ENG vs WI 1st Test, Highlights: Stumps called as England end Day 1 at 35/1
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That's it for the day. Rain, rain and more rain. And when we had some action, Shannon Gabriel bowled a peach to send Dom Sibley back to the hut for a 10-ball duck. Joe Denly and Rory Burns steadied the innings but it was all interrupted by rain and bad light. England end at 35/1 and will look to continue the partnership. However, the forecast isn't too great on Day 2 either.
That's it for the day. Rain, rain and more rain. And when we had some action, Shannon Gabriel bowled a peach to send Dom Sibley back to the hut for a 10-ball duck. Joe Denly and Rory Burns steadied the innings but it was all interrupted by rain and bad light. England end on 35/1 and will look to continue the partnership. However, the forecast isn't too great on Day 2 either. See you tomorrow.
The sky is still dark and gloomy. Although, it looks like it is not raining, the light could be a major problem. The wait continues...
Looks like that will be the end of Day 1. It has started raining again at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and the entire square is covered now. Awaiting official confirmation now.
Another interruption in the game and this time the dark clouds have taken the light away. Umpires and players are walking off and we will have to wait for an update from the ground. England are 35/1.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder comes into the attack and has started to make the ball talk from the word go. Sharp bounce and a bit of movement have already caught Denly a bit off guard. England are 30/1 after 13 overs.
A pull and an edge bring a couple of boundaries for Joe Denly and England. Welcome runs for the hosts as they touch the 20-run mark in 10 overs.
Both Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel have been exceptional so far, giving nothing away to the English batters. Roach is getting to nip it around a bit, courtesy the moisture, while troubling both Denly and Burns. England are 8/1 after 7 overs.
Players are back on the field as Kemar Roach continues his spell. Joe Denly and Rory Burns would be eyeing to steady the England innings after Dom Sibley's 10-ball duck. England 3/1 after 5 overs.
So there's an update coming again. The match is set to restart again at 3:30 PM BST (8:00 PM IST), given there is no rain. Keep your fingers crossed, folks.
One more spell of rain and this time it looks slightly on the heavier sight. The main cover is back and the groundsmen are putting on the side sheets as well. Michael Holding on air, says "Why does rain have to interrupt this game. The ECB has worked so hard to get cricket back and we could do good without some rain". We are off for a short break again!
Powerful message before the start of Day 1's play as England, West Indies players take a knee in support for Black Lives Matter movement.
Cricket united. An incredibly powerful moment. pic.twitter.com/2rSuTx4IPz
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 8, 2020
Players are back on and the match resumes! Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach would be smelling blood after a good early start. Whereas Joe Denly and Rory Burns would be looking to survive the initial spell and steady the innings. England 2/1
Players are off as rain returns!
After a fine start to cricket, rain gods make their presence felt again. Players are off and the main cover is back on. England are 1/1 after 3 overs.
WICKET! Horrible judgement by Dom Sibley as the length delivery by Shannon Gabriel moves inwards after pitching in, only to dislodge the bails. A 10-ball duck for Sibley after resumption. England 0/1.
Players take the knee in support of Black Lives Matter movement. Kemar Roach with a length delivery to start against Rory Burns. Three slips in place.
Meanwhile, an update on recreational cricket by ECB.
We know many of you are waiting for ECB's guidelines around the return of recreational cricket. We will work with the game today and share publicly tomorrow, after the Government have shared their sports-wide guidelines. pic.twitter.com/6GX6VYxkn0
— England and Wales Cricket Board (@ECB_cricket) July 8, 2020
Ben Stokes: Going to have a bat. Trying to get the best conditions out of it. Overhead conditions didn't change our perception. Looks dry on top. Won't have too much pace in it. Recently spin's come into it. Tough decision with Broad and Woakes. But we feel that we can have an extra dimension with the pace of Wood and Archer. To be fair, he wished me very well on my big day. Very proud but my main focus is to get the win. Three lions on the chest, walking out to play for your country, no bigger motivation.
Holder: Not too disheartened with bowling first. Will look to make use of these conditions. We've got four quicks. Got Chase as a spin bowling option. Discipline's the name of the game. Been little strange. Haven't been able to move out of the hotel. It is what it is. Preparation's been good. Some days we had rain. It's a cause we're both pushing - to have the Black Lives Matter emblem on the collar.
Toss in 2020! Ben Stokes and Jason Holder almost shook hands but resisted themselves. Absolute scenes in the middle. Ben Stokes, the new English skipper, is absolutely beaming in pride. It will be interesting to see how Rory Burns and Dom Sibley face Kemar Roach and Co.
West Indies (Playing XI): John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Shane Dowrich(w), Jason Holder(c), Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
England (Playing XI): Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes(c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, James Anderson
Ben Stokes has won the toss and England will bat first.
"Reasons being we're going to try and get the best out of it," Stokes says. "Not going to have too much pace in it and in recent times spins come into it." No Stuart Broad or Chris Woakes, as expected. "Very tough [conversation], but Stuart took it as an absolute champion." Holder, meanwhile, says he's "not too disappointed to be bowling first". Rahkeem Cornwall misses out.
Best news of the day so far: Toss will take place at 1:30 PM BST with the match starting at 2:00 PM BST, given there is no further rain. The coin flip in around 15 minutes from now.
So both the captains have decided on an early lunch at 12:30. In Indian Standard Time, that is 5:00 PM. Good news is that there is no rain in Southampton, at the moment. However, the covers are firmly on. Supersoppers still working on.
Good news is that rain has stopped but the bad news is the covers are still on. The umpires and the supersoppers are out their on the field. We should have a big update soon.
Again some bad news. Covers are back on and looks like we are in for a good amount of delay.
Good news! Main covers are coming off at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Update on the toss soon.
Not the best of sight but all we can do is be optimistic. Reckon the captain winning the toss will opt to bowl first.
The umpires are out inspecting with their umbrellas. There is slight drizzle going on at the Ageas Bowl but nothing too worrying. If the dark sky clears up a bit, we will move towards the toss immediately. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!
It is pretty dark in Southampton and the main cover has been put back on. While both the teams continue to warm-up, the toss has been delayed!
While the playing XIs are yet to be released, there are reports that Ben Stokes-led England will move to Mark Wood for his extra pace while dropping the veteran Stuart Broad in the process. A pace attack of James Anderson-Mark Wood-Jofra Archer could be the starting troika for the hosts.
The weather forecast isn't too great in Southampton with frequent rain interruptions expected during the course of the Test match at the Ageas Bowl. While the match is unlikely to be washed out, players and fans could be left frustrated with regular showers.
It’s not as bad as it looks 🤞😂
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 8, 2020
Good morning from the Ageas Bowl! 🏏 pic.twitter.com/m64Q5uxpT3