Thetownend.com

First Test starts tomorrow at Sabina Park. Think we'll win the series (just), but think the opener will end up being drawn.

Also some decisions to be made regarding the side as well. Do they pick Shah or Bell? If they pick Shah would they put him at 4/5 with KP, or just slot him in at 3? They've also got to pick which 3 out of Anderson, Harmison, Broad and Sidebottom they want to pick, alongside Monty (or personally Swann).

I'd go with:

Strauss, Cook, KP, Shah, Collingwood, Prior, Flintoff, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson.

With Harmisons record at Sabina Park, I would definitely include him.
Harmison, Broad and Sidebottom on the pace front. Unfair to leave Bell out for me, class will always tell in the end.

i'd think we will win the series. going to be wierd listening to TMS tomorrow without the bearded wonder. I will go with Bell at 3, Shah has not really taking his chance in the warm up match just gone. Also i will go with Harmison ahead of sidebottom. Harmy has very good memories off Sabina park with his 7-12 back in 2004 where the Windes were bowled out for 47.

 Well Harmy got one of England's best ever bowling analyses last time we played at Sabina Park...and was just about the only bowler to come out of the warm up match with any credit, so he's bound to start.

The selectors just don't seem to rate Shah, and so much has been invested in Bell, he'll probably get another series. I'd pick Rashid, on the basis that Windies are a bit shit at the moment....and we need to find out about his temperament.

In better news, I believe with the timezone the Windies game will be on between 2pm and around 8pm. That's much more civilised than the Indian series.

If Shah doesn't play there is no justice in the world, but it wouldn't suprise me at all.

Harmison is a funny one, I think he can be a good bowler but whether we'll see that again I don't know, I hope so. Maybe the media has convinced me we won't as they are always waiting for him to slip up.

If he does play I hope having Chanderpaul in his Durham side last year will have given him a decent look of how to get rid the fella

Three edges from Straus in 19 balls, bye bye, it had to come.

England 31-2 (Cook out)

40-2 at drinks.

Bell gone before I get home, bloody wonderful.

Reckon Shah's hung himself yet?

Collingwood's gone...

Or has he? He's referring?

I'm going to try and track down a stream on Justin for this later,i love a bit of cricket watching when its freezing cold outside.It doesn't feel right at all  :)

West Indies have played well.KP has saved us again.Could be an interesting series this one if the West Indies bowlers keep it up.

On a County note Middlesex were in the Sun on Monday because they have changed their nickname from the Crusaders to the Panthers.Suffice to say the Sun weren't happy at the reasons behind the change.It had upset Muslims or something.I like panthers more anyhow,means we can the pink panther theme tune at 20/20 and odi games  8)

Never mind Bell, drop Colly from the side - Shah's not a number 3 in Tests anyway, he needs to bat at 5 or 6.

Everyone slagging Pieterson's shot off again, Collys slog was worse that got him out. Still think we'll win but poor start.

Oh bleeding hell, what a start to the new day.

And I wish people would stop criticizing Pietersen. Yes, it was a stupid shot, but he scored more runs than the rest of the top 6 but together. Bell and Collingwood are awful, and as much as I love him, when was the last time Ally Cook got a sizeable score?

Cook's been found out big time, just don't bowl full and straight and he can't score. He can't drive or pull.

i so hope prior gets his half century

He's looked very good.

get in

Prior's gone at 288/8.

All down to Monty now it seems.

prior gone , good knock by all accounts

298-8. 300 plus would be a good score on this pitch.

Priceless Monty... referring his LBW saying he'd hit it, pad first by absolutely miles.

I say priceless, I actually mean he comes across as a bit of a fuckwit. 318, OK really.

Gayle smashes Flintoff for 6, that's 100k off his price for tonight :D

Blimey, get the referral in early folks. What exactly was Smith trying to do mind?

EDIT: He's out, actually. Fair enough. I quite like this referral thing, hopefully it'll get a bit quicker when the Umps get used to it.

Freddie strikes with the referral

England have bowled pretty poorly to be honest, Panesar has looked distinctly average again. And i'm not too sure about Sarwan's referral either.

Gayle survives on a refferral, Tony Hill's getting a bit of a beating off the TV replays so far, can't help his confidence much.

Stuart Broad gives us cruel, cruel hope by bagging Gayle and Marshall in the same over.

This gem from the BBC Ball by Ball:

New batsman is Xavier Marshall, whose batting average from his first seven Tests is a very un-world-class 22.09. And his innings lasts just two deliveries, as his first ball yields a half-hearted lbw appeal, but he's trapped in front with the second one! A silver duck for Marshall - time for Professor Shivnarine Chanderpaul, visiting lecturer in Crease Occupation.

I laughed.

Two and a half hours and 20 runs later, we've got Shiv. Excellent.

fucker werent best pleased about it, shove your referal up your arse shiv.

12/3.

For christ's sakes.

23-6.

Holy fuck.

hahahahahahahhahhhahahahahahahahhahahahahahaahaha

Perhaps we'll start taking the windies seriosly now?

I don't understand cricket, but that's a bit shit isn't it?

bring back moores. 26-7

It's looking likely to be 100 year old record levels of shit yes, a bit like Town losing by double figures against Histon.

Taylor bowled really well. This reminds of the same test match 5 yrs ago when Harmy got 7-12.

yes he is bowling well but we are batting like spastics. Bring back moores.

Bring back KP.

Moores was rubbish.

All out for 51 :D

Who do we blame for this farce? What excuses will emerge? Pathetic.

Ooops.

Let's hear it then Strauss, England were gash because.....

Proof as if it was needed sadly of how over rated we have been for some time now ! :(

Crap, Crap, Crap.

I was trying to think of something constructive to post, but all i could think of was just how crap they all were.

One of the greatest sights in cricket is watching a very fast bowler at the top of his game,
whether it be the greats such as Dennis Lillee,Malcolm Marshall or yesterday with Jerome Taylor.

Goochie spoke very well on Five Live this morning.Here's a summary of his thoughts....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7877372.stm

I really can't say anything other than FUCKING USELESS WANKERS.

Bell, Cook, Colly, Panesar and Harmison can fucking rotate. Get Shah, Key, Swann and Onions in.

It's a good job I don't like cricket. In fact, the result amused me somewhat.

Sack them. Sack them all. Complete waste of space and in some cases a disgrace to the country.

That spark has gone from Flintofts game...only saving grace is that the Aussies are struggling too.

The spark has been gone from Flintoff's game for nearly 4 years. How he managed to get auctioned for 1.5 million in the IPL i'll never know. Still at least he managed just under half of the 50 unlike the rest of the useless idiots.

He's an excellent bowler still, our best by a mile, it's just his batting which is suffering. Although, bar that Ashes Series, he's not a 40 average batsman, he's just a destructive maniac a la Shahid Afridi.

Jerome Taylor is only 24,in the IPL auctions he was picked up for $150,000.

The Aussies have also suffered at his hands before,this time it was in a 1 dayer..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FapzgORGxDE

Its all about the batting Alan....though looks a bargain still.