’t this always the master plan to destroy half of the counties, something they always wanted to do?
The counties are the first moronic turkeys who voted for Christmas. Now they are well and truly stuffed. Once upon a time I would have cared, now I have complete contempt for most people in English cricket.
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Now we get Joseph Root and Joseph Denly being bowled to by Alzarri Joseph, on his national ground and in tragic circumstances.
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And just. like. that.
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To go by the commentary, by calling that review is almost a wicket to Holder.
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Joseph coefficient is maintained however.
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But not for long.
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England playing like a team that thought they only had to show up to win.
Now that they are up against it, they play like a team that doesn’t know how to get the hell out of this mess.
1:54 in the clip on this tweet, applies. The rest of it is dead funny too!
And as I write Denly goes to Joseph. They focus on an England fan screaming “ABSOLUTE CRAP”.
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And maybe Joe Denly can bring his fuckin’ dinner after leaving that ball…
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The Agnew and Cook photo show is getting very touching. Like a Matchmaker site.
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They are a joke pairing. It sounds more like Brokeback mountain than TMS.
A once fine broadcaster reduced to folly by employing people because they are mates regardless of the fact they have zero broadcasting ability.
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Brokeback Mountain genuinely made me laugh out loud. I think it should be a recurring shorthand for Agnew and Cook in future.
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Me too!
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Well, third time in three attempts that England lost 6 or more wickets before reaching the dizzy heights of 100. Funnily enough the opening pair has done reasonably well compared to the other partnerships.
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96/6 and still 23 runs adrift. There’s actually a small possibility of an innings defeat here. Wouldn’t that be a thing?
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https://twitter.com/barnsleyrunner/status/1091777348456927233
The retweeter….
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Fucking great! As much TLG’s comments as the progression of the match. I really like the idea of enjoying the locals’ hospitality, but also the performance of a competitive, grinding, yet aggressive West Indies team.
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Daddy’s taking us to the beach tomorrow, beach tomorrow, beach tomorrow, daddy’s taking us to the beach tomorrow …….we can stay all day.
This is what happens to a smug team with a deluded “fan boy” media that doesn’t hold the governing body to account, and who cares not about overseas series, and treats the fans like shit!
English cricketers are the most pampered sportsmen in world sport. There is no consequence for failure. A team of TINAs.
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Prior: (again. Sorry for being a stuck record) “You cannot tell me that this West Indian batting line-up is better than England’s”.
Ok, but – yet again – stop living in the world of reputation! Here, now, they clearly are. Live in the present, man!
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That’s not punditry, it’s cliche.
England won a series playing this way. They are now losing one playing attacking cricket. It’s gone beyond that – this is reckless.
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If you remember boss….I did say after the test match at the Oval last year. The one where Agnew was like a fan boy that it might be a bit early for Ed Smith to be doing a lap of honour as chief selector.
I wonder if he will be so willing to bask in the media limelight after these performances?
Oh, and I wish the media would stfu about Sri Lanka. It’s a bit like a dad boasting he won the egg and spoon in the parents race. It’s meangingless.
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This has been an almost flawless performance by West Indies. I do not believe they have played as a team two consecutive matches at this level any time in the last 9 years.
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Totally agree. This is the best thing to take away from this match in my view.
I haven’t seen the FTP. Hopefully WI will have some more tests soon to build on this performance.
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Never thought Prior was particularly bright. I’ll be happy to say their batting line up is better
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Nor popular.
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Jeez. I’m now feeling sorry for Matt Prior. He sounds so lost as the certainties of his world fall around his ears. I suppose he represents the smug establishment of English cricket.
“These guys play within our system. How can they be inferior?”
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Sorry. I forgot the ECB mantra. “These guys play within our system. *They earn millions.* How can they be inferior?”
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The big cheese is melting down
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At least England made certain that TLG does not have to question his decision about what to do tomorrow.
Enjoy the day off!
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What is the logic behind making Sam Curran bat at no.9 ? He is quite good with the bat and is in form, and on most days he is just left with Anderson to bat. Can’t he be elevated in the order? Out of form Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali can bat lower down.
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Kimber is having fun with Prior on air. “Apart from running between the wickets, is there *any* aspect of the game in which England have outplayed West Indies?”
My sympathy bone fails to twitch.
Sorry for taking over the blog. Just feeling elated at the mo’.
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Root says: “No, not too gung-ho. If anything we’ve been too tentative.”
As I type, Bayliss repeats the message, although with nuance about foot movement. I’m not sure they’ve learnt anything.
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In the last interview Root almost intimated that the top order collapse hadn’t been an issue until now, but stopped himself.
This is a confused team. Utterly confused. I’m confused.
While pleased that the West Indies won, and always liked a couple of their players, they have had these false dawns before. Let’s see their results in the next two years. I am afraid England looked like a team that only had to turn up to win, and played like it.
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Very valid point. Takes two teams to tango.
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The batting problems are only going to get worse. The world in which Cook and Root started their playing careers is being destroyed. We had a cracking summer last year, and there was zero county cricket played during the best weather.
Oh, and Harrison wants them to play this way. It’s all about entertainment.
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Brilliant stuff from the West Indies, great to see them back up Barbados with another performance in Antigua. It makes the world seem right when they play well in test cricket.
England, well, it’s disappointing, actually it’s pretty crap, but clear flaws in their approach, however, I can’t help feeling like going ‘haha’ a la nelson muntz…..
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Just to add, SKY pundits saying the West Indies didn’t look like a great side for many years, well breaking news for you SKY boys, England haven’t looked like a great side for a number of years either!
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Now they are banging on about lack of depth in county openers, yet they list a huge number that have been tried e.g. Robson, Lyth, Jennings, Hameed, Carberry, Stoneman, Duckett, Compton and others. This to me, doesn’t suggest a lack of depth in county cricket, more a flaw with the setup of the England international cricket team. That does not make the best of the players the selectors give them. You can’t tell me that one of those openers tried, did not have the ability to make it work at test match level; failed by the England setup!
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Perceptive. You have to wonder what goes on behind the scenes. Batsmen get the failed Ramprakash as coach, fast bowlers get injuries in training……..
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1258: Fancy an opener playing a risky pull shot in a crisis situation. Would never have happened a few years ago.
Love this ^^^^ so true
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I’m lifting one up for Shiv Chanderpaul. Run rate of 2.3 vs a run rate of 3.1. Through all of WI innings they had either Brathwaite or Bravo in, going under 2.
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Thanks for the reports and the pictures, and really sorry about your sunburn.
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Thanks TLG. It’s been fun to read your reports. Hope you have enjoyed it.
#Rally round!
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It’s been great. Interesting to read James from the Full Toss demand more anger from the fans at the ground, but it isn’t like that on a holiday island. There’s plenty else to do, and plenty of beaches to visit. It generates far more anger at home.
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I walked out of Adelaide that fateful day, and just wanted to stick my chest out and show it didn’t hurt. I wasn’t angry. I was devastated. A massive difference.
There is a point in there from James, because through defeats the cloying fandom of the Barmy Army grates, as it did a bit in Aussie in 2002-3. But I enjoyed being in their enclosure at Cape Town in 2005. It’s like most things in life – not consistent.
I really, really loathe the trumpeter and the self regarding songs, it has to be said. Being a fan you have to be honest – to yourself, and to the team you follow. It is not, and never has been, blind loyalty. But I am not going to really go at people who pay a lot of money to get in. And pros should never do it. Ever.
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Being on a holiday island is a bit different I would say. The sense of loss at not going tomorrow is negated by not being especially bothered when there’s the obvious holiday environment in which you’re in.
The Barmy Army is very cliquey, and the repetitive nature of the songs grates somewhat. But I think they consider being supportive in defeat as a badge of honour, although there were a lot of angry comments going around this afternoon among the more general fans.
And the army were confined to one quarter of one stand, so the perception in some quarters that they are representative of much is misplaced. They do what they wish, and that’s fine. But the anger was there from most alright, it’s just that people aren’t stuck somewhere and have to put up with a dead couple of days. It changes things.
What does irritate (and I’m pretty indifferent to the Barmy Army) is those who rarely if ever go moaning about them. Obviously that’s not remotely the position with James.
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There are few places the Army is out in force where there isn’t a holiday environment. Australia, South Africa (some venues), Sri Lanka, New Zealand. They are a bit more sparse elsewhere.
But not a lot to disagree with.
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Mark Ramprakash should sacked as batting coach. He can spend his free time posting more left wing commentary on Twitter!
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Forgive me for not reading earlier posts so sorry if this has been covered.
Ha ha ha!
If you create a shit environment, you should expect shit squared.
MiamiDad noted in the last test about the (continued) ability of the press to blame the “brown kid” (or something to that effect) – ie Rashid and the campaign against him.
Whether it’s Rashid or someone else doesn’t really matter. The point is this is an England team of “favoured” people, supported by people who’s only interest is self-interest (and self-serving interest at that).
Well, fuck them. Let them keep digging their hole. I still love the game just now have to do that without supporting the national team. Quite odd really, given I used to follow them no matter what.
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So you’re suggesting the ‘campaign’ against Rashid is down to racism? That’s a pretty strong accusation to make.
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Sorry reply should be here:
Payne – I’m not making that allegation. I refer to another post, referring to an article that poster has read.
My post, to which you replied, simply reflects that this is a team built on who “some people” want in the team. If you genuinely don’t think there was a concerted effort by the press to discredit Rashid, let me know because we need to talk. Whether that’s because of his skin colour or not, I don’t know.
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Payne – pls set out for me how Rashid has been treated equally in press reporting.
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Card marked. Too slow. Trouble at Yorkshire. Left tour. Refused to play. I could go on. I look forward to being enlightened…
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And I’d invite you to read my post to which to replied. It says:
“Whether it’s Rashid or someone else doesn’t really matter.”
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That’s not what Jomesy said! But anyway, it could be racism, but who knows you don’t and nor do we. I don’t think it would be unfair to wonder if there is an element of that in it? Look at the treatment of Sterling by the football media…..anyway, you’ve wilfully misinterpreted Jomesy who quite rightly pointed out the very poor treatment dished out to Rashid….
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Sorry – forgot to add that this IS the best test cricket I’ve ever seen. No doubt about that. None.
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I know this is unedifying (so apologies) but I’m fucked off and Payne is a weasel. Suggesting that I’m in the wrong for my comment. My comment stands. Let’s see whether Payne replies to the point.
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Sorry fella, not dignifying that baseless insult with a response. Not sure what Rashid has to do with this Test anyway, he went home for his kid’s birth did he not?
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No, he was available to play. He went home for that after being dropped.
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Payne – I’m not making that allegation. I refer to another post, referring to an article that poster has read.
My post, to which you replied, simply reflects that this is a team built on who “some people” want in the team. If you genuinely don’t think there was a concerted effort by the press to discredit Rashid, let me know because we need to talk. Whether that’s because of his skin colour or not, I don’t know.
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