'That was as bad as I've seen, England must do better': Sportsmail experts digest the Tourists' performance ahead of second Test in Antigua
England were humiliated in the first Test in Barbados — one of the biggest upsets of recent times.
As West Indies bask in the glory of a famous victory, Sportmail's experts answer the big questions ahead of Thursday’s second Test in Antigua.
We’ve seen some England collapses but is that the worst and did Roston Chase bowl well?
Nasser Hussain: You don’t get eight for 60 bowling badly but the collapse was worse than the first innings 77. Kemar Roach was exceptional first time but Chase just bowled non-spinning off-breaks. Problem was, all the batsmen, right-handed and left, played for spin. Maybe coming from Sri Lanka they were expecting it to turn square but it didn’t.
David Lloyd: That’s as bad as I’ve seen. Before this, Chase took his wickets at 47 apiece. He didn’t spin a ball. They have to do better. It’s a rollercoaster ride with our team. They have certainly got a Calypso Collapso in them!
Joe Root's England were humiliated in the first Test against West Indies in Barbados
Paul Newman: When Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow were together just before lunch you thought ‘at least they’re going down with a fight’. And there was rain about in Barbados yesterday, too. But then it was just a horror show. They are so talented but so brittle. No, Chase didn’t bowl that well — I don’t think even he could believe it. He won’t do that again.
Richard Gibson: It certainly ranks highly, not least because this England collective had vowed to show that they were much better than the team dismantled for 77 first time around. It would be harsh to call Roston Chase a club lob bowler but he is certainly several grades down from a Ravichandran Ashwin or Nathan Lyon. Mystifyingly, some batsmen played for spin that wasn’t there.
Why are England so inconsistent and is this a big setback after all the good work in Sri Lanka?
Hussain: Well they are not inconsistent in as much as they had won eight of their last nine Tests but what they do have is fragile batting. Look at the recent averages of England’s top six. It’s not great reading. They have won games in spite of their batting. Jos Buttler and Sam Curran cannot pull them out of a hole every time.
Lloyd: It’s the most important year in these lads careers so the positive way to look at it now is to say the only way is up. They should play that Yazz song in the dressing room! Interviews afterwards suggested the coach and captain are as perplexed as we all are. You have got to look at it in the context of those wins against India and Sri Lanka and scrub this one off.
Roston Chase bowled superbly on Saturday and took eight wickets for 60 en route to victory
Newman: What did I write after Colombo? ‘This feels like a watershed moment for Joe Root’s captaincy.’ What mugs they make of us. I can only think they are sub-consciously complacent. But it shouldn’t have any bearing on what’s to come. Even if they lose 3-0 here I’d still fancy them in the Ashes.
Gibson: Performances as a whole this winter would tell you that they remain on an up curve and Joe Root would argue that this result is a case of two steps forward, one step back, not the other way around. Even the one-day team retains the propensity for horror performances — beaten by Scotland, crushed in a dead rubber in Sri Lanka — but they can ill afford them if they are to fulfil their dual goals for 2019.
We all have a soft spot for West Indies cricket. How good were they here?
Hussain: Yes, we do all like West Indies cricket and Barbados in particular and this was a great week for both. I can only hope it’s not another false dawn. I hoped Headingley 2017 was the start of something special but then they slipped to eighth in the rankings. But this was incredible. The performances of Holder, Roach, Chase and Dowrich weren’t just good —they were unbelievable. Their challenge is to do it consistently.
Lloyd: West Indies were excellent. Twenty20 cricket is their strength but they are under new management and the clues were there that they were anything but ordinary. They got the team, pitch and performance all spot on.
STAT ATTACK
61 - England have now gone 61 years without winning four away Tests in a row. They last did so when they beat New Zealand and South Africa twice each between 1955 and 1957.
Newman: They were brilliant and in Jason Holder they have one of the best all-rounders in the world. His stats, for instance, are better than Ben Stokes. You cannot talk highly enough of what he has done after taking over when West Indies hit rock bottom in India.
Gibson: When it comes to raw talent, the Caribbean and Pakistan house the richest wells and this performance had echoes of their halcyon days — aggressive batting and hostility with the ball. We shouldn’t forget that saying about one swallow but there was enough evidence here to suggest cautious optimism for a brighter future. World cricket is crying out for a strong West Indies team.
Chase barely turned a ball but still sent England hurrying towards their demise on Saturday
England left out Stuart Broad. Was selection the main reason for the defeat?
Hussain: The 77 all out and the collapse on Saturday had nothing to do with Broad not playing.
Root said it was easy to be wise after the event but a few of us said before the event that you need tall bowlers in the Caribbean.
Curran is not an opening bowler in these conditions. The key for England now is not to repeat the mistake India made last summer in picking the side they should have selected for the Test before.
Lloyd: In their defence, quite a number misread that pitch. But you shouldn’t judge a wicket two days before the game. They will know they messed up and Broad will probably be the first name on the team-sheet now.
But they were spooked by the genuine pace of Shannon Gabriel and that allowed Chase to cash in.
Newman: I was prepared to give England the benefit of the doubt on selection and I could understand why they wanted Curran but I was wrong.
Broad wouldn’t have won them the Test but it set the wrong tone.
One problem they do seem to have is that Ed Smith really rates Adil Rashid with a red ball and Root doesn’t.
Gibson: Two days out, the pitch looked scrubby and dry and I fell into the trap of thinking England should go for two spinners.
The mistake was judging it that far ahead of the game. England were clearly duped and left out a primary weapon.
History is usually a good indicator and it said that over the three previous Tests here, 85 of the 108 wickets taken by bowlers fell to pace.
They must now get to grips with the pitch characteristics in Antigua and St Lucia when choosing their next teams. Scores 77, though, and selection becomes somewhat less relevant.
Do you fear for Keaton Jennings and, with the bat at least, Moeen Ali ahead of the Ashes?
Hussain: Jennings is exceptional against spin so I understand why he went to Sri Lanka but you are going to need someone who can play against Australia’s four quicks. His stats tell you he is not the man. Moeen is arguably the most frustrating cricketer around. He is integral to this side and has put in some exceptional performances but by his own admission he has brain fades. I wouldn’t jettison him.
Lloyd: There were a number of soft dismissals when you expected them to dig in. Jennings is in such an important position and had nothing to offer here. That firm footed waft is the sort of thing that can trigger you out of the team.
Newman: England brought the wrong back up batsman in Joe Denly. He is not the answer at the top of the order. At least if Jason Roy had come he could have been given a chance ahead of the Ashes. As it is, he might have to be thrown in at the deepest end this summer. England’s other opening option could be James Vince. You just cannot see Jennings opening against Australia but Mo will be back.
Gibson: Jennings is well liked but you do not play for England by winning popularity contests. His average outside Asia is just 17.5 and that should influence summer thinking. Moeen performs with bat or ball but rarely with both. They need to shake a player with five Test hundreds and five five-wicket hauls out of his malaise.
No England side have come back from one down to win in the Caribbean. What chance this time?
Hussain: Yes they can come back. England could easily put in a great display in Antigua. I haven’t seen the pitch yet but I’d bring Broad back unless it’s a Sri Lanka-type surface. Root made a statement about Rashid when he only gave him seven overs on the third day and I’d bring Jack Leach in. If the pitch is sand based and might spin it’s probable Jennings will stay. Those people who said from afar that this is an ordinary West Indies side were very wrong.
England captain Root seemed to be troubled by the pace of fast bowler Shannon Gabriel
Lloyd: You never know what to expect next from England. The past eight or nine matches show they can play complete cricket. This was awful so you’d expect the coaches to tell them ‘show me what you’ve got’. If you bring Broad and Chris Woakes back for Curran and Rashid then bingo you are back to the attack in New Zealand that everyone said lacked variation! I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just Broad for Rashid.
Newman: They will need to be exceptional in Antigua and St Lucia but they are capable of it. I agree with Bumble. Broad for Rashid as the only change and Jennings has to play again because Antigua might just suit him.
Gibson: To do so will surpass the achievement of the whitewash in Sri Lanka as there is no wriggle room now. Let’s not forget that this England team are capable of great highs as well as head-banging lows but they have to get everything right from here and that goes for reading surfaces, selection and tactical plans.
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