On a flat Barbados pitch, England’s batters, led by Joe Root and Ben Stokes, did their job – posting 500 across five sessions, a rare treat for followers of this team in recent times.
Now, it is the turn of the bowlers, whose task is much stiffer, because they are so much greener than the surface they are bowling on. It is showing some turn for Jack Leach and there was bounce with the new ball, especially for one of two debutants, Matt Fisher – who struck with his second delivery in Test cricket – but there is some hard yakka ahead if England are to win this match and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
