Jonathan Agnew column

By Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent

This will not encourage people to watch Test cricket, Chris!

Oh dear! What a let down. Only one team came to play competitive cricket, with the other simply content to tick off the days until the game is drawn.

It will serve Chris Gayle right if this tactic, which killed every ounce of entertainment on the first day, backfires.

It was evident from the very start that the West Indies were interested only in creating a stalemate - which, after all, is what they need to win the series.

By omitting their front line spinner Sulieman Benn on a dry pitch and bringing in another batsman, the message was clear - and it was even more so when the normally aggressive Fidel Edwards trundled his way through his first spell at little more than lively medium pace.

None of this should detract from Andrew Strauss's achievement of scoring his third consecutive century. Clearly, this one was not as fluent as the others, but it was still registered in his 'new' positive manner and it can't have been easy against such defensive fields and the slow pitch.

He lost Alastair Cook early for 12 but even then, Gayle did not attack Owais Shah, for whom this was a crucial innings both on a personal level and, with England one batsman light, for the team.

Back the West Indies captain sat, occasionally gesturing to a fielder to move a yard or two, while Brendan Nash dobbed away all afternoon from the Pavilion End. This will not encourage people to watch Test cricket, Chris!

606: DEBATE

It's never a good sign to go into a test match with the sole intention of drawing it

Silvamaine

After Shah retired with cramp in his hands, something that has affected him before, we witnessed rather a curious innings from Kevin Pietersen. He chose to refer, quite rightly, an lbw decision given against him off Nash to the TV umpire.

This was a poor decision by Russell Tiffin, with the replay showing clearly that the ball had pitched some way outside Pietersen's leg stump. That is basic umpiring: left-arm over to a right hander - more often than not the ball has to come back either in the air or off the pitch, and this did not.

The review procedure saved Pietersen but only briefly as he was was clean bowled by a straight delivery from Ryan Hinds.

By his very high standards, Pietersen has had a poor series on some of the flattest pitches he could ask for. He looks likely to end it without a hundred to his name.

So, England must press on during the second day and aim for another big total. The pitch has shown one or two signs of spin, but nothing the least bit frightening and it looks as if a really special individual performance with the ball will be needed for them to level the series.