That’s all she wrote. I’ll leave you with that Ali and Simon wrote.

83rd over: West Indies 346-5 (Holder 22, Da Silva 28) Another Stokes outswinger is timed sweetly through extra cover for four by Da Silva. He’s played a fine cameo of 28 from 31 balls.

There’s time for one last over from Gus Atkinson, armed with the second new ball.

82nd over: West Indies 341-5 (Holder 22, Da Silva 24) Holder shapes to pull Atkinson, is late on the shot and top-edges it safely on the leg side. He finally nails an attacking stroke later in the over, cuffing a pull to the midwicket boundary. It’s been a sweltering day and the bowlers all look shattered.

“Top-level sport rarely has room for sentimentality,” says Niall Mullen, “but it was very kind of the powers-that-be to create a pitch that, you‘d have to imagine, reassures Jimmy that it was the correct decision to call it a day.”

81st over: West Indies 335-5 (Holder 17, Da Silva 23) The new ball is available but England aren’t going to take it yet as the old one is swinging. Stokes strives for a magic ball, overpitches and is crashed square for four by Da Silva.

Should be time for three more overs unless England take a wicket or the world ends.

80th over: West Indies 329-5 (Holder 16, Da Silva 19) Holder pushes tentatively at Atkinson and - you’ll never guess – is beaten. He’s riding his luck like Willie Schumacher, but he’s only 15 minutes away from being to start all over again in the morning.

79th over: West Indies 327-5 (Holder 15, Da Silva 17) Another good shot from Da Silva, who steers Woakes through backward point for his fourth boundary in only 11 balls. Woakes responds by swerving one past the edge. England have done that a helluva lot since tea.

“Cricketers from Dominica always make me think of when Phil DeFreitas burst on to the scene,” writes my colleague Philip Cornwall, “and the Express did a panel on his birthplace … but confused Dominica with the Dominican Republic.”

78th over: West Indies 321-5 (Holder 15, Da Silva 13) Still 13 overs remaining, though we won’t get them all as play finished at 6.30pm.

Atkinson continues to Da Silva, the man who inadvertently started Bazball with his hundred at St George’s two years ago. He takes a single and Holedr misses an attempted cut.

“Hi Rob,” says Gary Naylor. “202 runs today from two players from a nation, Dominica, with a smaller population than the Tooting Parliamentary constituency.”

What about Ashington?

77th over: West Indies 321-5 (Holder 14, Da Silva 12) Holder is hanging on desperately for the close. He survives another LBW appeal from Woakes – missing leg – and gets a crucial touch on a big inswinger.

“Such a good and deserved send-off that,” says James Walsh. “We like a Hodge in Nottingham.”

You asked for it. Enjoy a game of Brian Moore bingo after 8m00s.

76th over: West Indies 318-5 (Holder 11, Da Silva 12) Wood bowls one ball of his 15th over before leaving the field through injury. He wanted to continue but Stokes politely told him to do one. It looks like it might be cramp, so hopefully he’ll be okay in the morning.

Gus Atkinson, who is relatively fresh, takes over and induces an edge from Da Silva that flies just wide of second slip. Da Silva looks like he wants to hit his way back into form: a brusque pull for four takes him to 12 from six balls. Holder has one fewer and has faced 47.

“The West Indies are certainly playing much better in this Test than the first,” says Peter Rowntree. “England have a real battle on their hands. A strong argument for playing warm up games – although modern cricketing schedules make such matches nigh on impossible. Question is as well are England suffering from post-Jimmy blues?”

I don’t think it’s that; they’ve bowled pretty well on a very flat pitch. As you said, it’s the warm-up games. Phil Walker and Yas Rana spoke brilliantly on this subject on the Wisden podcast at the end of the first Test.

75th over: West Indies 309-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 4) A cracking start from Joshua Da Silva, who pushed his first ball through mid off for four.

Kavem Hodge, such a likeable and effervescent cricketer, walks off to a standing ovation from the Trent Bridge crowd. He played the innings of his life, a punishing 120 that included 19 fours.

74th over: West Indies 304-4 (Hodge 119, Holder 9) Hodge tries to pull Wood and misses. England enquire about a gloved catch to Jamie Smith; replays showed it missed everything.

Hodge is beaten by an outswinger before back-cutting forcefully for another boundary. His back-foot strokeplay has been quite superb.

73rd over: West Indies 298-4 (Hodge 114, Holder 9) Hodge forces another dangerous inswinger from Woakes into the leg side for a single. He looks a lot more comfortable, as you’d expect from a man who is playing the innings of his life.

Holder follows an outswinger but softens his hands to ensure the edge falls short of slip.

“Since 2004 (my favourite summer of cricket), whenever the Windies have visited, they’ve been written off in advance of their arrival only to regularly do quite well and (from my memory) often draw the series with some impressive individual performances - such as Tino Best’s heroics,” says Tom Van der Gucht. Is it that the Windies are better than expected, or are England just not as good as they think are?”

Well, they’ve lost every series in England in the 21st century by a combined score of 18-3, but you are right that they have played well at times, particularly at Headingley in 2017 and the Ageas Bowl in 2020. The more interesting story is possibly England’s record in the Caribbean: no series wins since 2004, and only one victory in a live Test.

72nd over: West Indies 295-4 (Hodge 111, Holder 9) Wood smiles wearily after two more near misses. Holder edges on the bounce to Root, then misses an unplayable outswinger. That’s the first of four consecutive plays and misses. This is absurd.

Apparently Wood has beaten the bat 17 times today. That was one of the better wicketless overs in the 147-year history of Test cricket.

71st over: West Indies 295-4 (Hodge 111, Holder 9) Woakes goes wider on the crease to hit Hodge on the pad with another big inswinger. The LBW appeal is turned down and the panel conclude that it was doing too much.

This is Woakes’ best spell of the series.

70th over: West Indies 295-4 (Hodge 111, Holder 9) Wood replaces Stokes, who bowled another of his 10-over spells, and spears in a yorker that is well defended by Holder. In fact he plays the whole over, a maiden, far more comfortably than he did in Wood’s earlier spell.

69th over: West Indies 295-4 (Hodge 111, Holder 9) Holder is struggling against the moving ball, though at least he’s hanging in there. The last hour has been so compelling that it’s easy to forget the bigger picture, which looks very good for West Indies.

Holder’s eyes light up when Woakes digs one in, but he’s so out of touch that his mishits a pull just wide of midwicket.

68th over: West Indies 293-4 (Hodge 111, Holder 8) Glorious from Kavem Hodge! Stokes digs in one and is pulled well in front of square with a swagger. That’s his 18th boundary, and I reckon at least half have been pull strokes.

Drinks.

67th over: West Indies 285-4 (Hodge 103, Holder 8) Chris Woakes, who has really struggled in this series, replaces Mark Wood. Hodge pops down from cloud nine to push a single past backward point, then Holder is hit on the pads by a huge inswinger. He turns round to enquire for LBW but his body language suggests he already knows the answer; it was doing too much.

65th over: West Indies 275-4 (Hodge 93, Holder 8) Wood can’t believe he hasn’t taken a wicket today. He bowls a scintillating full-length outswinger that beats Hodge and just misses the off stump. The face on him! He looks like he wants nothing to do with Dame Fortune ever again.

His mood doesn’t improve when he beats Holder with a jaffa and falls over in his follow through. “Keep smiling Woody…” says Stuart Broad on commentary. A marvellous over ends with Wood beating Holder with a gorgeous good-length outswinger.

Wood’s figures are a minor scandal: 11-1-46-0.

64th over: West Indies 274-4 (Hodge 92, Holder 8) Holder fences at Stokes and is beaten. I thought there might have been an edge, though it doesn’t matter because Stokes overstepped.

He goes past the edge again later in the over, this time from a slightly fuller length. Things are starting to happen for England, though that’s mainly because Holder has yet to get his eye in.

63rd over: West Indies 272-4 (Hodge 91, Holder 8) Wood, back in the attack, is square driven delightfully for four by Hodge, who moves into the nineties for the first time in Tests.

Fair to say Holder doesn’t look quite so comfortable against the pace of Wood, certainly not at the start of an innings. He’s beaten by successive deliveries, groping more in hope than expectation at each.

“Reference to THAT innings by Jonny Bairstow at Trent Bridge in 2022 reminded me that the NZ first innings was over 550!” says Brian Withington. “England followed with a brisk 538, bowled them out for 284 before Jonny ‘blew the bloody doors off’ in a five-wicket winning romp. Makes 416 look well under par, although as I write Stokes has just grabbed a much needed wicket.”

I guess the clue to the merit of yesterday’s score was in all those filthy dismissals. They can’t get it right all the time.

62nd over: West Indies 267-4 (Hodge 86, Holder 8) Jason Holder, the new batter, glides his first ball deliberately for four. Nicely played. But not so nicely played later in the over: he edges on the bounce to slip then plays a uppish drive just over Duckett’s head for four. Duckett, in the covers, didn’t jump to try to take the catch so maybe he lost sight of it.

“Stokes is looking svelte as a sighthound – and his pace is well up on the last couple of years,” says Jack Martin. “Any intel on a change of regimen? After a week in Berlin, I’ve a few currywurst needing burnt off, so that’d be most appreciated.”

Stokes is back in shape because of a knee operation, which would be a fairly extreme measure to take if yours hasn’t been giving you gyp for a few years.

61st over: West Indies 259-3 (Athanaze 82, Hodge 86) England’s lead is about to drop below 150. What started as an impressively defiant partnership is turning into something more problematic for England. You’d expect the pitch to deteriorate, especially in this heat, so if West Indies can get a lead of 100 they’ll fancy their chances of another famous victory.

60th over: West Indies 255-3 (Athanaze 79, Hodge 83)

59th over: West Indies 249-3 (Athanaze 75, Hodge 83) Athanaze is beaten by succeessive deliveries from Bashir, the second of which dipped beautifully after tempting him into the drive. But then he drops fractionally short to Hodge, who savages another pull for four. Hodge has scored 23 from his last 18 balls.

58th over: West Indies 244-3 (Athanaze 74, Hodge 79) A false stroke! Hodge pushes tentatively outside off stump and is beaten. A couple of the slips thought there was a nick; Stokes, Smith, the umpire and UltraEdge all disagreed.

57th over: West Indies 241-3 (Athanaze 72, Hodge 78) Hodge is racing towards a maiden hundred. He late cuts Bashir for four to move past his previous Test best, then skids back to crack another cut to the fence. Super batting.

56th over: West Indies 233-3 (Athanaze 72, Hodge 70) Another accurate over from Stokes, though this time it includes two no-balls. England are starting to show a few signs of frustration.

55th over: West Indies 229-3 (Athanaze 71, Hodge 69) Hodge jumps all over a short ball from Bashir, pulling it fiercely for four. He’s particularly good square of the wicket.

54.2 over: West Indies 223-3 (Athanaze 70, Hodge 64) Hodge skips down the track to clump Bashir back over his head for four. He’s closing in on the highest score of his short Test career, the 71 he made in that magical win at the Gabba.

Hodge hit the ball so hard that the ball has gone out of shape and needs to be changed.

54th over: West Indies 218-3 (Athanaze 69, Hodge 60) Stokes continues the spell he began before tea, and you’d expect him to settle in at that end. He’s one of the few bowlers in world cricket who occasionally books in for bed and breakfast.

England would have hoped for some reverse swing on such a sweltering day but there’s no sign of that. Stokes bowls a decent over, targetting the stumps, and concedes just a couple of singles.

“Appreciate I’m straying into if and buts territory, but, are this Windies team not too far from being pretty handy, if the mistakes can be ironed out?” says Chris Boyle. “May be blinded by hope of them being truly competitive again though. Interested in yours (& the OBO hive mind) take?

It feels like we’ve said that a few times in the last 20 years, only for the optimism to quietly evaporate. They have a handful of very promising players but there are so many ob$tacle$ to them becoming a truly competitive Test team. That’s my slightly depressing take, anyway.

53rd over: West Indies 216-3 (Athanaze 68, Hodge 59) Bashir’s first ball after tea is tickled for three by Athanaze. He’ll learn a lot from days like this, when the only things going for him are his talent and imagination.

“I don’t know about you, but to me this match seems like a mix of Edgbaston 2005 and Edgbaston 2023,” writes Digvijay Yadav. “The former for the insertion and 400 being scored in a day’s play. The latter for the feeling that runs were left out there, the team batting second being 70 odd for 3 etc. Let’s hope for a suitably great finish.”

“Congratulations on responding to Krish without mentioning ‘Adelaide’ or descending into a gibbering heap,” says Nick Parish. “Does that mean the worst of the pain is already over?”

I may not have mentioned the A-word but you shouldn’t make assumptions about gibbering heaps. There’s a reason we don’t have an OBOcam.

“Welcome back Test cricket,” says Gary Naylor. “It’s been a while.”

And West Indies are scoring at 4.07 per over!

51st over: West Indies 208-3 (Athanaze 65, Hodge 54) Bashir returns and is slog-swept handsomely into the crowd at midwicket by Athanaze. This is a helluvan opportunity for him, and Hodge for that matter, to score a maiden Test century.

50th over: West Indies 201-3 (Athanaze 59, Hodge 53) Ben Stokes brings himself on for the first time, with two slips in place for Hodge. He hits a good length straight away, signalling the end of the rough stuff at this end.

Hodge deflects a single into the leg side, then Athanaze drives stylishly through mid-off for three. He’s a lovely player to watch.

49th over: West Indies 196-3 (Athanaze 56, Hodge 52) Hodge pulls Atkinson for four; I feel like I’ve typed that a few times in the last half hour. Atkinson goes round the wicket and is no-balled, either for height or for bowling too many bumpers. England are overdoing this, though I guess it only takes a minute girl one false stroke to make it all worthwhile.

No sign of a wicket at the moment. Hodge back cuts expertly for four more to reach a defiant half-century from 85 balls; he’s played really well.

“Can it really be (47th over) that a batting partnership contains sympathetic reactions from the non-struck player?” says John Starbuck. “If so, maybe it should be dignified with a name, such as Hodge’s Syndrome.”

48th over: West Indies 185-3 (Athanaze 55, Hodge 43) Wood steels himself for one last over and almost strikes with his first two deliveries. Hodge survives an LBW appeal after being hit in front by attempted yorker from round the wicket, then hooks fractionally short of Brook at fine leg. The LBW appeal pitched outside leg.

Athanaze glides a no-ball for four to bring up the hundred partnership. Wood looks shattered – and mystified that he hasn’t taken a wicket. His figures are 9-1-40-0.

“I’m not sure if there’s much of a crossover between modern cricketers and 1950s fighter jets,” says Rob Durbin. “But if such a thing exists, it’s definitely Mark Wood who resembles the English Electric Lightning. Extremely fast but a limited range. Wouldn’t have it any other way though!”

In his defence, I think that’s the way Stokes has asked him to bowl today. He showed plenty of range against Australia last summer.

47th over: West Indies 178-3 (Athanaze 50, Hodge 42) Hodge pulls Atkinson for another boundary. I’m not sure these are the best tactics to him, not on a pitch as good as this. This, as Stuart Broad points out on Sky, is where Jonny Bairstow hooked sixes galore against New Zealand two years ago. That was the start of the greatest purple patch I’ve ever seen from an England batsman.

Athanaze works two off the pads to reach a classy fifty, his first in Test cricket, from 67 balls. You can never be sure in cricket but he looks a keeper.

Athanaze is being checked but everything seems fine. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet after being hit by Wood; in fact I think Hodge was closer to hitting the deck at the non-striker’s end.

46th over: West Indies 170-3 (Athanaze 48, Hodge 37) Wood switches round the wicket to Hodge, who shapes to pull a short ball, realises it’s an exceptionally bad idea and ducks awkwardly underneath.

Hodge whirls the next ball round the corner for a single, though it would have been a four but for a terrific diving stop from Harry Brook.

The over ends with Wood hitting Athanaze nastily on the helmet. He seems okay but there will be a concussion check. There was a great reaction from Hodge, who put his hand to his face and turned round as if he’d been struck himself.

45th over: West Indies 168-3 (Athanaze 47, Hodge 36) Gus Atkinson replaces Shoaib Bashir, who bowled a long spell of 17-0-61-2. Hodge takes him on too, swivel-pulling with authority for four. For a 31-year-old with a first-class batting average in the twenties, Hodge looks an excellent player.

As does Athanaze, who flicks a single to equal the highest score of his fledgling Test career. Atkinson was also no-balled in that over for bowling too many bouncers.

44th over: West Indies 161-3 (Athanaze 46, Hodge 31) Hodge jumps back in his crease to take a quick single off Wood. From front-on he looked close to standing on his stumps but the side-on angle showed he was fine.

Hodge isn’t afraid to take Wood on, particularly when he drops short, and later in the over he gloves a pull down the leg side for four. It was in the air but wide of the flying Jamie Smith. Wood will probably have one more over in this spell.

43rd over: West Indies 154-3 (Athanaze 45, Hodge 25) Thanks Daniel, hello everyone. As I ease into the chair, Athanaze skips down the track to drive Bashir over mid-on for four. Then Hodge gets down on one knee to pull a shortish delivery for four more.

This has been a fine partnership, with excellent shot selection from both players. All five batters have got a start; it’s up to one of both of Athanaze and Hodge to kick on.

42nd over: West Indies 144-3 (Athanaze 40, Hodge 20) A decent over from Wood which should have included a wicket. If only Root didn’t put down a goober at first slip. The over ends with a prodded pull for four from Hodge and also brings an end to my shift.

Thanks for hanging. I hand over to the brilliant Rob Smyth. Enjoy!

Put down at first slip! Wood fired a fuller ball to Hodge who was stuck on his crease and found a thick edge. Root puts down a sitter. He really should have taken that.

41st over: West Indies 140-3 (Athanaze 40, Hodge 16) Bashir continues. The left-right combination is proving a challenge as he can’t keep either batter on strike for more than three balls. Both Hodge and Athanaze take singles into gaps before Bashir drags down and is creamed by Hodge on the pull. But there’s a man sweeping so it’s just another single. Stokes warming up.

We’re not quite ready to get going again (did I say that I find ball changes annoying?)

Til then, get a load of this:

There’s a ball change. Grrrr. They’re so annoying, aren’t they.

While they take a drinks break between overs, Andy Flintoff (no, not that one he assures me) writes:

“I think (and I emphasise that word) that the front-foot no-ball is now adjudicated by the third umpire. I know there was a trial to do this (and it makes sense as the third umpire has the side-on cameras to check in real time), but I don’t know if it has continued. It was ludicrous that the front foot was only checked by the third umpire if a wicket was taken, but this did mean that unless it was by a long way no-balls were being missed.”

40th over: West Indies 137-3 (Athanaze 39, Hodge 14) Wood into the attack. This should be tasty. His second ball is a bumper that Hodge takes on but doesn’t time. That saves him as there are two men in the deep. Just the single. Athanaze has a different approach, his lack of footwork means he’ll have to trust his hands and he unfurls them into a gorgeous cover drive for four. It was uppish though. Then Athanaze brings up the 50 partnership between the two with a neat flick to midwicket for four.

39th over: West Indies 128-3 (Athanaze 31, Hodge 13) Three runs off that over, one as a result of a no-ball as Bashir oversteps by some distance.

And speaking of no-balls, Pete Salmon writes in:

“Hi Daniel. Just in from a spot of lawnmowing and watched some of the videos on the ECB site. To my eye both the Woods 97 mph ball and especially the ball that McKenzie played his terrible shot to were no balls. Aren’t they checked in-play? And did anyone mention it at the time? Odd if not.”

I didn’t clock the Wood no-ball but I felt that the Bashir one was OK. Tight, but just about on the right side of the line for me. Though I see the argument that it should have been called back.

38th over: West Indies 125-3 (Athanaze 30, Hodge 12) Woakes’ first ball shapes through the air and there’s hope that maybe he’s found a bit of rhythm. But three balls later he floats a tame half-volley wide of the off stump and Hodge can free his arms and slash it for four backward of point. I think that’ll be Woakes’ spell. He’s just not been at his best today.

Martin O’Donovan-Wright is speaking for a few of us here:

“Whilst I am far from a fan of England’s current selection decisions being based on their utility for Ashes prep, that has been the selectors’ clearly expressed logic. As such, I don’t understand why you would pick Woakes* as your opening seam attack, as it is questionable at best whether he makes the trip to Oz, and if he does, he won’t be in the first choice XI... *I love Woakes, and he should be picked on merit for most home tests. I’m just testing the selectors’ logic here.”

I personally don’t mind the selection. And I get why he took the new ball. Maybe they didn’t expect the pitch to be as flat?

37th over: West Indies 121-3 (Athanaze 30, Hodge 8) Bashir gets away with one as his drag down only costs a single as Hodge picks out the sweeper on the pull. But that brings Athanaze on strike who wants to get forward. One unconvincing swipe down the ground gives him four past mid-on and one very convincing punch gives him four more towards the mid-off boundary.

36th over: 112-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 7) A maiden, but apart from one ball that jagged back as Hodge shouldered arms, it was pretty pedestrian from Woakes. He’s got a man catching at a short point so he dangles a couple of teasers outside off stump that Hodge lets go. When Woakes brings it back into the body, Hodge tucks a single to midwicket and keeps the strike, to the annoyance of Bashir, I bet.

Guy Hornsby has titled his email ‘The English quandary’ which is too tempting to ignore:

“Afternoon Dan, to this pleasing slow-burner of a Test match. Like England yesterday, it feels like WI can’t resist throwing the bat at the wrong time. England had nigh-on nine lives yesterday and Louis and McKenzie seem to be trying to outdo each other with needless swipes, but Bashir has built pressure with suffocating fields. He’s a true tinkerer. But I’d really like the visitors to dig in, especially Athenaze. I realise this could give him the OBO kiss of death but he is the one everyone seems to think will kick on.”

These two are in it for the long haul. Louis and McKenzie will be fuming (and I bet their teammates are fuming at them). Testing passage for both sides. Game of patience right now.

35th over: West Indies 111-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 6) Hodge works a single which brings Athanaze on strike for Bashir. Round the wicket, he has three men catching on the leg side. But the lefty stays away from them, pressing forward and playing the ball from whence it came. Wood is getting loose.

34th over: West Indies 110-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 5) Woakes is looking to take the ball across Athenaze and gets the ball into the cordon, but it’s off the face of the blade and from soft hands. Then the lefty wafts a drive. Looked streaky but I reckon he had that under control. He certainly gets enough wood on it as it bobbles to the cover-point fence.

Trent Bridge is gorgeous, but I bet Rob Douglas’ view is even better:

“Both of these young men come from nature’s jewel in the Caribbean- Dominica... from where I am nervously following your excellent OBO.”

33rd over: West Indies 106-3 (Athanaze 18, Hodge 5) This is settling into a classic Test rhythm. Bashir just needs to keep his patience. Two singles off that over as he continues to find dip and a bit of turn. Hodge’s approach is to play him off the back foot. He goes very deep in his crease and turns it to the leg side. Worth another man under the lid perhaps?

32nd over: West Indies 104-3 (Athanaze 17, Hodge 4) Woakes is still a little too short for my liking, though one did pop on Athenaze causing him some grief. Another too close to the pads is nurdled for a couple on the leg side.

31st over: West Indies 102-3 (Athanaze 15, Hodge 4) Bashir finally gets Hodge prodding forward from the last delivery of the over. that one felt a touch slower through the air. He’s getting nice dip so if he can force the batter to wait a fraction longer he could be in the money.

30th over: West Indies 101-3 (Athanaze 14, Hodge 4) Woakes starts the over by straying too close to Hodge’s pads and is clipped away for two. That brings up the hundred for the West Indies. Woakes then corrects and sticks to a tidy fifth stump line. I’m just not seeing much of a threat from him though there is the suggestion of movement away. But only the suggestion of it. If they’re going to stick with Woakes I’d like to see him pitch it up a touch.

29th over: West Indies 99-3 (Athanaze 14, Hodge 2) Hodge is watchful for five balls, shifting his weight back as he bunts the ball that turns into him. The final delivery is a little straighter so he can work it backward of square for a single and keep the strike.

28th over: West Indies 98-3 (Athanaze 14, Hodge 1) Woakes, right arm over, is angling it across the left-hander. He beats the edge and then finds it, though that doesn’t carry to Root at first slip. But two balls fly to the cover fence. One off the back foot and one off the front foot. Lovely stroke-play. I particularly liked the back foot punch as Athenaze’s front foot lifted off the ground.

Shows what I know. Woakes will open up the newly named Stuart Broad end after lunch.

27th over: West Indies 90-3 (Athanaze 6, Hodge 1) Good start from Bashir. Nice flight without being loopy. Perhaps a touch shorter than he’d like. Both of his wickets came from tempters above the eye line. Not that Hodge is going to swipe at anything straight after lunch. Just a single to Athanaze at the top of the over.

We’re back. Bashir is twirling the ball between his hands. He’s ready to get going. Big session for the lad. Can see him holding the end as Stokes rotates Atkinson and Wood at the other end. Perhaps the skipper himself will come on for a quick burst as well. Not sure what role Woakes will play on this flat deck.

12 years ago today I was teaching English to the children of Thai fishermen and palm sugar farmers on a gap year.

I couldn’t watch Hashim Amla’s triple century at The Oval against England, but I listened to every ball (at an ungodly hour) on TMS. What a glorious time!

Raiza Ballim, from my home town, has a different memory of what remains the highest score by a South African. Will the Proteas be playing Test cricket in 12 years’ time?

“Hello from a very sunny but cold Johannesburg!

Very much enjoying this test and, as always, the OBO. Just wanted to also mention it’s been 12 years since the South Africa v England test at The Oval and Hashim Amla scored 311 not out. I watched his whole innings and remember it being Ramadan, very cold and in awe of his consistent clean strokes (did anyone do a better cover drive?). I also remember annoyance that Hashim was batting too slowly and that South Africa would never win the test (they did end up winning by an innings). So much in the cricket landscape has changed in the last twelve years, I wonder what test cricket has to offer in the next 12 years?”

How’s everyone’s lunch going?

I just got this lovely note from Tone White that I’d like to share:

Cher Monsieur Daniel,
How I wish I could advance some acute knowledge, blistering statistics, recollections of insights shared with The Greats of Cricket. Alas, bugger all.
I just love the game, especially these testicular matches, and enjoy every moment as your (generic for all OBO Wunderkommentatoren) graft pops onto my little screen.
I shall, indeed do, tell my children’s brats that they will miss something they have never even heard of.
In a world of morons, spikes of oxy.
Bless you all, tears prevent further grovelling.
Tony of Peyriac de Mer,
late of Chumf’d, Essex.

26th over: West Indies 89-3 (Athanaze 5, Hodge 1) Atkinson slams down a succession of bumpers and Hodge gets out of the way, content to see out a maiden and head to lunch.

25th over: West Indies 89-3 (Athanaze 5, Hodge 1) Athanaze and the new man Hodge are off the mark with singles, but this over is defined by a brain fart from McKenzie. Though if you’re a fan of the West Indies you’ll want to focus on Athanaze’s scything cut for four off the last ball.

24th over: West Indies 83-2 (McKenzie 11, Athanaze 0) Atkinson to McKenzie and it’s the same approach as the one against Brathwaite. Short and around the ribs with two catchers under lids in front of the wicket. But when Atkinson goes fuller, looking to trick McKenzie and test his weight transfer, the batter leans forward, throws his hands at it and crunches a lovely cover drive for four.

23rd over: West Indies 79-2 (McKenzie 7, Athanaze 0) Neat and tidy from Bashir who is asking the Windies batters to press forward. One full ball is squeezed past short leg and Mckenzie picks up a single. Otherwise it’s a string of dots.

22nd over: West Indies 78-2 (McKenzie 6, Athanaze 0) Brathwaite will be annoyed that he prodded at that bouncer but it was so well delivered by Atkinson, he found the perfect line and arrowed it into the Windies’ skipper’s chest. A wide ball ruins what would have been a wicket maiden and now England have a clear shot at the tourists’ fragile middle order.

21st over: West Indies 77-1 (Brathwaite 48, McKenzie 6) Three singles off that Bashir over. The young spinner is tossing a few up, darting a few others. I’m not sure if that’s the way to go or a consistent probing approach is the better option.

20th over: West Indies 74-1 (Brathwaite 46, McKenzie 5) Really neat from Brathwaite. Just good batting. When Atkinson strays on his pads he clips a boundary to square leg. The he gets down the other end with a single well placed into a gap with a controlled roll of his wrists. Looks like a batting paradise out there.

19th over: West Indies 69-1 (Brathwaite 41, McKenzie 5) Bashir drags down and Brathwaite gets into position early to swivel-pull it for four in front of the man at fine leg. That takes the Windies skipper to 40 and a single to long leg adds one more to his tally. He played a poor shot in the first innings at Lord’s. He’s set now. He simply HAS to kick on and go big from here.

18th over: West Indies 64-1 (Brathwaite 36, McKenzie 5) Wood will take a breather and is replaced by Atkinson. The young lad is targeting the stumps but over pitches and is driven down the ground for four. Lovely shot from McKenzie. There’s a ball change, which can always bring some extra movement through the air. Yesterday the West Indies managed to find some swing after a ball change of their own.

Bashir should have had his second! Replays show that the ball that struck McKenzie’s pad would have gone on to hit the stumps. It only brought out a half-hearted appeal but if England had asked for a review they would have been successful.

17th over: West Indies 60-1 (Brathwaite 36, McKenzie 1) I’m liking this from Bashir, varying his pace and flight. There’s an appeal for lbw against the left handed McKenzie but it was sliding on with the angle. McKenzie gets off the mark with a cut away to deep extra cover.

If you said ‘agricultural’ you owe me a Coke:

16th over: West Indies 57-1 (Brathwaite 34, McKenzie 0) Wood has catchers everywhere, including a leg gully and a forward short leg. Brathwaite is up for the challenge as he steers a lifter off his ribs fine for a boundary. He then rises with the bounce to stab a couple past point.

Like one of our readers said earlier, fast bowlers are often the cause of wickets at the other end.

“Hello Daniel, thanks for the great commentary.”

Thanks for stopping by, William Hargreaves.

“So Woods is bowling really quickly, and the batsmen know about it. But I remember from facing unsettling bowling that sometimes they get you a wicket when they’re not bowling. As a batsman you’re so relieved they’re not bowling that your concentration lapses and presto.”

Right you are. Bashir could be in business if he can tempt the Windies openers into a false shot. But they’ve been watchful this first hour and will be rewarded with a drink. Will the break in play break their concentration though?

14th over: West Indies 48-0 (Brathwaite 29, Louis 17) Not for the first time Wood tumbles as he delivers a howitzer. His slowest ball this over is 93 mph and his fastest is 97 mph! Unreal speeds but Louis handles it well. There’s one lifter off a full length that threatens the outside edge but otherwise the opener is watchful outside his off stump and solid on defence when is straighter. Great Test cricket.

13th over: West Indies 48-0 (Brathwaite 29, Louis 17) Brathwaite sweeps well and gets it behind square for four. Bashir then brings his length back and is lucky that a drag down doesn’t bounce and only ricochets off Brathwaite’s pad for two leg-byes. There’s a drive down the ground for one from Louis, a swiped single to the man in the deep on the leg side for Brathwaite, and one more run off Louis’ inside edge. Handy over that for the Windies openers who are ticking along nicely.

12th over: West Indies 39-0 (Braithwaite 24, Louis 15) Excellent from Wood. He’s immediately looked the most threatening. Proper pace, some bouncers, a few fuller teasers that beat the bat. Lovely fast bowling. Louis gets the only run off the over with a fend to the leg side. Brathwaite is lucky not to nick off after a loose jab away from his body.

Wood’s first over was the fastest by an English bowler at home since records began. Every ball was above 90 mph. Serious heat!

11th over: West Indies 38-0 (Brathwaite 24, Louis 14) A tidy start from the young Bashir. Five dots until his last ball is a touch short and Brathwaite rocks back to pull, but makes a mess of the stroke, somehow deflecting the ball behind the keeper off the back of his bat for two. Some turn for Bashir. He could be the key today.

Krishna Moorthy is directing us to the ‘elephant in the room’:

“Hello Daniel. Regarding more batsmen getting out to catches, no one is willing to address the elephant in the room. T20 and the evil IPL. It is no more elegance or class .The fencer has given way to Thanos.”

I still think there’s plenty of elegance to found, but that line about fencers making way for Thanos is rock solid.

Bashir into the attack now.

10th over: West Indies 36-0 (Brathwaite 22, Louis 14) Wood is into the attack and is firing thunderbolts from the word go. His speeds are recorded at 94, 96, 95, 92, 96.5 and 95 mph. Louis edges the first ball wide of gully for two and does well to dig out a fuller ball for a single down the ground. Brathwaite leans back and stabs a single off the final ball of the over.

“Hi Daniel.” Hey Jon Salisbury.

“I know it’s not uncommon for the fastest bowler to come on first and second change on many teams but I still can’t get the logic in holding back Wood on the flattest of decks against a side not exactly brimming with confidence.”

I can understand why Woakes opened. If anyone was going to find nip with the new ball it would be him. But with nothing happening I can’t understand why Stokes stuck with him for so long.

Anyway, Wood is into the attack now, replacing Atkinson.

9th over: West Indies 32-0 (Brathwaite 21, Louis 11) Woakes is serving up throw downs. Louis mistimes a drive and gets two but Brathwaite shows us how its done, leaning forward and punching down the ground with aplomb. Lovely batting that. I’m not sure what Stokes is waiting for. Surely he’s seen enough of Woakes.

Our good pal Gary Naylor has some thoughts on our chat concerning the influx of catches in the modern game:

“A couple of other developments lead to more catches, I’d suggest. Third Man has become almost obsolete, now standing at third slip or leg gully, so more runs and more catches. Also, I’d say batters favour hitting the ball hard over placing the ball, so, infuriatingly, they’re often caught by fielders who barely have to move. Finally, captains and coaches take a dim view of quiet accumulation - ask Dom Sibley.”

8th over: West Indies 25-0 (Brathwaite 17, Louis 8) Louis leans into a drive with a long stride forward and punches down the ground for four. For a big man he plays that with great control. If I was Atkinson I’d be asking him to play off the back foot. One ball is dragged back a touch but is angled towards the pads and Louis can clip it past the man at leg gully for a single. Brathwaite then ducks under a harmless bouncer. Solid start for the tourists.

7th over: West Indies 20-0 (Brathwaite 17, Louis 3) Woakes drags down and Brathwaite is all over it, cutting with authority in front of square for four. He then misses out on a drivable ball outside his off-stump. I wonder if Woakes will get another one. He’s looked pretty toothless this morning.

6th over: West Indies 16-0 (Brathwaite 13, Louis 3) Atkinson lands a belligerent bouncer that causes Braithwaite some problems. Two balls later he pitches up and catches the opener stuck in his crease and prodding at it. He was lucky not to nick it. But the pressure is relieved with a bit of width that Brathwaite swats to fence at deep point. A quickly scampered single keeps him on strike for the next over.

5th over: West Indies 11-0 (Brathwaite 8, Louis 3) Solid against from the openers. Without any movement or pace they are in control against Woakes. A push towards the covers from the Windies skipper brings him a single.

Karl Gibbons is on my page:

“Hi everyone, I loved Sig Brown’s stats.

My, probably over-simplistic, view is that players are now “playing at” balls way more often and thus nicking and getting caught a lot more frequently?

Let’s hope Woakes skittles a few this morning to balance up the stats!”

Good points raised by Will here on why we’re seeing more caught dismissals.

I’d add that batters are defending with harder hands, and poking at balls that previous generations might have left alone. But your two points are spot on in my opinion.

4th over: West Indies 10-0 (Brathwaite 7, Louis 3) Solid from Louis who doesn’t seem all that bothered by Atkinson’s extra pace. Stokes is moving the field around. He toys with a gully for a while, then puts in a leg gully. There are six catchers in all. It might be a flat deck but the England captain is going to keep pressing.

3rd over: West Indies 10-0 (Brathwaite 7, Louis 3) Woakes is fuller to Louis who presses his large frame forward and bunts a single to the mid-off. Braithwaite nudges a couple off his pads into the vacant midwicket. It’s early days but Woakes already looks ineffective. That probably means he’ll get a hat-trick next over but a lack of pace and movement means it’s pretty comfortable for the openers.

New(ish) territory for Woakes:

2nd over: West Indies 7-0 (Brathwaite 5, Louis 2) Atkinson gets the new ball for the first time in his Test career. He starts a ittle too close to the pads and is clipped for three singles into leg side. Good wheels early doors. It’s a flat deck so extra gas will help. Four slips for Gus and two men in the deep for the misplaced pull or hook.

1st over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 4, Louis 0) Woakes opens with a loosener down the leg side but finds his radar soon after. He’s got four slips but he’s angling the ball back into the right hander from a good length. One is over pitched and Braithwaite leans forward and drives through a gap between cover and point for four.

Right then, the players are making their way to the middle/ It’s Woakes with the new ball. Braithwaite is taking guard. Can the Windies get anywhere near England’s 416?

I can’t tell if Malcolm Brown is a man with too much time on his hands or is in fact my soulmate. As the football pundits with white soled trainers say, it’s probably a bit of both.

Here’s Malcolm’s wonderful stats work:

“Like most Scottish people in Italy, I expect, I’m avoiding the summer heat, which means either indulging in statistical nerdery or checking the cost of accommodation in Iceland to see if it’s gone down since last week. But it hasn’t, so … all ten batters in England’s first innings were out caught, which (according to Cricinfo) is the 90th time that has happened in a test match. The first 45 took until March 2001, so 1,540 test matches (one in every 34 when rounded off), while the second 45 took only 999 tests (one in 22), including 11 in the last 95 (one in 9). Apparently it’s becoming much more common – wonder why.”

If anyone is close enough to Simon Dennis please buy him a drink today.

That is because this hero has supplied me with the TMS link for overseas listeners (do let me know if it works).

“I drove to Lord’s last week (from Luxembourg) clutching tickets for days three and four in my sticky paw,” Simon says.

“It is an expensive trip; hotel, Eurotunnel, car charges, food etc. My friends and I saw 66 minutes of cricket, which I worked out to be about at 25 pounds a minute (even after the ticket refund). I need to find a cheaper sport to follow.”

Ah, Simon. Ten out of ten for effort. Hopefully Mother Cricket rewards you down the track.

Martin O’Donovan-Wright has been in touch and is asking an important question:

“Morning Daniel,

Even though the West Indies are occasionally competitive at home and manage rare great victories away, it’s clear they’re in serious decline, in large part because of the way global cricket is now organised. Do you think the one sided nature of these tests against a great and proud cricket (multi)nation is giving cricket administrators in the powerful test nations any pause for thought, or are they so enamoured with T20 etc that they are prepared to live with the demise of the red ball gold standard of the game?”

Unfortunately I don’t think the powerful care too much. Perhaps I’m being overly cynical, and there has been noise from Cricket Australia and the ECB that things need to change. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the amount of Test cricket India plays against the smaller nations.

But unless the so-called Big Three bring about radical change to the revenue sharing model we will continue to see underprepared and inexperienced teams struggle against the big boys.

I want to be more optimistic. Unfortunately I spend almost every morning of my life sticking my head out the window and shaking my fist at the clouds, bemoaning the state of the game.

Trent Bridge looks stunning this morning.

I must say, it’s my favourite pitch in England. Not stadium, not city, not crowd (though I have love for it all in Nottingham). I’m talking about the strip in the middle of the field. It’s always an absolute belter and reminds me most of my beloved Wanderers in Johannesburg.

What’s your favourite surface in the UK?

We got our first genuine sight of Bazball this summer as England reached 50 from just 26 balls.

That’s a record for any Test first innings. That opening salvo included 10 boundaries.

According to Simon Burnton at Trent Bridge, this was a fitting start to a Test that felt wedged into a city bustling with activity.

We’ve got our first bit of correspondence and it’s a doozy from Krisnha Moorthy:

“Good morning Daniel. A biblical question could be answered today. Is one Pope bigger than two Josephs. Let’s see.”

I need to wait for the caffeine to kick in before I tackle this one.

Ollie Pope said he was “lucky” during his knock of 121, and credited the presence of his mate Aaron Ramsdale for his good fortune.

The England goalkeeper watched on as Pope was dropped twice as he stroked 15 fours and biffed one six across 167 deliveries.