He bowled well before lunch but Sulieman Benn has wilted after the interval. He continues to serve up bad deliveries at regular intervals, frustrating West Indies' attempts to build any sort of pressure. This time it's looped up wide of leg stump and Joe Root ushers it past Denesh Ramdin to the boundary. It's given as four byes.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"Roach is nothing like the pace he was a couple of years ago when he hit Jonny Bairstow on the head in England. He's bowling like Stuart Broad did in the World Cup - it'll be interesting to see what Stuart has, as it's difficult to come back from injury and bowl at your fastest. Whenever you're slightly off-line, they'll hit you."

Richard Clarkson: A fantasy team of Richards (and derivatives of with significant licence!) for the great late Richie Benaud to captain. Surely no other name team would compete! Barry Richards, Ricky Ponting, Sir Vivian Richards, John Edrich, Sir Richie Richardson, Dave Richardson (wk), Sir Richard Hadlee, Dick Motz, Richie Benaud (capt), Andrew Caddick, Richard Illingworth. Dickie Bird umpiring of course!

Bell is on fire here, making very serviceable deliveries look like rank bad balls. Roach drops just a fraction short and Bell is on it in a flash, swivelling on to back foot and hoicking him through mid-wicket for another four. Problems for the West Indies - surely it can't be long before they turn to Jason Holder?

Image source, Reuters

Ed Smith
BBC Test Match Special

"Taller bowlers, if it's not going for them, at least they can try to keep it tight. I think that's how Benn tries to get wickets - get people hanging on the back foot and then bowl a quicker ball."

Listen to TMS commentary via the audio icon (available in UK only).

Sulieman Benn looks to be all out of wicket-taking ideas here, but he does manage to keep it relatively tight off his latest over, coughing up just two runs.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"Somebody hard to hit on a pitch like this would be Glenn McGrath as he bowled line and length and was awkward to get forward to on slow surfaces."

Ollie Bartlett: Is it any surprise the top three failed considering the amount of international cricket they've played since last summer. Bell and Root on the other hand...

The punishment continues for the West Indies as Roach strays on to Bell's pads and the batsman strokes him through the leg side for another four. And he gets the treatment again, short and wide and Bell flays him into the off side for two. England, who practically required the defibrillators after a moribund morning session, are suddenly up and about and roaming the hospital corridors.

Jacksandfives: Cook should not be captain. He's not proactive enough. He should be left to bat and score runs. Why do the selectors insist on giving the captaincy to an opening batsman? Recent history shows that form always suffers.

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

"Bell's fifty is only the third time in his last 17 first innings of away Test matches that he's passed 50."

Listen to TMS commentary via the audio icon (available in UK only).

Sulieman Benn serves up an absolute gift first ball after drinks, slow and short, and Bell rocks on to the back foot and swats it through mid-wicket to bring up his half-century. He's looked in excellent touch. Runs continuing to flow for England.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"What a lovely thought that I could be batting against someone like you on a pitch like this, Jonathan. It's flat. The movement is minimal. England played some poor shots, there's a bit of rustiness as they've not had serious practice. Those two two-day games were farcical. Do you think people would practise like that before trying to win at Wimbledon or the Masters?"

Roach runs in again, chunky chain jangling around his equally chunky neck. Root mistimes a pull through mid-wicket but picks up two for it, and England safely negotiate their way through to drinks after a very handy recovery from Root and Bell in the first hour after lunch.

Geoff, Nottingham (and others): Re: Dallas Moir, external (18:31) - did you know it's his 58th birthday today?

Simon Walker: Re: tall spin bowlers. My 6ft 4ins great-grandfather Frank Whiting, external set several Minor Counties records, including a 10-for, playing for Cornwall in the 1920s.

Alex, London: Tony Greig bowled the Windies out with off-spinners in 1973. Must be at least 6ft 6ins.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special

"I've never got over Andy Roberts, one of the most lethal and destructive fast bowlers ever, producing those featherbed Antigua pitches where Brian Lara scored 375 and 400. Fast bowlers were terrified of bowling at Andy - Sylvester Clarke of Surrey roared through us once at The Oval, with two absolute cowards left to bat in me and Gordon Parsons. But when Andy batted, Clarke bowled him half-volleys and we won the game."

Listen to TMS commentary via the audio icon (available in UK only).

Benn hasn't really been able to perform the holding role that his captain would have wanted so far this afternoon. He produces a better over here though, conceding just a couple of singles.

Ash Parkar: Listening to Tony Cozier and Sir Viv makes sitting in traffic absolutely worth it.

Mark Savile: Great coming back from work with two sessions of cricket to be played. #SummerIsComing

Image source, Getty Images

Tough work for the West Indies fielders as they continue to chase leather in the afternoon sun. Bell brings up the England 100 with a flashing square drive that screams away to the boundary at point. And Root piles on the pain, albeit with a touch of good fortune, top-edging a lifting Roach delivery over the slips for another boundary.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special

"We were talking earlier about how India's board might sue West Indies over that abandoned tour. There's such a unique atmosphere about cricket wherever it's played around the world. It would be an utter tragedy if the West Indian way was somehow lost."