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They were not expecting to find a West Indies side full of fight and determination, nor were they expecting that Jerome Taylor would bowl by far the best spell of his life. Some of the batsmen played injudicious shots but the ball which dismissed Pietersen was as near to perfection as you can get, and when you couple it to all the other surprises the Windies had sprung, it’s almost understandable that England just fell apart.

As wake-up calls go, this Test was the equivalent of thirty churches pealing the summons to matins while forty roosters crow themselves hoarse and the hotel management sends in SWAT teams to roust people out of bed.

It is early, though, to be deciding that England are in complete disarray and will probably lose the rest of the matches – at least until they’ve had their orange juice and a good strong cup of coffee. Most of this team played in New Zealand a year ago, looking like lemons in the first Test but coming back and duffing up the Black Caps for most of the next five games. And last time England were rolled over in the Caribbean, when Curtly Ambrose scythed them down to 46 all out, the same XI went into the next game and became the first visitors to win in Barbados for 59 years.

England are more likely to repeat what they did after Hamilton than after Port of Spain: surely nobody is going to fall for the idea that the people who dug the hole should be told to dig out of it. If they aren’t going to give Owais Shah a go after that debacle, then he might as well pack his bags and go home – although the appalling weather we are having in England might make him hesitate before booking the plane ticket. Whether the bowlers should be changed will partly depend on what the Antigua pitch looks like, but Swann and Anderson did their chances of selection for the second Test no harm at all by not playing in Jamaica.

But it is also early to be elevating Jerome Taylor to the WI pantheon of great fast bowlers. I’ve had my eye on him as a much-improved bowler for a year or so now, and he could yet make it to the pinnacle, but there is a long way to go yet. After all, look where the bloke who took 7-12 last time these two sides met at Sabina has got to. The whole attack is certainly not as potent as the 1983 edition, but there is no longer any need for West Indians to be ashamed of their bowlers because they now have a group who are as good as anyone else’s bar South Africa for sure and maybe India.

And while the batting leaves something to be desired, it can no longer be said that collectively they lack grit. I don’t remember ever seeing West Indies make 392 in such stupefyingly dull fashion, especially with the Rock of Guyana only making 20 of them – but I’m certainly not complaining. Turgid though the cricket was as spectacle, it did the heart good to see that this West Indies side is prepared to buckle down when the situation and tightness of the bowling demand it.

The terms of trade for this series have been radically altered. Being 1-0 down, England are now technically the underdogs, but their paper superiority is such that it is more realistic to see this series as being between equals. However you choose to view the prospects, though, this will be a much more interesting series than most people thought two weeks ago.

This English team has only two matchwinners in Pietersen and Flintoff as anyone can say. This is very ordinary team highly over-rated on Papers. Alister Cook is one of the most over-rated and less than ordinary opener
; Bell's record away from home is only as good as some No.10 or 11. Collingwood at best is a fighter and I can't even remember when did he last play a match-winning or saving knock in tests. Harmison has been merely a shadow of his past and is Panesar ever trying to get some tail out these days? This is a team of paupers that can't do any good in near future unless people like Cook, Bell, Harmison or Panesar are thrown out and capable men replace them...

[Mike: several comments along these lines, which don't really address the point that these mediocrities have been beating West Indies, their current opponents, comprehensively for several years. Still, if it makes you all happy to look down your nose at England rather than examine reality, who am I to criticise?]

Further to your footnote,Mike, that the West Indies have been beaten by some of this bunch and by many others only underscores West Indian underachievement,not English quality.The point I,and others,am making is that the English team's image of its strength is a creation of the Enlish media and not based on an assessment of the potential and developments of other teams,and on an honest evaluation of its own strengths and weaknesses.A similar hubris has affected many other teams in the past,but not based on such middling achievement.

[Mike: That cuts both ways, though. Isn't it just as reasonable to suggest that the England players have been underachieving? Having seen most of the England players playing much better, I'd certainly agree that they have not been doing what they should. If KP and Fred are the only good players in the team, how come Strauss got a century in both innings at Chennai? How come Collingwood has a double century against the McWarne Australia? And so on. It's facile to blame the media because they and the people watching notice guys who score centuries and get five-fers against good sides and draw the apparently stupid conclusion that they are good players.]

I read that IPL dealings have distracted England players! Really! I mean that's amazing, they are not stealing that money are they? Infact people are ready to pay so much money as they see potentional in these players. Instead of being happy for the England players the Eng Media is harping that IPL impacted a series in WI that too a test one? What bout the Stanford Match then? WI Team was not affected by it. Why are England players a bunch of sissies, other than KP. Bring KP back he deserves to be the captain. Strauss is too much of a wuss to fight. And for God Sake get the MD and the Chief Selector out of WI.

[Mike: The English press will allege that anything they happen to be thinking about is automatically a huge issue for the players. But the fact that a journalist is fascinated by the IPL auction does not mean that the players are.]

It appears that England have not won the first test in any series against any opposition since beating Bangladesh in England in 2005. Since then they have lost the first test of 7 series (Australia in 2005 and 2006, Pakistan in 2005, Sri Lanka in 2007, New Zealand in 2008, India in 2008 and now the W.Indies in 2009) and drawn the first test of 7 further series (India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2006, W.Indies and India in 2007, New Zealand and South Africa in 2008) Are they slow starters?

[Mike: You've answered your own question, haven't you? Yes, they are abysmally slow starters. If anyone could work out how to give them a bit of oomph in the First Test of a series, the tone of comments about the team would change considerably.]

Oh...puhlllleeeeaaassseee!!! Gimme a break people. One guy had a dream day and that's mostly about it. Every one talks as if English batsmen did this on purpose (a.k.a. "over rated" "rash cricket shots" blah blah blah). The truth is that Taylor had one dream day, just like that other guy had the last time both teams played at the same ground. Period. No need to shout from the roof tops and demand players to be dropped and captains to be changed (again). Every one, just relax and give the English boys a chance. I will agree to WI's fortunes turning around (and becoming competitive), if I see it happen one more time in this series. Remeber, the IPL owners are not idiots to spend so much money, if these same players are not worth it. They are good (some on the cusp of becoming great) and they will bounce back. Lessons to be learned: Do not under estimate any team in test cricket. Remember even B'desh scored over 400 in 4th innings against SL recently.

Ken
Thanks for mentioning itis all paper superiority. WI performance in New Zealand and the Stanford 20/20 should have prepared England for a more difficult outing. And I fail to understand how the writer has not realized that England is in no way superior to the WI. Compare them Man to man there is little advantage. But as usual the British newspapers have been fooling themselves to believing that England is a better team by far.
Present day Harmmerson right now can be compared to powell, and I think powell is more effective. Fidel on his day can distroy any team with pace and hostility. But broad has the edge over him. Flintoff/Taylor, one may give Freddie the edge. Apart from Pieterson as a specialist bat can one say that the others can match Gayle, shiv, or Sarwan. Spin department - tie with benn the slight edge

How things change in a week. That same overrated team contrived to draw a match they ought to have won comfortably.

In fact, when you consider that Ronnie could easily have had three hundreds in the series by now, one might argue that it is the Windies who have been the one-man team.

Taylor's spell at Sabina was devastating. In fact it wouldn't have mattered had England performed as they can, they still would have lost. Sunny's right, Taylor just had one of those days. Most teams would have lost, in fact.

Yet without Sarwan's hundred would they have had the runs? And without his runs in Antigua would anyone deny that they would have lost? He's in the form of his life right now!

The days of there being any whipping boys in the game are coming to an end. We're seeing a tight fight at the top between South Africa, Australia and India, if further proof were needed. Cricket will see more "upset" wins, and that's good for the game. It's as close as it's ever been.