England piles huge score on Day One by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	England v West Indies
Player:	RS Bopara, AN Cook
Event:	West Indies in England 2009

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DateLine: 14th May 2009

 

Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook, feasted on a toothless West Indian attack and notched up classy centuries each to help England pile up 302 for 2 at the end of first day. Cook and Bopara came together after Andrew Strauss was caught for 26. The West Indian pacemen could not raise their game to the highest intensity and the Bopara and Cook just thrived on a bowling attack that lacked any new ideas to break the partnership.

 

Cook enjoyed a measure of good fortune on 23 when he inside-edged Baker past his off stump and away to the boundary, and he later fenced Chris Gayle just short of Devon Smith at slip. Bopara on the other hand was confidence personified as he drove and cut with authority to slowly erase his horror debut series in Sri Lanka. Bopara survived a couple of hairy moments against Baker, whom he clipped inches short of Shivnarine Chanderpaul at midwicket before being dropped down the leg-side on 51 by Ramdin. Not for the first time, however, his concentration faltered after reaching three figures. At Lord's he was dropped twice on 100; this time he survived one tough caught-behind chance off Benn on 104, before Baker, who endured an erratic day, produced a pearler to peg back Bopara's off stump.

 

The only uplifting moment came for West Indies in the morning was when Chris Gayle, tempted Strauss into a full-blooded slog-sweep, and a thin deflection off the gloves ended up in the gloves of Denesh Ramdin. There was little for West Indies to savour in the day, however, as England pushed themselves into a position from which to post a massive first-innings total and ensure that the Wisden Trophy, lost in the Caribbean returns home at the earliest and easiest opportunity.