England 's first Test match peek at a James Anderson and Stuart Broad -less existence was a decidedly uncomfortable one.
An opening 22 overs of generous gifts for the West Indies batters after Jonny Bairstow had raised his overnight score of 109 to 140, was a reset alright - but entirely the wrong kind.
With Chris Woakes and Craig Overton leading the way, the bowlers were all as culpable as each other, bowling either too full, too short, too straight or too wide.
The mixed bag illustrated just how little control they had as they were buffeted by the wind and served up a buffet of tasty morsels for the Windies to tuck into.
Having conceded a further 43 runs to England in the morning before dismissing them for 311, the Windies opening batsmen erased that part of the deficit inside just 10 overs to reach 44-0 at lunch and an eventual 202-4 at the close.
The boffins at CricViz claimed it was England’s third least threatening 10 over spell with the new ball in the past decade, which was the last thing Joe Root had hoped to see with Anderson and Broad left at home.
The largesse continued after the break as the usually cautious and obdurate Kraigg Brathwaite brought up his fastest ever Test half century from just 62 balls.
John Campbell is traditionally the dasher in their partnership, but he was being left behind by his captain, until he fell first for 35.
When the eventual breakthrough arrived, it wasn’t exactly a piece of artistry either as Campbell gloved a short ball down the legside.
But Overton couldn’t have given a stuff and why should he care how the wickets fall? He jumped with delight and England were up and running.
It is worth remembering that all of England’s bowlers bar Ben Stokes were operating on a notoriously difficult ground for the first time, with the wind whipping across them and heavy sandy uphill terrain underfoot.
But they also appeared to be trying so hard to placate all those, including this cricket writer, who think at least one if not both Broad and Anderson should be here.
Imagine trying to follow the most successful people in your position at anything. Even David Bowie would have wondered how he was going to follow Queen at Live Aid.
So both Woakes and Overton tried harder and harder to make the breakthrough, and the harder they tried the worse it got, until the wicket.
Brathwaite went next, chasing a wide one from Mark Wood that slid off the bat and into Overton’s hands in the gully.
Stokes and Jack Leach both got a bowl a little earlier than expected, but they gave Root an element of control before Stokes snaffled his first wicket of the tour thanks to a healthy edge to the skipper at slip.
As if to reinforce the teamwork behind this new era, Woakes became the fourth man to take a wicket when Jermaine Blackwood inside edged into his thigh and the deflection reached gully on the full.
At 127-4, England were back in control of the game and the bowlers visibly relaxed more into their work, and the regular boundaries dried up.
There were 20 in the first 34 overs of the Windies innings, and just 5 in the next 21 as Bonner and Holder played sensibly, but were given far less to hit on a sluggish surface.
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