Jonathan Agnew column

By Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent

Collingwood scored his eighth test century

The under-prepared pitch at the Recreation Ground has surprised everyone.

England dropped Monty Panesar in favour of Graeme Swann to bolster the lower order batting and preferred Steve Harmison's height to Ryan Sidebottom's swing, all because they thought runs would be at a premium and that the ball would fly.

The West Indies put England in to bat because they did not trust the surface and yet the current aggregate stands at 621 for 10 after two days, and only one batsman - Andrew Flintoff - can claim to have been a true victim of the pitch.

As we thought, England's taller fast bowlers have found more life than their shorter, skiddier opponents, but the only real danger comes from one end where the football halfway line cuts through the cricket pitch right on a fast bowler's good length

When Flintoff batted, he got one that shot through only inches off the ground and uprooted his middle stump second ball.

When, later, he bowled at Chris Gayle, one flew past the batsman's nose and the next ball scuttled.

606: DEBATE

I hope that this innings will shut up once and for all all those who have been ignorantly criticising Paul Collingwood

alexrickets99

This unsettled Gayle to such an extent that having launched Harmison into a car park outside the ground, he scythed a catch to mid off. His 30 from 32 balls was entertaining, but it underlined how disturbed the West Indian captain was - and this is where the home team is most vulnerable.

If the West Indian batsmen get it into their heads that they are playing on a minefield, England will win the game.

But if they knuckle down and play each ball on its merit, they still have a chance of saving the game despite England's enormous first innings score.

The fact that they lost only one wicket in 14 fiery overs at the end of the second day should boost their confidence no end.

Unlike one or two of my colleagues, I thought Paul Collingwood's century was a great effort. There were mutterings that he was taking too long, but he had to regroup after England lost Kevin Pietersen and Flintoff in the space of three balls.

It was 405-6 then, and had England batted badly from that point, they might have made only 450.

Collingwood knuckled down and, unfortunately, lost his rhythm in so doing, but Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Swann kept the momentum going until Andrew Strauss declared.