Test previews / Ed Hawkins / 13 February 2009 / 1 Comments

Ed Hawkins tells us why Antigua is most people's idea of heaven but the England cricket team's idea of hell, as Andrew Strauss' side attempt to recover from their First Test thrashing.

"Welcome to paradise' the Antigua tourist board will claim when England's cricketers, and their supporters, arrive on the tiny island. It could be some sort of hell. After all, it has been before.

The island with a beach for every day of the year has proved anything but relaxing down the years for England, so in the aftermath of their humiliating innings and 23-run loss against West Indies at Sabina Park, Antigua really could not be a worse venue for the second Test, which starts on Friday.

In November, England lost the $20m match in Coolidge when they were bowled out for just 99, not a bad effort considering their capitulation in Jamaica for a pathetic 51. Previously in Antigua their record had been horrible.

In six Tests at the defunct Recreation Ground, England failed to win any of them and twice conceded the world batting record to Brian Lara. They would have been pleased to see the back of that famous venue were it not for the trend continuing at its replacement, the Sir Viv Richards stadium in North Sound. Two games, two defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia respectively in the World Cup.

Given that record, one should allow onself a small 'hurrumph' when viewing the prices for the second Test. England, with their bottomed-out confidence levels, look too low at [3.80] while West Indies are [4.5] and the draw is [1.9].

England's record in Antigua makes for uncomfortable reading and those who have been desperately trying to find a positive following the Sabina shambles, will no doubt ignore it, instead opting for the irrelevant fact that England, when bowled out for 46 in the Caribbean 15 years ago, won the next game in Barbados.

There is a small glimmer for England thanks to their stiff upper lip after a disaster. Since 2000 England's win percentage after a defeat away is 37%. In all other circumstances since 2000 it is 31%.

That is a six per cent shift but in the face of such huge momentum which West Indies have, it is probably just as meaningless. As stunning as West Indies' win in the first Test was, its impact was greater because this was a side who had a spell of three-and-half-years without a single Test win. They now have their third in 13 months.

Fortunately for England, the wicket at North Sound is flat enough to suggest that even their brittle batting should be capable of a draw. There has been only one Test at the new ground and it ended in a run fest. West Indies and Australia scored 1,341 runs with four centuries. The run rate was 3.37 runs per over, not quick enough to dissuade draw backers.

The worry surrounding England must be that if West Indies bat first and make hay on a good batting wicket, will they crumble again? West Indies have called up Lendl Simmons, who scored a double century against the tourists in the warm-up while Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose century in the first Test allayed fears over a mental block against England, has a tremendous record at North Sound. He made a half-century and century in that game against Australia and will go off at [5.1] for top-bat honours. It may also be worth checking his price to score a 50 in the first innings when money becomes available.

England are expected to make changes. Owais Shah looks a certainty to come in for Ian Bell, but then again he was supposed to nailed on when he scored a century in the warm-ups and Bell dropped more clangers. Bell's dismissal in the second dig, when he cut lazily to Sulieman Benn, was a shot of a man mentally gone.

Steve Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom are vulnerable to James Anderson's credentials while Alastair Cook would also be looking over his shoulder if he wasn't vice-captain. When the second in command should be carrying the drinks, that is endemic of England's problems. Cook has passed 50 eight times in 2008 but not gone past 76.

Whatever team England put out, those who miss out may console themselves that they are out of the firing line. And there's always one of those beaches.