"Bairstow the centurion on Day 1 in Antigua" #westindies #englandcricket #ironbridge

An early morning return to Ironbridge for another reading from my second self-published book "Ashes to Ashes" and the first day of England's 2022 winter tour to the beautiful West Indies.

An extract from the chapter being read here follows below, together with a link to the book on cricket I've always wanted to write as well as other ways and means of supporting me, if you are able, to thumb the eye of the traditional publishers who refused to read my original manuscript!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5Z3FVYC

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

"Following England’s 4–0 drubbing at the hands of their old Ashes foes in Australia this winter, it was a much changed Test Match team that took to the field today for the first day in a 3 Test series in the always beautiful West Indies.

England had omitted their talismanic fast bowling partnership of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad from the touring party, retained Zak Crawley as an opening batting partner for the debutant Alex Lees and included returnees to an England Test cricket shirt in the shape(s) of Dan Lawrence, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and bowlers Craig Overton and Jack Leach. At a windy Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua that was approximately half full and 4/5ths of which were sun worshipping visitors from England and escaping the tail end of a cold and unwelcoming winter, the names may have changed from Australia a couple of months ago, but the same old problems persisted early on before Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow dug his team out of a rather large hole.

MORNING SESSION: England 57-4

England skipper Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat, no doubt hoping he wouldn’t be needed to wield his bat in anger before the Lunch Break. Sadly for the England captain he was in and indeed out even before the first hour’s drinks break with his side teetering on the brink at 27–3.
His was the third wicket to fall after both opening batsmen before him were dismissed early on, with first debutant Alex Lees falling LBW (Leg Before Wicket) for just 4 runs to the ever impressive Kemar Roach and shortly after Zak Crawley fell to a brilliant diving catch from wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva off the bowling of Jayden Seales. Da Silva’s catch is already a candidate for “Catch of the Series” as Crawley got an inside edge past his stumps arrowing away from a despairing dive from Da Silva who scooped the catch just above the Antiguan grass.The visitors limped to 39–3 at the first drinks break with Dan Lawrence looking particularly self assured, in control and top scoring at this stage of the England innings with 20 runs before he received a brilliant lifting delivery from the always impressive Jason Holder and edged a simple if high catch to Jermaine Blackwood at 3rd Slip.

Holder would finish the morning session with 5 consecutive maiden overs and thus 30 consecutive deliveries that were not scored from and taking the wicket of Lawrence in the process typified the dominance being exerted by the collective group of West Indian bowlers in this opening session of the day".

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