It was a day of queues at Trent Bridge. There were queues for Brian Lara’s autograph during a book signing session at lunch, queues for the ice-cream vans at tea, queues for the bars throughout – pretty standard at an English Test match, admittedly– and batters positively lining up to have a go out in the middle.
Although not all of them fancied it. There was bright sunshine over Nottingham, a pitch that looked well rolled, and an outfield as green as Robin Hood’s tights that had been mown to offer an almost frictionless path for the ball. But Kraigg Brathwaite, West Indies’ captain and an opener with 12 Test centuries, won the toss and decided to bowl.
