Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"Jerome Taylor was bowling this morning in the nets so he is probably going to be back for the next Test. I think the West Indies were sensible to rest him if he had a problem rather than playing him and see him go down after a few overs and then only have three seamers."

Ballance has a slip, leg slip and short leg for company as the mechanical action of Bishoo whips down a leg-breaking examination. Ballance is forward and back in defence, looking to force the ball away to get off the mark, but with no joy. On the hills surrounding the ground, two schoolboys peer over the stands to watch the cricket for free. Excellent work by those young men.

Image source, Reuters

England 129-1 (51 overs)

Not out batsmen: Cook 60 (164), Ballance 0 (4)

Fall of wicket: 125-1 (Trott 59)

Bowling figures: Roach 13-2-38-0, Gabriel 9-3-25-0, Holder 11-3-27-0, Bishoo 15-5-33-1, Samuels 3-2-1-0.

West Indies 299 all out - Samuels 103, Broad 4-61

Full scorecard

Ballance watches on as Cook continues his vigil, slashing Kemar Roach to third man for four. Roach's pace continues to be down, as low as 75mph. It's early in the day to be flagging, especially when there's a new batsman to bowl at.

Luke: Just turned the cricket on after getting home from school and Trott gets out first ball, sorry guys.

Philip Brooks: Feel sorry for Lyth. England won't drop Trott now he's ground out 50 on a flat pitch. What's the motivation to score county Championship runs?

Paddy McEvoy: 49 overs to score 125, that's a disgrace. Slow building tension is one thing, but this is just awful as a spectacle.

Gary Ballance is the new man, apparently facing a leg-spinner for the first time in Test cricket. For Bishoo, it's as first Test wicket since Michael Clarke in April 2012. As well as being a decent ball, the removal of Trott came partly as a result of the set-up, the previous delivery was a loopy leg-break that left the Warwickshire man. Next ball, a big drive saw him come a cropper.

Ed Smith
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"He played well, he started to look back to his best today and he take a lot from that 59 and it was a good opening stand - something which has been very thin over the last couple of years."

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Reuters

"It was a very clever bit of bowling from Bishoo. Trott tried the sweep shot in the last over and it didn't quite come off. He will be very disappointed as he fought hard for that 59."

Image source, Getty Images

There's the breakthrough the West Indies so desperately needed, coming from a lovely piece of leg-spin bowling by Devendra Bishoo. Lovely, loopy stuff, tossed up outside Jonathan Trott's off-stump, with Trott unable to resist a drive. A touch of turn gets a thickish edge, with the catch well taken at a close gully by Jermaine Blackwood. Trott can't believe what he's done, he must drag himself away from these perfect batting conditions. The chance of a big one goes begging.

Jamie Fewery: I reckon Jonathan Trott's career boundaries stats read like Brendan McCullum's from a single match.

Joe Hudson: Cook's 50 with a s/r of 37.5, Trott's 50 with a s/r of 36, inns R/R of 2.5. That is painful. Draw anyone?

Chris Parker: If you ran each of them you'd have gone over 301,000km

Ooohhh, that's lovely from Jonathan Trott, a dreamy drive just on the leg side off straight, taking Roach for the first boundary in 15 overs. Melted chocolate dripping off a spoon. Undeterred, Roach responds by managing to take the inside edge, Trott's Chinese cut going to fine leg for a single. I've never found out why it's called a Chinese cut.

John in Leicester: My medical finals are done and I became a doctor on Monday so can enjoy the cricket now. I only wish I'd chosen my elective hospital placement in the Windies and not the UK!

Riordan in Exeter: Nothing more pleasing to watch than a Cook clip off the hips for one, what joy!

Thwack! Take that, short leg. Last night, Jermaine Blackwood put down a sharp chance off Alastair Cook, now he is being pinned on the shoulder when the skipper rocks back to play a pull shot. That is the main source of entertainment from a Bishoo maiden.

Steven Williams: This is my concern with Cook & Trott opening - the scoreboard goes nowhere. Against better attacks the pressure will just build & build until they get that ball that 'was just too good' leaving the rest of the batting line-up under pressure. There has been a total lack of attacking intent against the new ball since Strauss retired.

The Windies shuffle the pack, searching for the right combination. Kemar Roach back, round the wicket, with pace down below 80mph. The shortish pacer is hustling towards the end which houses plenty of travelling England fans, identified by the St George's flags that hang from the stands. England always do well for support in the Windies - I suspect Barbados will be invaded by pale sunburnt types wearing socks with sandals.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"These are the days I used to love playing cricket in the West Indies. In the sun but it's not too hot, a really knowledgeable crowd. What a lovely to place to cricket."

Image source, AFP

There is 50 for Jonathan Trott, his first since returning to the side and a lovely milestone for a man who has gone through plenty in the last 18 months. It comes with a dab for one off Bishoo. His 19th Test half-century is greeted by a handshake from his captain and celebrated with a top-edged sweep that almost has deep square leg interested. He also goes to 15,000 first-class runs. That's a lot of singles.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"Alastair Cook has probably got in mind the Test against India last summer when he got into the 90s and then got out to the worse ball of the Test. He is being very watchful. Over the last two years he has probably lay in bed thinking of the times when he should have played tighter. When you are in good nick, it's not something you think about."

Cook and Trott are certainly effective, but you wouldn't say that either are exactly pleasing on the eye. Yes, they have had excellent careers, but neither possesses the cover drive of a Michael Vaughan, or back-foot drive of a Sachin Tendulkar. Has anyone ever said "I can't wait to watch Alastair Cook bat"? Would they make an Entertainers XI? I'm not sure. Either way, they are doing the business here. Trott one short of 50.

Ray in Swansea: First 100 opening stand since Cook and Compton in March 2013. Then we dropped Compton, Cook hasn't looked the same since, seems to have a new partner every series. Once again it's not the players, but the selectors who are the root cause of England's problems!