Day 1 at Lord's: Three points from England vs Windies

1) Meringue Platforms: Including today, the Windies have tried nine different openers in ten combinations over the last two years. That period has garnered only three century partnerships and one fifty stand and, more often than not, heralded further losses that have led to officially the world’s best batsman, Shiv Chanderpaul, coming in to lance wounds rather than make hay. Shorn of Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle to the IPL, and the interminable WICB politics which have also done for Ronnie Sarwan, it’s a parlous state of affairs that the swishing and magnificent wrists of Darren Bravo have not quite yet done sufficient to mitigate on a regular enough basis.

Although perhaps nothing more than another clutching of straws, to me it’s a slight disappointment that 19-year-old Kraigg Brathwaite wasn’t given one more series to see if he could stop the hemorrhaging at the top of the Windies scorecard. His batting may be dull enough to make even Chris Tavare switch over to the IPL, but there was a certain something in his heroically stodgy 57 off 199 balls recently against Australia (albeit in an otherwise somewhat disappointing series for him personally, and the Windies) which suggested he might just have been a better pick to counter the early season English pitches’ juices and James Anderson‘s jaffers than Kieran Powell. He remains one to watch for the future, on the proviso you have a strong coffee at hand when doing so.

2) Stuart Broad is a child genius: Despite believing the DRS system is automatically set to ‘Out’ for all batsmen in the world except one, Broad’s self-belief or selfishness today twice payed dividends, albeit in unconventional fashion. Having had his leg before appeal against a well-set Barath turned down, the Nottinghamshire paceman made one of his familiar DRS pleas to Andrew Strauss, who like an exasperated father being begged by his kids to be taken for a McDonald’s, eventually – and as he does so often with Broad – relented and went upstairs to the third umpire, a decision which led to a front foot no ball being revealed. The Windies had an extra run and Twitter’s legions of Broad-baiters had a justifiable giggle. The thwarted bowler himself also now had a seventh ball to deliver, however, and he used it to induce a wild slash from the Trinidadian right-hander which was taken at slip by Anderson at the second attempt.

I possibly have more truck with Broad’s truculence than many observers – and he seems to come across as a perfectly decent guy in interviews – but there was a perverse pleasure to be had from seeing him rescue triumph from the jaws of hubris. He managed to do it again later in the day, dismissing Darren Sammy a few balls after referring another leg before decision – this time against Chanderpaul – when it transpired the delivery had pitched outside leg. Anderson uses his mastery of swing to set up batsmen; Broad just breaks their concentration with pointless DRS reviews. Both methods apparently have their merits.

3) Godliness isn’t close to shirtiness: From running out Brian Lara in his final international appearance to being called (more than once) for chucking to being banned for two years by the ICC for allegedly feeding information to an Indian bookie, Marlon Samuels is without doubt one of cricket’s walking strife magnets. Coming in at 100-4, as he did today, is a mere trifle compared to some of his travails, and he managed to produce a patient knock as part of a stand of 81 with Chanderpaul which momentarily drew the sting from England’s attack. A wafty, somewhat signature, loose drive to Broad ended his stay prematurely on 31, but it was just about enough to remind us of the talent which once saw him take a second innings hundred off an attack of Steyn, Nel, Ntini, Pollock and Kallis. Playing for Pune Warriors in this year’s IPL, Samuels wore a shirt with ’630′ on its back – the number of days he was banned from cricket after his bookmaker dalliance. With a bit less martyrdom and a bit more application when he passes 30, Samuels might well find redemption on the pitch. I wouldn’t bet on it, mind.