Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 15 February 2009 /

Andrew Strauss has just scored his second century against the West Indies to put England in a commanding position on day one of the Third Test. Betting.betfair.com's Ed Hawkins got the short straw of having to fly out to the Caribbean to report live from the ground....

21.55 Eng 300-3 CLOSE
Anyway that's your lot from day one, folks. No-one was quite sure why went so long past the close of play time, or indeed the 90-over max. England in charge although the pitch is so placid that it could well be stalemate after West Indies have batted for a day. The prices are: WI [27.00], England [2.66] and the draw [1.68]. I'm off back to the hotel for a swim. Maybe on the beach, maybe in the pool. It's a tough life. And I've packed away some extra cake and biscuits for later. Come back tomorrow.

21.48 Eng 298-3
Confusion. We're still here and I don't know why. Maybe two more overs tonight? That takes us to 92.

21.44 Eng 296-3
The new ball works for WI as Strauss goes for a fine 169. I almost said brilliant but he was dropped early on. I was just writing that I didn't think the cherry would make much differnce in a closing day wrap. I don't think it has. Just a tired shot from the England skipper. We're still playing on, which seems odd considering we have had 90m overs.Oh, I just don't know anymore. James Aderson is nightwatchman

21.29 Eng 292-2
A couple of overs left. And KP won't let the day end on a quiet note. A few histrionics from him as first he takes a whack of Edwards and then looks at the pitch as it has just verbally abused his wife. It's not the wicket, though. More likely the shadow which has fallen across it.

21.12 Eng 277-2
Coming to the last few minutes now for day one of a quite extraordinary day. What has happened today has confounded everyone. The wicket was supposed to be a bowler's paradise. It has got two ridges on it - I've seen both of them with my own eyes - and there was moisture on it this morning. Odd. Ho hum. Here's hoping it does something different tomorrow because if we have another day like this when WI bat we have a bore draw on our hands

20.54 Eng 276-2
Owais Shah has run himself out for 57. A shame because he should've scored a ton here. He just set off for a run that wasn't there and Strauss sent him back. KP coming to the crease now.I bet WI are quite glad he was not in sooner or they could really be in an awful hole.

20.37 Eng 267-1
A walk round the ground has failed to bring another wicket. However, I did see an argument between an extraordinarily fat man and who I believe was the Antigua prime minister. I could not tell you what they were 'discussing'. It could have been over the fact that the PM had to ask someone a couple of weeks ago when the Antigua Test was supposed to take place (there's a clue as to how the farce at North Sound was allowed to unfold). Or maybe the PM stole this chap's ice cream. Who knows? But what I do know is that said fat man was arrested and taken away in a van, the axels almost snapping under the weight.

20.11 Eng 251-1
Breaking news. A batsman has played a false shot. It didn't produce a wicket, though. Strauss mistimed a pull but the fielders were back on the boundary. Owais Shah has a 50, which will secure his place in the side ahead of Ian Bell for the series if the unbalanced relationship between weight of runs and loyalty in this England team is anything to go by. Hope so anyway, I've always rated Shah.

19.51 Eng 233-1
It is my sad duty to report that there are some England supporters who have seen fit to turn up in fancy dress. This is a most heinous crime for two reasons. Firstly, they have conciously packed their ludicrous gear into a suitcase, not even worrying that they could be exposed as the perverts that they are by customs. Secondly, there is no such thing as fancy dress day for cricket in the Caribbean. So to the person who came as a pirate, the sailor, Captain America, Buzz Light Year (the usual suspects) I hope you are suitably ashamed and that you get picked up on the way home...and locked up forever in a textiles factory where you can play your weird dressing-up games together.

19.38 Eng 223-1
It's just easy, easy, easy for England. They are taking runs at will after the break. 17 runs have come from two overs.West Indies are going to have to contain but Gayle has two slips and a gully as Edwards runs in.

19.09 Eng 206-1 TEA
Huge, huge relief here. The cake has turned up. I've grabbed as much as I can to make up for the lack of sweet stuff earlier. Just to give you a run through, I've gone for: shortbread biscuits, gingernuts, two cocunt flapjack-style things, another cocunut item and two fruit flapjacks. Good times.

19.05 Eng 193-1
A century for Strauss. I bet Chris Gayle is muttering away to himself after shelling that earlier chance. Owais Shah looks like he could join him in the ton-up stakes. Ever since he got to the wicket he has looked assured and relaxed. Normally we would see Shah tense in his stance, almost rigid, particularly in the neck and shoulders. Virtually from ball one his strokes have flowed and he looks determined to make sure he secures this No.3 berth.

18.46 Eng 170-1
Strauss needs just six for his a century by the way folks.

18.43 Eng 168-1
Daren Powell is currently displaying the intelligence levels which ensure he has a strike rate of 81 in Test Cricket. In the previous over he bowled a half-tracker to Owais Shah which was pulled for four. He didn't learn his lesson. He tried the same against Strauss and guess what? Four. Next ball he over compensated and went for four down the ground. Get him off.

18.30 Eng 147-1
Jak has asked "correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time England scored over 500 in their 1rst innings abroad on a featherbed of a wicket (Adelaide)....they lost!" You are correct. That was the third highest first innings score in a Test to lose a match. Interestingly, in the 29 Tests involving England abroad that have seen a score of 400 or more in the first or second innings, only six have produced results.

18.15 Eng 128-1
It is amazing how often a walk round the ground in search of an ice cream brings a wicket. Cook was the man to go, caught by Smith off Gayle for 52 so his wait for another Test century goes on.I didn't see it, though. I was in the queue for my ice cream at The Hot Pot before I decided that was too much of a contradiction in terms.

17.56 Eng 112-0
It's all passing off without incident here ... in every regard. No controversy, no sand, no rain, no wickets. There is the potential for a bit of a hoo ha, however. Just a couple of seats down from me in the press hut is the chap that operates the scoreboard. All I would need to do is tempt him away from his computer for a minute (perhaps if I bought him an ice cream he would later return the favour) and then I could cause havoc.

17.43 Eng 104-0
Strauss has launched Benn out of the ground as England bring up the 100. Oh dear, this is looking grim for Gayle and West Indies.They have stuck in England in on a belter it would seem. The crowd rise to acknowledge the ton. This must feel like a home game for England.The stands are full of their supporters, whose largely white faces are turning steadily pink in the sun which is beating down.

17.30 Eng 97-0
Much fun in the lunch queue. Poor Nasser Hussain picked up the wrong chicken and rise and the owner snapped "that's mine!". An apologetic Husssain said "oh yes, I can see it's got your name written on it, that is if your name is 'chicken'. Curtley Ambrose was also waiting for his food. He remains very tall - well, why wouldn't he? - and he still sports the fashionably upsetting pony tail. One can only imagine that if he had sported such a 'do' when he was playing he would not have been half as fearsome.

17.17 Eng 89-0
Chris Gayle really is having a bad day. He has just dropped Andrew Strauss at slip of Benn. An easy chance. That could prove very expensive indeed as that has been the only chance offered all day. Disconcertingly, there is still no sign of any cake. I may have to wander off to actually purchase an ice cream.

17.05 Eng 79-0
Chris Gayle still has two slips in place although that could be in more hope than expectation. Like the rest of us, he has misread the pitch. No doubt Andrew Strauss would have bowled first, too if he had won the toss.It can't be long before we see slip number two come out and a sweeper out in place on the off side. Then we really will be sure that the wicket is not going to misbehave.

16.50 Eng 67-0
Chicken and rice for lunch. Not cliched at all. England have resumed and I must admit I am concerned that the wicket is beginning to look unresponsive indeed. The bounce looks slow and Cook had time to rustle up an omlette just then when fending off a short one from Edwards. This pitch can't be like the Antigua Rec ones of old surely?

16.00 Eng 58-0 LUNCH
England have confounded all common sense here. The players said the pitch was bad, it looked bad but it has played as bland as lukewarm tea. The impact of the heavy roller should have worn off, too so we will have to adjust our thinking and treat this as reasonably good first day wicket. That would still not put me off laying the draw, however.

15.47 Eng 53-0
Chris Gayle has had a bowl already, which suggests this surface is perhaps not what it seemed. England's batsmen are looking increasingly confident, although it must be said West Indies have bowled poorly this morning. They have been too leg side and have allowed Cook and Strauss to settle with easy runs. The draw price has steadied at [1.82] with West Indies out to a whopping [9.40] and England [2.80]. We have only just broken the one million pound barrier on the match odds market for money in and out. Normally we would have seen twice that amount traded by now. Perhaps confidence has been hit after the North Sound fiasco.

15.35 Eng 36-0
The draw peice is [1.83] to lay now. I still think that is the way to go and we need to view it as a bonus that it is that short after just 10 overs.

strong>15.21Eng 27-0
"That draw price seems to be coming in a bit," says captain_s. Indeed. That is the norm though when we have some runs being scored first up. There is an overreaction by punters reckoning that the surface is good to bat on.But as I wrote earlier, we need to wait until the impact of those heavy rollers have worn off. Whammo! That might be it there as STrauss is struck a nasty blow from one that reared up. It was short but he just didn't get under it in time.

15.18 Eng 25-0
I must admit to being greatly troubled by the situation here over the last few days. The uncertainty and the disorganisation has meant that the really big question surrounding the actiuon in Antigua has yet to be answered: are we going to get a decent serving of cake? I just don't know. There was no need for confectionary items in the second Test because everyone was too busy playing in the sandpit. Behind the press hut here there is a food stall but I can't see any sweet things. So far we have just had fruit. I mean, I like melons as much as the next man but really they are no substitution for a nice bit of battenburg. I need my five a day folks. Do they even like cake in Antigua you may ask? Well, intrepid as ever I have tried out all the sweets available at the hotel and from the wide array available I can say they do. So here's hoping some turn up in time for a mid-morning coffee.

15.06 Eng 15-0
Nice four from Strauss through the covers just then off Fidel Edwards. He has settled in immediately. Cook less so. It has been easy to forget amid all the chaos here that England are a team wracked with self-doubt and apparent factions within the team. Cook, for example, is on an awful run and some pundits wanted him dropped for the abandoned second Test.He has gone 23 innings now without a Test ton, and judging by the way he just wafted at one outside off from Jerome Taylor, he still has problems with his footwork.

14.53 Eng 1-0
Of course we shouldn't expect carnage immediately.The wicket has had the heavy roller on it all morning so for 20 minutes it will still be pretyy flat. It is after that period of time we should expect some misbehaviour. Jerome Taylor's first over passed off without incident and if anything, the track looked a little sluggish. But as I said, time will tell.

strong>14.51 Eng 1-0
Nervous times for Andrew Strauss in this first over. There must be all sorts of demons in his mind about what the ball is going to do off this surface...the first one has gone through nicely enough, though. He is off the mark from the second.

14.45
We are about to, finally, get underway. The palyers areon the field following another brief shower. Rain could be a feature of today, although it should not mean we lose loads of overs. Mainly because it is rain which seems to be 'falling' from the side rather than above. I have had to put the laptop under the desk to save it from the wet, which means that I look rather guilty, as if I'm making sure I get my US$150 worth by logging on to some hardcore porn sites.

14.34
Jak has been in touch to ask whether it is correct that the West Indies board have charged journalists US$150 for internet access. You are right my friend. A scandal really consdering what has gone on the last few days. One would've though the WICB would have waved it. Really, it's chicken feed to them when they've got about 25-30 guys in the press boc. One wouldn't mind if the internet was 100% reliable. But it's not. Two crashes already. Do email me,however, at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk to let me know your views on the Test and so we can get value for money.

14.20
West Indies have won the toss and will bowl. Not surprising. They want to shoot England out cheaply on this dodgy wicket and then hope it gets better as the match progresses.
West Indies team
CH Gayle, DS Smith, RR Sarwan, S Chanderpaul, BP Nash, RO Hinds, D Ramdin, JE Taylor, SJ Benn, DBL Powell, FH Edwards
England team
AJ Strauss, OA Shah, AN Cook, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, A Flintoff, MJ Prior, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, GP Swann, SJ Harmison
England have made changes. And they are ones which poiint to the state of the pitch.Panesar is oiut for Swann, presumably because England have recognised the need to bat deep. Harmison is in for Sidebottom to make use of this uneven surface.

14.00
The pitch is so fascinating that Gardner's World would be tempted to do a two-hour special. It is a novelty with regard to there hasn't been anything like in the modern age. First things first, the Antigua Recreation ground is, usually, a football ground, hosting Antigua and Barbuda international side's matches. So the square is, effectively, the centre circle. This is where it gets interesting because there are two ridges across the pitch where the football markings have been painted. One on a length from the Pavilion End and the other half way down the track, serving to light the eyes of the fast bowlers. In short, I would be surprised if this game lasted a fll four days. As for the outfield, it's football pitch as you will see from your television pictures. All the markings are visible. If a fielder is straight on the boundary, he will be in the goalmouth. At mid on or mid off they on the edge of the 'D' with the ball likely to fly from the markings, so they should watch out for their teeth. Indeed, gum shields could be the order of the day.

13.50
We will have a pitch inspection in 10 minutes. "Easy now," as they say over here - the game is not under threat. We've just had a bit of rain that's all. The outfield is pretty soggy, particularly on the straight boundaries. Maybe they could get the super sopper down there. Perhaps they could put some sand down there, too?

13.43
Good morning sports fans and welcome to the crumbling, ramshackle Antigua Recreation ground. The stands are rusting - one which had been condemned is now apparently safe for use - the roofs are leaking and the pitch and outfield, is quite frankly, like nothing I have seen for a Test. But importantly we're going to play. And hoorah for that, delivering a poke in the eye to those who said a Test in 24 hours could not be organized and then staged at ground which has not been used since the West Indies played India in 2006. This venue has rich history. It is the ground where Brian Lara twice broke the world batting record , where the inmates, by the order of the warden, father of Sir Viv Richards, used to help prepare the wicket and where Gravy and Chickie's Disco created the Calypso beats that West Indies cricket was famous for. Despite the chaos, it's good to be be back.

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