Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 17 February 2009 /

Centuries from Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss have put England firmly in the driving seat but they will have to work hard for wickets on what is clearly a good batting pitch. Ed Hawkins reports live from the ground.

21.32 Eng 31-1 CLOSE
England on the brink of levelling the series at the end of day three. They are [1.52] with the draw [3.05]. See you back here tomorrow for more fun and frolics.

21.31 Eng 31-1
Ryan Hinds has shelled a dolly from Anderson's bat at third slip with Edwards the bowler. "Get him off the field!" Escort him to the dressing room!" are the shouts. And they were from the lips of the West Indian journalists.

21.17 WICKET Eng 23-1
Andrew Strauss, unsurprisingly, has not troubled the scorers much in this innings. he has gone for 14. It would have been a bit much to expect more runs from him after his ton first time. James Anderson is nightwatchman. Smith pouched the catch off Edwards

21.15 Eng 23-0
Alastair Cook just does not move his feet. Rooted to the crease just then he was as Taylor zipped one past his outside edge. It is beyond me how I guy can make it to the top level and have the footwork of bell diver at a disco. Before this Test he said "I just can't understand why I'm not scoring centuries". Have a look at the video tapes, pal. Right. He's done it again. Just then. Hung out his pad to offer an edge to slip. It fell short, though. Unbelievable.

21.01 Eng 10-0
About 11 overs left tonight. WI will not be keen to race through them so we should get at least another 30 minutes of play tonight. The hosts do not look in the least bit interested. They know they are a beaten side.

20.56 England 2-0
England underway. Actually 150 runs should do it. They should be able to knock those off pretty quickly

20.49 England lead by 281
Looks like England will have a bat please Bob.Makes sense. The bowlers must be knackered and there is still enough time to increase the lead and then get the Windies in on a wearing pitch. West Indies are [40.00]. Go on,have a nibble. If they claim a couple tonight that will crash to 25s. And the new ball misbehaves on this surface. England are [1.56] and the draw is [2.94].

20.43 WICKET WI 280 all out
Decision time as Taylor falls. We wait with baited breath to see whether England force the follow on.

20.42 WI 280-9
Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry
Because, just supposing and in no way suggesting our man Big Al has done anything wrong, if he goes to prison "everyone wants to play with me".

20.40 WI 278-9
Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry
No. 2 "Because no-one wants to play with me!"

20.37 WICKET WI 278-9
Swann has five wickets.He has removed that giant of a man, Sulieman Benn, caught at bat-pad by a sprawling Alastair Cook. Nice work.

20.34 WI 278-8
Fun with Morse code aside, let's just think seriously aboiut whether England will enforce the follow on. WI need 367, which they are unlikely to get. The big factor is the weather. It's been a swelterer today and England's bowlers could do with some time off. Maybe if England bowl out WI tonight, they could bat until tea tomorrow and stick them in. They will be worried about the forecast, however. Rain is expected tomorrow and Thursday. My punt is that England will have a bat.

20.30 WICKET WI 278-8
See, you start messing about with Morse code and see what happens. Nash caught at slip off Flintoff.One has to wonder if England will make them follow on. It is very hot out there.

20.29 WI 278-7
Nothing of incident has happened in the last few minutes Perhaps I could amuse myself by seeing how many cakes I could fit into my mouth at any one time cake cake cake cake cake cake

20.28 WI 278-7 Morse code version of the above
-. --- - .... .. -. --. | --- ..-. | .. -. -.-. .. -.. . -. - | .... .- ... | .... .- .--. .--. . -. . -.. | .. -. | - .... . | .-.. .- ... - | ..-. . .-- | -- .. -. ..- - . ... | .--. . .-. .... .- .--. ... | .. | -.-. --- ..- .-.. -.. | .- -- ..- ... . | -- -.-- ... . .-.. ..-. | -... -.-- | ... . . .. -. --.

20.26 WI 277-5
I've spent the last five minutes taking a crash course in Morse code. Prepare to be wowed. Nash is very boring isn't he? 18 runs in 79 balls.

20.20 WI 275-7
That was morse code I've done there. Don't know what it said because I don't know morse code. It was a joke.

20.19 WI 275-7
. . . . . - . - - . - - .

20.15 WI 274-7
Bit of a web wobble there but I think we're back on. The problem was that someone on the other side of the ground was trying to down load something.Of course. When someone on the other side of the road tries to download something back home, the web always goes down.It doesn't cost $150, though. Perhaps I should attempt to do this blog in morse code from now on.

20.09 WI 266-7
I might need to clear something up from earlier on. When I was comparing Daren Powell to a mouse which I had to hit over the head with a hammer, in no way was I condoning hitting Daren Powell over the head with a hammer. I was merely condoning killing mice. I'm sure Powell is a lovely bloke. He spells his name a little unconventionally but that could have been down to a dyslexic clerk at the birth registration office. Don't hold it against him

20.06 WI 265-7
Not much has come from the hard red cherry. Broad had a big shout turned down. Taylor had a big swish off Anderson. That's about it.

19.52 WI 263-7
The new ball has been taken. Anderson has it.

19.50 WI 263-7
Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry
No. 3 No longer will he be able to hang around with all those former legends of the game who joined his Standford 2020 board for tidy little sums. Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs, Ian Bishop, Sir Everton Weekes, Desmond Haynes, Courtney Walsh, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers, Gordon Greenidge, Joel Garner, Wes Hall, Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose and Andy Roberts were his chums I believe.

19.46 WI 260-7
Here's the bad news for West Indies. They need 367 to avoid the follow on and England get a new ball in precisely an over's time.

19.43 WI 258-7
Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry
No. 4 There was another troubling thought for the Big Man when it dawned in him that no longer might he be the most loved chap with a comedy moustache in this region. Step forward Mr Tom Selleck. You are back in the limelight, sir. It's been too long.

19.34 WI 252-7
A bit of chaos here, then. What's new? I really do get in a bit of a tizz when wickets fall quickly like that. I especially hate it when a wicket goes when I am midway through a sentence. Anyway, that little flurry has moved the market somewhat. England into [1.52] and the draw out to [2.98]. It did get as big as [3.40].

19.31 WICKET WI 251-7
Gosh. Ramdin out now! England on the charge and they are doing it thanks to Swann.Who needs Monty? Four wickets for him. Two in two for the spinner.

19.27 WICKET WI 251-6
Sarwan has gone! Six runs short of his century. Disappointing because it would have been good to see him reach three figures. Swann got him, caught by Flintoff. The rather large lady next to me doing some scoring did not like that. She thumped the desk hard. Very hard. I nearly went into orbit.

19.20 WI 242-5
Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry
No.5 As Big Al slowly came to terms with the prospect of impending doom, he began to sniffle of the probability that never, ever would he be able to bounce on his knee some of the wives of the England players. Does anyone know if they allow inflatable girlfriends in prison? What! Not for that reason, chaps. They're bouncy aren't they?

19.15 WI 233-5
The nightwatchman debate continues. Portuguese Pirate says: "I remember Jason Gillespie scoring that ridiculous double century against Bangladesh but who are other notable nightwatchmen scoring heavily in recent times?." Not sure about scoring heavily, but Paul Harris frustrated England for about an hour and a half at Edgbaston last summer. He scored 19 but it was an important little innings because South Africa got up to win that game batting last on a tricky surface. Also, I don't know if this is recent enough for you but Jack Russell made 94 against Sri Lanka in 1988 at Lord's. He came in at No. 3 after Tim Robinson had been dismissed. It was Russell's Test debut. Quirkily, his last game for England was here in St John's in 1998.

19.01 WI 222-5
Back after the break. Collingwood on now. It's always a bit of a blow to see him bowling when you want wickets. Understatement. Not so much as a 'bit' of a blow but more of a poke in the eye with a sharpstick

18.41 WI 221-5 TEA
Well played England. They'll get some bad news when they return to the rooms, though. The ECB's deal with Sir Allen Stanford has been suspended, meaning the US$20 winner-takes-all match will forever be consigned to the ill-fated bin of history. No more dreams of speedboats and Ferraris, well not for everyone but KP and Fred, of course.

rong>18.33 WI 219-5
I tell you what, that draw lay we suggested (see 15.33) is doing okay. Pleasing.You could lay off at [2.00] if you fancied but it is not the sort of margin those with smaller outlays would be happy with. I reckon keep going because England are only a couple of wickets away from the bowlers. There is another reason to feel good, too.This web connection is going well. I tell you something, though, one does get very nervous when one tries to update, fearing another power cut.

18.27 WI 214-5
It does make me giggle to myself when supposedly upstanding people in upstanding lines of work come unstuck - guilty or not, Big Al may struggle to recover from this - because as punters we are so often frowned upon for our hobby (or profession). Gambling is still viewed as a dirty, sinful pastime, reserved for the witless and underhand. Honestly, if you go to a party and someone asks what you do and you reply that it is in relation to the gambling industry you get the glare of the devil. Up goes the corner of the mouth and you are looked up and down as if you have just said: "you know your new kitten...I've just set fire to it". After that, their next question will be: "have you got any tips". Then they'll walk off and not speak to you again for the rest of the evening.

18.20 WI 207-5
Back to the Sir Allen Stanford story. My sources tell me that Big Al has not been seen in his office for three weeks, instead preferring to stay at home and have a good old cry. Now, bearing in mind the rule innocent until proven guilty, we have to assume that he was getting all tearful over something other than a fraud of "shocking magnitude". Perhaps I might try to come up with a Top 5 Reasons That Made Big Al Cry.

18.17 WI 203-5
Chanderpaul and Nash are at the crease. That is a combination which could stupefy and frustrate in equal measure. A look at the prices, then following that two-wicket burst. Engl;and are [1.82] and the draw is now [2.24]. So that is virtually a flip flop from before lunch. Here's a stat about Chanderpaul which would suggest a further market move could be soon to arrive. Chanderpaul averages 35 in the second Test of a series, a huge drop from a career average of 49

18.07 WI 204-5
Of course the big news here today is not the internet connection, or indeed the cricket.It is the arrest of Sir Allen Stanford by US investigators for getting his sums wrong. Naughty,naughty.Mind you,innocent until proven guilty and all that. WICKET. As I type again! Bonkers stuff. Sarwan has fallen to Broad.

18.01 WI 200-4 WICKETHorrible, horrible interweb problems here. Apologies to all. What I'll do is write big old chunks of stuff to keep you occupied just in case we lose contact again.Since we last spoke West Indies have been punching on rather well. Sarwan and Hinds have been like archaeologists the way they have been probing and inspecting the pitch, but so far they have not seen anything which will get them excited. England's bowlers, too have been eyeing it, as if before lunch they had seen something precious and worthwhile only for it to disappear. Sarwan is a joy to watch when he is nick...ooops Flintoff has dug up a priceless urn I speak. WICKET. Hinds is caught behind.

16.02 WI 131-3 LUNCH
Commiserations to Anton, who has emailed to say: It's bloody depressing watching this in dreary Essex... especially as those "in the studio" - Ian Ward, Nick Knight and Robert Croft - clearly don't have their hearts in it after not being invited out there. A dull conversation about nightwatchmen was coming to an end when Ward asked Knight - 'did you ever bat as a nightwatchman?' And Knight replied, 'Er, no, I tended to open...' They're just not bothered!"

15.47 WICKET WI 130-3
Daren Powell ct Collingwood b Swann 22. About time he went. New man is Ryan Hinds. It is bonkers that he has come in ahead of Chanderpaul. England into [2.12] and the draw out to [1.95].

15.37 WI 129-2
In response to my request for some examples of players wholooked knackered before they started, Jak has suggested: "How about good old Inzamam, he always looked bushed? Or Botham in the slips, complete with hands on hips, and Mike "who-ate-all-the-pies" Gatting..."

15.33 WI 128-2
West Indies into the [40.00] area know in termsof odds. They should be bigger because they just can't possibly win, unless England suffered a miracle batting collapse,and, scoff, how often does that happen? The draw is still jolly at [1.75] and England are [2.38]. We should be laying the draw folks because this pitch remains uneven and it would be a surprise if the Windies made the follow on target.

15.27 WI 123-2
My solution to the mouse (Powell) problem was to buy some glue traps, lay them in areas that I knew they frequented and wait for them to get stuck. I would then take out a hammer and whack them over the head three or four times...just to make sure.

15.13 WI 112-2
Just before I departed for Antigua, I had a mice problem in my London flat. I presume it was the cold that forced him inside to lodge with me. They didn't offer to pay rent, instead leaving small deposits all over the place in a worthless currency. They are damn hard to get rid of. First you have to call out a vermin control guy, the sort of chap who really should be culled himself. Ironic really. You have to lay traps, some of which work, some don't. Then it goes quiet for a few days and you think you have countered the insurgency. Only for one of the pesky blighters to scurry across the living room rug while you are watching Match of the Day. The point I am making here is that Daren Powell is much like a mouse. England have twice thought they had removed him when he edged to the slips but the chance failed to go to hand. And although he has been quiet, he remains a pest.

15.06 WI 109-2
Graeme Swann's stumps have been rearranged. Off he toddles. He really does look like he should be in school. He can't be more than 5ft 5in. Anyway,he has been tauight a lesson of a sort. Ramnaresh Sarwan in now. Fancy him for a few runs here. Here's why: At 43 Ramnaresh Sarwan has the highest runs per innings average of West Indies batsmen in the second Test of a series. And, slightly tenuous, this one: Sarwan hit a half-century and 128 against Australia in Antigua last time out,albeit a different ground

15.00 WI 109-1
Apologies for the delay but the wirless internet conmnection here is laughable. Since you've been away poor old Harmy almost had a good old vom just down here in front of me. He has gone off the field now for a lie down. A shame for England because he has looked the most effective bowler. There are still signs of uneven bounce, although it can't be too bad because Daren Powell has been in for 89 balls.

14.25 WI 74-1
More signs of uneven bounce. This time it is from the Party Stand end. A ball from Harmison early in his last over was what we used to call in the playground a 'peashooter'. Everyone missed, including Matt Prior as the ball scurried away for four byes. Then with his ball of the over, one got up and took Devon Smith's glove. The two balls pitched roughly in the same area.

14.20 WI 74-1
Steve Harmison is fielding close by. He is one of the few cricketers in history who look knackered before they have actually done anything; mopping his brow, standing with hands on hips like an old washer woman waiting for the bus. Angus Fraser was another one who would always appear cream crackered, once memorably described as running into bowl as if "his braces were caught in the sightscreen". Can anyone think of some more? Email me at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

14.10 WI 71-1
Quite an eventful start. Swann has gone close to having Smith stumped and Powell has twice edged through the slips. So how many will West Indies score in this innings? I've had a look through West Indies' last 10 Tests when they have conceded more than 400 on first innings and their average when it is their turn to bat is 318. On that basis you could lay their first innings runs at no more than 350 at around the [2.00] mark.

13.56
Morning all. Phew! What a scorcher! There are some English people here today who may return to their hotels resembling more the fried rashers of bacon that they consumed for brekkie than huiman beings. You could probably fry an egg on Matt Prior's bald head. England are going to open with Graeme Swann this morning. Let's hope Andrew Strauss doesn't get egg on his face for that peculiar move

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