England v WI

[Lou Grant]

England squad to face West Indies

Alastair Cook (Essex), Mark Stoneman (Surrey), Tom Westley (Essex), Joe Root (Yorkshire, capt), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire, wk), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Mason Crane (Hampshire), James Anderson (Lancashire).

[Lou Grant]

Some talk they may play both TRJ and Woakes and leave out Malan. The notion of a six man bowling attack against anyone, let alone a side as weak as WI, is laughable.

[Salem]

To be fair Lou , i reckon my local club in Kidderminster could give the current West Indies a run for their money .

Don't know your age mate but i grew up watching Greenidge , Richards , Holding , Marshall , Roberts etc put the fear of God into anyone they came up against . They really were a team of legends in the late 70's and 80's . Sir Viv Richards , to me at least , is still the greatest batsman i have ever seen .

It's a crying shame what has happened to cricket (especially test cricket) in the Caribbean . But even more worrying is the fact that i think it's a growing trend throughout all major test playing nations

[subsub]

To be fair Lou , i reckon my local club in Kidderminster could give the current West Indies a run for their money .

Don't know your age mate but i grew up watching Greenidge , Richards , Holding , Marshall , Roberts etc put the fear of God into anyone they came up against . They really were a team of legends in the late 70's and 80's . Sir Viv Richards , to me at least , is still the greatest batsman i have ever seen .

It's a crying shame what has happened to cricket (especially test cricket) in the Caribbean . But even more worrying is the fact that i think it's a growing trend throughout all major test playing nations

Agreed, Salem, but it's a bit unfair to compare all West Indies teams to the 80s' team, probably the best Test team of all time.

[Lou Grant]

Don't know your age mate but i grew up watching Greenidge , Richards , Holding , Marshall , Roberts etc put the fear of God into anyone they came up against . They really were a team of legends in the late 70's and 80's . Sir Viv Richards , to me at least , is still the greatest batsman i have ever seen .

Keith Boyce at Essex when I was a youngster getting my first taste of live cricket - he was a genius and still couldn't get anywhere near the test team in those days. Of all the batsmen I was privileged to see live, Carl Hooper made the biggest impression. Played probably the greatest innings I've ever seen for Kent in a match they were down and out in. Not just the runs he scored that day or the manner in which he scored them, but he then went out to bowl and took 5 wickets as well.

West Indies represented a brand of cricket distinct from that of the Southern Hemisphere or sub-continent teams and the game is now so much poorer without them being there (in any meaningful form).

[Lou Grant]

At last England have found an opener who can still be at the crease at 2pm.

[Zambo]

I see 2 and 3 have failed again.

[Lou Grant]

Did you see the ball that got Stoneman? Good luck playing that! Although doubtless Hales would have a double century by now.

[subsub]

Did you see the ball that got Stoneman? Good luck playing that!

Exactly. Usual knee-jerk stuff from Mr Zambo…

[Zambo]

Lacks credentials, although he was born in England.

[kancutlawns]

Root gone.

[Lou Grant]

Remember watching Stuart Law batting for Essex. A very fine cricketer, but coaching the West Indies must be quite the challenge.

[Reg]

Poor old Michael Holding.

[Zambo]

Did you see the ball that got Stoneman? Good luck playing that! Although doubtless Hales would have a double century by now.

Wot you talkin bout Willis, he played across the line at a straight ball which took off peg. Just bread and butter to a left hander facing right arm over.

[subsub]

Did you see the ball that got Stoneman? Good luck playing that! Although doubtless Hales would have a double century by now.

Wot you talkin bout Willis, he played across the line at a straight ball which took off peg. Just bread and butter to a left hander facing right arm over.

Completely disagree.
Vaughan and many other commentators described it as a ball that would have got most top-class batsmen out.