Wickman Stops Gulping as Cooky and Bell Bring it Home

The trouble with writing a blog and making bold predictions about stuff is that you can get it wrong as often as you get it right.

Wickman had slated the West Indies on this blog last week and said he probably wouldn't bother much with the First Test. In the final analysis he was probably right, but West Indies were competitive in this game and almost pulled off a surprise. So was Wickman worried about getting egg on his face (unlike the teas at Egham?)

Not really. Wickman believes that only the pitch kept WI in the game.

On day 1 they scored slowly in terrible overhead conditions and were nine down by the close. A Strauss ton in similar conditions on the Friday (Wickman thinks Splinter got frostbite in the stands) and a ground out lead looked to have sewn up the game. But some casual batting on the Saturday and a big partnership by Chanders and Samuels really piled the pressure back on. And late last night with England two down and a big appeal for LB against a lucky Trotty only going against him because Aleem Dar is a brilliant umpire English hearts were in mouths. But today England almost cantered to victory.

The reason Wickman isn't hopeful for the WI in the series is that Lords has become an Administrator's paradise. England very rarely win here in three days and only seldom early on the fourth because the pitch has started to level out from days 2 to 4 so that bigger scores are made in 3rd innings than you would otherwise imagine. Teams, including England, have begun to be able to fight back from average first innings trots and get back into games. And the fifth day pitch does not break up like Test pitches of old. So its easier, Wickman would argue, to stay in the game for longer.

This looked closer than it was because WI managed to hang in yesterday until the ultimate test awaited Strauss, Cooky, Jimmy A and then Trotty. Massively bad overhead conditios, dodgy artificial light and a new ball being slung down at 90mph in the gloom. Once they got back this morning and settled in you couldn't see WI bowling them out without a decent spinner in the side.

Perhaps all you can say about what West Indies have acheived here is that, like in the recent series against the Aussies, they didn't fold completely at any point in this game. Which is probably good for their future. Players are learning to bat longer (Sammy aside) and to sell themselves a bit more dearly. But will they be able to compete on a spicy track? Hmmmm.