Drops of misery

Lord's May 6 First Test England v West Indies day 1

Preview

Since the Lord's Test against Australia in 2005 England have gone 14 first Tests without a win. "We must win this one," says Andrew Strauss. He reminds me of those football managers I used to meet 30 years ago. "Yes, I know we have won only two games out of 30 but if we can win most of our last few games, we can still escape relegation!" The chances are Strauss's 'prentice quicks will not have the nous to force a victory.

To lunch

Chris Gayle sent England in - a mistake on a pitch with green tinges but without venom - Strauss got out early - another mistake - but, at 88-1, England could be happy with their first two hours. Alistair Cook is a seasoned Test cricketer but when Ravi Bopara arrived he was greeted with a superb outswinger from Jerome Taylor which rocketed past his outside edge. He survived and by the interval he looked at home. His promotion is an experiment: so far so good.

To tea

For half an hour it looked as if the only mistake about the pitch was made by me. Fidel Edwards got Cook to play on, had Kevin Pietersen caught first ball and Paul Collingwood taken low at slip. Perhaps the casual Gayle knows what he is talking about, I thought. But Bopara held firm and Matt Prior helped him take the score to 182 for four. It's Bopara's day if only because at this point he has not made a serious mistake.

To the close

By the end the West Indies had made a concerted effort to be the worst fielding side in living memory. They dropped at least six catches that would have dismissed England for around 250. Their ground fielding was untidy, they could not hit the stumps when run-out chances came along and once again Gayle was more a gentle breeze than a cyclone. So forget all the promise of Bopara's century and simply remember that he never lost his cool even after being dropped twice. The Aussies could be heard rubbing their hands with glee. They would never have let all those catches go. There is still a lot of work ahead for England with 63 days to go.