West Indies v England 30-0
England openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook made a cautious start after the tourists chose to bat first in the fourth Test against West Indies.
Bidding to level the five-match series at 1-1, England dropped Steve Harmison for the must-win match in Barbados.
Ryan Sidebottom replaced Harmison, Ravi Bopara came in for the injured Andrew Flintoff and Tim Ambrose deputised for Matt Prior, who flew home on Monday.
Graeme Swann has put off elbow surgery and has been declared fit to play.
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By Sam Lyon
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606: DEBATE
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1442 - England 30-0
The West Indies' attempts to keep it full in the hope of extracting some swing are only encouraging England's openers to get on the drive and Strauss punches one on the up for another boundary to push the tourists' run rate up to three an over. Three singles from the rest of the over and I'm sure it won't be long before Sulieman Benn gets a go.
1438 - England 23-0
Daren Powell - a man under pressure with the ball despite his batting heroics last Test - comes on to bowl and his impact is immediate... but only in that England pile on the runs. Andrew Strauss weighs him up before turning one off the middle of his bat on the pull for four before crunching a glorious drive down the ground to make it back-to-back boundaries.
"This pitch had better deteriorate or we're done for."
zoltanwizmaster on 606
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Vic Marks on TMS
1433 - England 15-0
Jerome Taylor - far and away the most impressive of the West Indian bowlers in this series for me - bowls down another maiden with Cook happy to leave the ball alone outside off stump.
1429 - England 15-0
Cook times another nicely off his pads to grab three through mid-on, before Andrew Strauss underlines just how easy-paced this pitch is by climbing comfortably into a short ball and turning it away for a couple on the pull. Five off that over and the England openers look more comfortable than Danny Boyle counting the earnings from that Slumdog Millionaire film. That was a cracker wasn't it?
"Much more annoying than people reading your paper (1412) is when 6th form art students start drawing you on the train. This is particularly unpleasant because of the internal dialogue it sparks - "oh, I can't remember the last time a young woman worked so hard to make eye contact with me - I must be looking good today ... oh, no - I am an old codger useful only as a study of gravity on the human face"."
Andy, Cambridge via the TMS inbox
1425 - England 10-0
That's a bit more like it from Jerome Taylor, the paceman finding a bit of swing that sees the ball ricochet off Strauss's pads and up into the England skippers grill, before he beats the bat with the final delivery of the over as Andy S plays at one outside off and misses it by a lick of varnish. A maiden.
1420 - England 10-0
Already I think this may be a long ol' day for the Windies bowlers - Strauss tickles one off his legs before Cook easily pulls another away as Fidel Edwards tests the middle of the pitch, and the former then times one off his pads in front of midwicket for three.
1415 - England 5-0
First glimpse of an attacking stroke from England and it comes from Alastair Cook, the left-hander opening his shoulders at a wide one and thick-edging it through point for four. Fewer scares in this pitch so far than in a Wes Craven 'horror' movie.
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Vic Marks on Test Match Special
1412 - England 1-0
Alastair Cook gets England up and running with a clip off his pads for one, but both he and Strauss are content to have a look at things before playing at too many deliveries. So there is time for me to ask this - are there many things in life more annoying than someone reading your paper over your shoulder on the tube? I reckon it should be a criminal offence.
"Re 1355: Tomorrow you will be predicting the return of Elvis!"
Ben, Plymouth via the TMS inbox
1405 - England 0-0
Jerome Taylor opens the bowling and it's a neat over, without exposing any real demons in what looks a motorway of a pitch. Andrew Strauss gets good bat on a couple but Taylor fields well off his own bowling and it's a maiden.
1359: And here we go people, strap yourselves in... And don't forget you can keep up to date with the first Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg by clicking on the below link. A veritable feast of top quality cricket action, no?
South Africa v Australia
"Adding to your mini swipe at Freddie (1349), have a ganders at the stats for tests won with and without Freddie over the last couple of years. I think it reads something like 15% won with him in the side and 50% won without. Oooeeer missus."
Stu VW, Derby via the TMS inbox
1355: We're minutes away from the start and so I'm going to hit you with a prediction (dun dun dun). England will win by tea on day five, Bopara to grab a hundred, and Broady to lead a stunning performance from the bowling unit that will see the Windies bowled out twice cheaply. Oh who am I kidding...
"Re 1344 - Have you seen the new Mr Muscle?! HeÂ’s all beefy and shiny these days, and considering heÂ’s already a mean competitor against grime and lime-scale, I think Iron-Mike would have his work cut out!"
Simon, Bristol via the TMS inbox
1349: Yes, well done one and all, you picked up on my "deliberate" mistake earlier of saying both Freddie and Andrew Flintoff were out. Wouldn't it be great to have two Flintoffs in the England side, though? Just think, between them they'd get 60 or 70 runs and at least four wickets a match hey? (Throws cat amongst pigeons and runs...)
1344: A look and a listen to the crowd suggests the locals are out-numbered approximately 500-1 (give or take) making the atmosphere here more one-sided than a Mike Tyson v Mr Muscle face-off. A lot of chat already via email, text on 81111 and 606 over England's selection - a lot of you advocating five frontline bowlers, but would you really have been able to rely on Tim Ambrose at number six? A manoeuvre more risky would not have been witnessed since Metallica floated the idea of doing a 7-inch disco remix of "Die Die my Darling".
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West Indies: CH Gayle (capt), DS Smith, RR Sarwan, RO Hinds, S Chanderpaul, BP Nash, D Ramdin (wkt), JE Taylor, DBL Powell, SJ Benn, FH Edwards.
England: AJ Strauss (Capt), AN Cook, OA Shah, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, RS Bopara, TR Ambrose (Wkt), SCJ Broad, GP Swann, RJ Sidebottom, JM Anderson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar and R B Tiffin
"Bad selection from England. How do we hope to get 20 wickets with just four frontline bowlers????"
nbakewell on 606
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1336: West Indies skipper Chris Gayle, who has named an unchanged side, admits he'd have had a bat as well - the pitch looks very dry apparently - but he is hoping the wicket will "do a bit" early doors. The word is that otherwise it is a pitch of more pace and bounce and Strauss looks happier than a kid in a sweet shop at having called correctly, saying England will be looking to "go big".
1335: ENGLAND WIN TOSS AND BAT FIRST
1330: TEAM NEWS SNAP
And here's the team news folks - Ravi Bopara, Ryan Sidebottom and Tim Ambrose are IN, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Matt Prior are OUT. I have to say, I like the look of that...
1328: Right then, two (and a bit) Tests down, two to go, England 1-0 down. A humiliating defeat in Jamaica was followed by a frustrating draw in Antigua - if the curve of improvement continues in the same vein England will win this fourth Test in Barbados and wrap up the series victory inside two days in the final outing in Trinidad, right?!
That said, things might not be quite plain sailing for Andrew Strauss's England boys (a statement almost as obvious as saying Kevin Pietersen quite likes himself) - key all-rounder Freddie Flintoff is out injured, wicket-keeper Matt Prior has returned home after the birth of his baby son and Steve Harmison looks so out of touch he may as well don a bright pink shellsuit and go raving in an underground garage. Tim Ambrose is in, while Ravi Bopara, Amjad Khan, Ryan Sidebottom and Ian Bell are vying for position... where's your money?
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