England vs West Indies live: Score and latest updates and second ...

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second Test between England and West Indies at Trent Bridge. Test cricket could do with some Robin Hood action: last week’s mismatch at Lord’s highlighted the increasingly dangerous gap between the haves and the have-nots, and we could really do with a proper contest this week.
West Indies should be better for the match practice, particularly the two Josephs, and their astonishing victory in Brisbane in January came after an equally demoralising defeat in the first Test. 

England’s plan is to scorch them while they’re down. Mark Wood will join Gus Atkinson, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes in a mouthwatering seam attack. Then again, on the last two occasions England picked two proper quicks – at Southampton in 2020 and Edgbaston in 2021 – they were beaten by West Indies and New Zealand respectively.

It should be fun to watch, whatever happens. “You ask any batter in the world, whether it be Joe Root, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, pace is a massive weapon that makes you do different things,” said the England captain Ben Stokes. “It makes you think differently. But also there has got to be skill attached to your pace. 

“Gus showed that last week, that he’s more than just an out-and-out quick bowler, he’s incredibly skilful. As is Mark Wood. The ability for him to be able to bowl as quickly as he does but have the control and swing as well is something that’s very rare in someone who bowls that fast. 

“It’s an added bonus having people who you can select who can bowl at 90mph and above, but you still have to be very skilful with what you’ve got.”

Or, as Michael Holding succinctly put it, pace is pace.

England Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (c), Smith (wk), Woakes, Atkinson, Wood, Bashir.

West Indies Brathwaite (c), Louis, McKenzie, Athanaze, Hodge, Holder, da Sillva (wk), Motie, A Joseph, S Joseph, Seales.