Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"I think Ballance is a better starter against seam than spin. He lets the ball go very well and sometimes you have to play the ball with spin."

Gary Ballance is just struggling to time the ball on this slow wicket - he drives Gabriel into the covers but doesn't get value for the shot, just two runs. Sedate start after lunch for England.

Image source, Getty Images

Dan from Worcester: Time for England to settle down and score' 500+ then rattle the West Indies over for under 200. Time to build some confidence ahead of New Zealand and the Ashes. You heard it here first!

Devendra Bishoo begins at the other end. The leggie bowled well before lunch, and would have been distraught to see Alastair Cook survive that LBW shout - the England captain looked gone for all money before the DRS providentially suggested that the ball would only have clipped the bails.

A rather sloppy beginning sees Bishoo drift one down well outside the leg stump which manages to evade both Gary Ballance and Denesh Ramdin on its way to the boundary - four byes.

Denis: England have great depth in the batting line-up, top & lower order. Give the players in the team time to prove themselves.

Alastair Cook fiddles with the peak of his helmet as Shannon Gabriel steams in, the sun-rays are beaming down fiercely now in Grenada. The skipper adds his first run after lunch with a gentle pull into the leg side.

Shannon Gabriel looks like he's going to bowl the first over after lunch. Alastair Cook on strike. Here we go...

It was a good morning for England, with Jonathan Trott battling well to bring up his first half-century since his international recall - an important milestone for the Warwickshire man.

But with plenty of time already lost to rain in this match, the onus should be on England to raise the tempo slightly in their first innings after lunch. Whether they will, with Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance at the crease, a slowish pitch and the England skipper desperate for a ton, is another matter...

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"You have players you enjoy bowling at and others you hated bowling at. I would pay anything not to have to bowl to Jacques Kallis in a Test match."

Thank you Stephan. Afternoon everyone. So, is today the day that we finally bring out the bunting for Alastair Cook again? It's been a while since we saw the England skipper raise his bat for three figures.

When Cook hit his last ton against New Zealand way back in May 2013, nobody had heard of Harry Kane, Poldark hadn't been on telly since the 70s, and 'twerking' and 'selfie' weren't even in the dictionary yet., external I'd be surprised if twerking or selfies feature heavily in the England captain's century celebrations (if he gets there), but you never know...

Tom, NJ: People defending the run rate must have forgotten the rain yesterday and the flatness of the pitch. Given we lost overs in the first two days, a run rate under 2.5 is just unacceptable if we still want to win this match. And anyone can do that against a tiring attack on a pitch this flat.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"I think undoubtedly Jimmy is the best bowler I have seen, but I didn't see the likes of Trueman and Bedser. I think it's a skill in itself to skittle the tail and that should not be overlooked."

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Guardian cricket journalist Mike Selvey: "Matthew Hoggard was a fantastic bowler, he was terrifically skilled."

Richard Ellis: Cook's 'press' is all wrong. Just before delivery he is pushing his bat and hands down towards the pitch and only then picks the bat up. He didn't used to do that so like Finn another case of over-coaching and technique over mind. He will always be late on the shot doing that.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Matthew Hoggard, speaking to Jonathan Agnew: "I think Jimmy is the greatest ever. He is the most skilful. He has enough pace, he has the outswinger and the inswinger without an obvious change in action and he's moody. He's the leader of the attack and the most consistent."

So, grab a brew and a biscuit and keep listening to TMS. I'm outta here for a little while. James Gheerbrant will pick up the action after lunch.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Matthew Hoggard, speaking to Jonathan Agnew about finishing top of the BBC Sport study: "It was brilliant. It is a modern-day bias if you dig a little deeper into the stats, but if you have the new nut in your hand you've got a chance of getting the best batsmen out."

Mike Fisher: Great to see the England top order setting the base for the innings. Should allow freedom to score for the guys coming in later.

Al Watson: This will be the definition of the nervous 90s if Cook manages to get there. Come on Cooky!

Downie: Sure hope Cook get his ton. 2013 is a long time ago. Hopefully he finds some confidence going into the Ashes. Brilliant batsman.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

On Test Match Special during the lunch break, Graeme Swann and Mike Selvey will be discussing the results of a BBC Sport study that attempted to rank England's all-time top 10 Test wicket-takers.

Our man Marc Higginson, with the help of statistician Andrew Samson, crunched the numbers and came up with a surprising winner. If you've not read his piece, have a little look here.

England 143-1 (60 overs)

Not out batsmen: Cook 67 (198), Ballance 7 (24)

Fall of wicket: 125-1 (Trott 59)

Bowling figures: Roach 13-2-42-0, Gabriel 9-3-25-0, Holder 11-3-27-0, Bishoo 20-7-40-1, Samuels 7-3-8-0.

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

Full scorecard