Danni Wyatt shone on her record 150th T20 international appearance as England began their first tour of India in four years with an impressive 38-run victory in Mumbai.

Wyatt hit 75 and Nat Sciver-Brunt made 77, with the pair sharing a match-winning stand in an imposing total of 197 for six.

Sophie Ecclestone ensured their work did not go to waste, rounding out the result with figures of three for 15 on her comeback appearance after four months out with a shoulder injury.

Opener Wyatt began the match by becoming the first English cricketer to reach the cap landmark but soon found herself in a scrap at the Wankhede Stadium, losing two batting partners in the first over of the day and before she had even got off the mark.

Renuka Singh was responsible for her side’s fine start, bowling Sophia Dunkley via a deflection off the bat and then knocking over Alice Capsey for a golden duck as she took out off stump with a beauty.

Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt were unfazed by the double setback and proceeded to put on 138 off the next 87 balls.

Wyatt helped herself to eight fours and two sixes, the first a slog sweep off Deepti Sharma and the second a big swing over long-off charging debutant Shreyanka Patil.

Sciver-Brunt added 13 boundaries of her own as the scoreboard raced along but Wyatt’s 47-ball attack ended with five overs left as she was stumped off newcomer Saika Ishaque.

Captain Heather Knight fell cheaply and Sciver-Brunt was caught behind in the 19th but Amy Jones ensured an action-packed finish by scoring 23 off nine balls at the death.

Sciver-Brunt was back in the thick of things early in the chase, coming on for the third over and forcing an error from the dangerous Smriti Mandhana, who was bowled middle stump.

Shafali Verma collected a handful of fours as she kept India in touch with the required rate but when Freya Kemp had Jemima Rodrigues caught behind in the final powerplay over it was another big boost to the tourists’ cause.

India were relying on a big stand between Verma and Harmanpreet Kaur, the latter briefly looking in rude health before Ecclestone’s arrival spelled the end. The left-arm spinner had not played since dislocating her shoulder in August but needed just one sighter before bowling Kaur via an inside edge.

With five overs left India still needed 74, leaving England to mop up a clinical win as Ecclestone added the battling Verma (52) and Kanika Ahuja to her haul.

Kevin Sinclair continues to demonstrate his all-round prowess, as he followed up his day one five-wicket haul with another half century, but it wasn't enough for West Indies A to slow the progress of their South African counterparts, who hold a commanding 252-run lead heading into Thursday's third day of action in their third four-day unofficial Test at Mangaung Oval.

The South Africans, who posted 274 runs on day one, bundled out West Indies A for another paltry 126 to take a 148-run first innings lead, which they added to, as they reached 104 for three in their second innings at the close of the second day on Wednesday.

Scores: South Africa A 274 & 104-3; West Indies A 126

Only Sinclair with his 68-ball 50, and Jamaican Jordan Johnson (33), offered little resistance to South Africa's bowling attack in West Indies A's dismal first innings, as they along with Zachary McCaskie (19), were the only batsmen to get into double figures. Dante Paterson led the onslaught with four wickets for 34 runs.

In their second turn at bat, South Africa lost captain Neil Brand (four) to Shamar Joseph, who made early inroads, as he also accounted for Raynard van Tonder (30) and David Bedingham (six), to give West Indies some semblance of hope of clawing their way back into the contest.

However, Zubayr Hamza, unbeaten on 33, and Khaya Zondo, unbeaten on 29, steadied things out with a 59-run fourth-wicket stand.

Josephs three for 26 so far, adds to his three for 65 in the first innings.

Kevin Sinclair was the star of day one of the deciding third unofficial “Test” between the West Indies “A” and South Africa “A” at the Manguang Oval in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

South Africa “A” were able to post 274 in 67.4 overs after winning the toss. Khaya Zondo led the way with a well-compiled 70 off 114 balls including seven fours and two sixes.

Captain Neil Brand also showed some good form with a 93-ball 62 while Zubayr Hamza made 30.

Sinclair was excellent with the ball, picking up 5-44 off 14.4 overs, already his fourth five-wicket haul of his 20-match first-class career.

Shamar Joseph and Shermon Lewis provided good support with 3-65 from 15 overs and 2-68 from 13 overs, respectively.

The West Indians ended the day 17-1 off eight overs, trailing by 257. Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the batsman dismissed for 3. Zachary McCaskie (12) and Kirk McKenzie (2) are the batsmen at the crease.

The teams are tied at 1-1 in the series. West Indies “A” won the first game by one wicket and South Africa “A” won the second by 232 runs.

Full Scores:

South Africa “A” 274 off 67.4 overs (Khaya Zondo 70, Neil Brand 62, Zubayr Hamza 30, Kevin Sinclair 5-44, Shamar Joseph 3-65, Shermon Lewis 2-68)

West Indies “A” 17-1 off 8 overs

Sophie Ecclestone will make her England comeback in Wednesday’s T20 series opener against India, with captain Heather Knight declaring the spinner “fit and firing” after four months out.

The world number one white-ball bowler needed surgery after dislocating her shoulder in August while taking part in the Hundred, missing the home series against Sri Lanka and the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.

But she stepped up her recovery during England’s recent training camp in Oman and is ready to return to action at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

“Sophie has missed a bit of cricket with the injury she had but she’s going to be fit and firing, so I’m looking forward to seeing her bowl,” Knight said.

“I don’t think bowling will be an issue, she’s been doing really well, but fielding there might be a bit of nervousness. I’ve had injuries myself where it’s about getting over trusting your body.

“I’m sure in the heat of battle Sophie will be fine, she’s tracking really well in training, diving around and things like that, but we’ll keep a close eye on her because she’s obviously a key player for us.”

England have not toured India since 2019 but Knight was among a handful of players who played in the country’s inaugural Women’s Premier League and believes it is the perfect place for her side to develop.

“It feels a long time since we’ve been to India, but now the WPL is a staple in the calendar there’s going to be a lot of cricket here for English players,” she said.

“I always feel I learn a lot about my game playing in Indian conditions. It really tests you as a cricketer in terms of skill level, how you deal with the noise, the heat and the other things that tend to happen in Indian tours.

“It’s a really good place to accelerate development and I’m excited to see how we cope with it.

“I’m really excited to see what sort of crowd we get too. Hopefully we get a few in after the WPL earlier in the year and we can silence the crowd, if there is one.”

England have one doubt for the series opener, with Charlie Dean set to sit out due to illness.

As was expected, West Indies Academy inflicted a soul-crushing defeat on Emerging Island in their four-day match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday to sweep the series 2-0. Having been set a nigh-impossible target of 575 runs, the tourists wilted under the pressure and we bowled out for 143, thus losing by a mammoth 432 runs.

Having resumed from their overnight total of 172-4, for an already significant lead of 432 runs, West Indies Academy, spurred by Kevin Wickham’s unbeaten 105 and contributions of 32 from Nyeem Young and 22 from McKenny Clarke, eventually declared on 321-8.

The spark in the dark for Emerging Ireland was the haul of 5-75 by Tom Hayes, who got some support from Michael Frost whose two wickets came at the cost of 136 runs from 32 overs.

With a target of almost 600 runs, Emerging Ireland were never up to the task against a rested and confident West Indies Academy bowling attack led by Joshua Bishop who snagged 4-36 and Clarke, who bowled miserly for 2-16 from six overs.

Lower-order batter Liam McCarty offered the most resistance with a knock of 35 not out. Otherwise, opener Stephen Doheny was the only other batter who got into the 20s, with 23.

Delhi Bulls sank to the lowest total in the Abu Dhabi T10's seven-year history, folding for just 31 despite having Quinton de Kock, Johnson Charles, James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell, Ravi Bopara and Dwayne Bravo in their ranks, to give New York Strikers their third win and a spot at the top of the table for now.

If you score 98 for 4 in a ten-overs-a-side tournament where three figures are breached quite often, you expect to have it tough in the second half, but it was certainly not the case on the day for Strikers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Two wickets fell in the first over of the chase, to Akeal Hosein (3 for 7), one each in the second and third, and three in the fifth to Chamika Karunaratne (3 for 6). That was the end of the specialist batters bar Bopara, who was the only Bulls batter to get into double-digits with 16.

The Bulls were bowled out with three balls left in the innings after four batters fell for ducks.

In the first half, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dominated proceedings with a 24-ball 49 not out, as Strikers reached what was a just-about-par score of 98… it proved more than three times what Bulls could manage on the day.

Bulls have now lost two on the bounce after starting with three wins in a row, and are still up at No. 3 on the table, while Strikers, after starting with a loss, have now won three in a row.

Rehan Ahmed defended Jos Buttler’s captaincy following criticism of his tactical acumen by Sir Alastair Cook after England started their tour of the Caribbean on a losing note.

Several of Buttler’s decisions were scrutinised during a calamitous World Cup defence and England’s new era in ODIs made a false start as they were beaten by a Shai Hope-inspired West Indies on Sunday.

Having been strangled by spin duo Ahmed and Liam Livingstone, the Windies needed 101 in the last nine overs but they feasted on England’s pace bowlers to win with four wickets and seven balls to spare.

Cook, the former England captain and their record Test run-scorer, wondered on TNT Sports afterwards whether Buttler could have juggled his resources better during the Windies’ successful chase and deployed Will Jacks’ off-spin in the middle overs to take the pressure off the seamers at the death.

But 19-year-old leg-spinner Ahmed said: “Jos is an unbelievable captain. It’s just his call.

“We were in a great position by the end of it. It wasn’t like there was bad decisions throughout the game.

“I don’t think you can put anything down to Jacksy not bowling. I felt like we were always in the game even right to the end.

“We just didn’t execute at the end. We were always still in the game.”

Buttler’s lean patch with the bat also continued at the weekend after being dismissed for three, his fifth single figure score in eight innings while he is averaging 14.1 since the start of the World Cup.

Ahmed said: “Every time I bowl to him in the nets, he smacks me everywhere. Some people can be short of runs sometimes but he’s still Jos Buttler. He’s probably the best white-ball player I’ve bowled to.”

Sam Curran felt the full might of the Windies’ power hitting as he leaked 98 from 9.5 overs and the most expensive ODI figures by an England bowler came with the extra indignity of being pummelled for three sixes in four balls as unbeaten centurion Hope got his side over the line.

Curran’s fortunes have nosedived since being named player of the tournament in England’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign last year.

Dropped after three innocuous showings at the 50-over World Cup – averaging 11.66 and 70 with bat and ball respectively – the 25-year-old made an important 38 off 26 balls at the weekend, although that was overshadowed by what followed.

Ahmed, who was the pick of England’s attack with two for 40, has backed Curran to demonstrate his resilience in the second ODI of the three-match series on Wednesday.

He said: “After losing a game and if you’ve been hit around then I don’t think you’ll be very happy with it.

“The thing is, Sam is an unbelievable player – everyone knows he is as well, so I’m sure the next game he’ll probably get a five-for, he’ll be good.”

It is understood Ahmed’s younger brother Farhan will be selected on Tuesday in England’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup, which is set to be held in South Africa from January 13 to February 4 next year.

The 15-year-old is an off-spinner by trade and although his elder sibling cracked a couple of jokes at his expense, there is the prospect of two Ahmeds in an England side in the future.

Ahmed joked: “He bowls a lot of dot balls so he’ll be quite boring and I don’t expect (him to hit) too many sixes. But no, I’m very happy for him, he’s very young and he’s been picked for such a big thing.

“He’s quite exciting for an off-spinner, which is quite surprising. But I think he’ll go well. I’m very chuffed for him.

“I play with my older brother and younger brother and dad in club cricket and it’s the best ever feeling.

“As many of us that can play together it’s always going to be good. Whether it’s for England for county for school for a club, anything.

“Playing alongside family is always a great feeling.”

In what seems to be a dominant display, the West Indies Academy is on track for a second consecutive victory against Emerging Ireland in the four-day match at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. Following the action on the second day, the West Indies Academy appears poised for success, holding a substantial lead over their opponents.

The West Indies Academy resumed their innings on Saturday from an overnight score of 300-8, eventually concluding at 326 all out. The momentum continued as their bowlers took center stage, dismantling Emerging Ireland for a mere 72 runs in 26.4 overs. Opting not to enforce the follow-on, the West Indies were 172-4 at stumps, establishing an overall lead of 426 runs heading into the third day.

Emerging Ireland faced a daunting challenge after bowling out the West Indies Academy for a competitive 326. With little resistance, only two batters managed to reach double figures. Cabe Carmichael emerged as the top scorer with 39, while Tom Hayes contributed 12. The home team's bowlers, led by Joshua Bishop with 4-18 from 6.4 overs, made swift work of the tourists' lineup. Isai Thorne displayed equal prowess with 3-15 from seven overs, and Nyeem Young, following his impressive 80 with the bat, claimed 2-7 from six overs. McKenny Clarke also made his presence felt with 1-16 from four overs.

With a commanding lead of 254 runs, the West Indies Academy continued their dominance with a solid batting performance, reaching 172-4 off 45 overs. Akeem Auguste played a significant role with a score of 75 and Teddy Bishop, 45, led the scoring for the West Indies Academy. As they aim for an all-out victory, the team is in a formidable position heading into Monday's play.

Tom Hayes stood out as the best of the Irish bowlers, claiming 2-23 from the 12 overs he bowled on Sunday. Barring a miraculous turnaround, the West Indies Academy appears well-poised to secure another convincing win in the ongoing four-day contest.

Former England captain and cricket pundit Bob Willis died on December 4, 2019 at the age of 70.

The pace bowler, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer three years previously, played 90 Tests for England and had been a popular figure in broadcasting following his retirement in 1984.

Willis’ family said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly.”

Willis’ most famous moment as a player came in the 1981 Ashes series as his eight for 43 fired England to a remarkable win in the third Test at Headingley.

He is England’s fourth highest Test wicket-taker of all time with 325 wickets.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement that cricket had lost “a dear friend”.

“The ECB is deeply saddened to say farewell to Bob Willis, a legend of English cricket,” the statement read.

“He will always be remembered for his outstanding cricket career. In later years as a broadcaster Bob was a perceptive and respected voice at the microphone. We are forever thankful for everything he has done for the game.

“Everyone at the ECB sends sincere condolences to his family. Cricket has lost a dear friend.”

Willis’ former team-mate Paul Allott told Sky Sports News: “I was there when Bob passed away with Lauren, his wife, and daughter in Wimbledon. It was a peaceful passing but it was obviously a hugely emotional moment.

“We’ve known each other for more than 40 years. Beneath that quite stern exterior that he portrayed on Sky Sports there was a heart of gold.

“He was an extremely kind and gentle individual and we became the very best of friends.”

The Bob Willis Trophy was contested in 2020 and 2021 in his honour and is now presented to England’s player of the year at the Cricket Writers’ Club awards.

Jos Buttler admitted his run of low scores has “gone on for a lot longer than I would have liked” after the England captain’s World Cup hangover continued in the Caribbean.

Buttler was out for three off 13 balls against the West Indies in Antigua, his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs, while he has now gone 13 innings in this format without a fifty.

Number 11 batter Gus Atkinson was the only other England batter who did not reach double figures in the first of three ODIs, where the tourists set a target of 326 in their first match since the World Cup.

Speaking after the Windies overhauled England’s total with four wickets and seven balls to spare in an exciting crescendo, Buttler remains optimistic he can turn his fortunes around quickly.

“I feel good, I just keep managing to get out,” he said. “It’s disappointing, frustrating and gone on for a lot longer than I would have liked but there’s only myself who can score my own runs.

“I’m not going to score any if I hide away and don’t get out there. You keep working hard, you keep putting the effort in and trust that it will turn around.”

Buttler is widely-regarded as one of England’s greatest white-ball batters ever and his lean patch has coincided with his side’s listing fortunes – this was their seventh loss in 10 ODIs.

England are at the start of a new cycle and there were positives as openers Will Jacks and Phil Salt, neither of whom were selected for the World Cup group stage exit, put on 77 in 8.2 overs.

Harry Brook top-scored with 71 off 72 balls, Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls to lift England to 325 all out – the highest total in ODIs at this venue, a record that lasted a few hours.

Rehan Ahmed was the pick of the attack with two for 40 but Curran recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in an ODI as he leaked an eye-watering 98 in 9.5 overs.

Curran and Carse were unable to stop an onslaught from Windies captain Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd, who put on 89 in 51 balls to turn the tide after the hosts had slipped to 213 for five.

Hope clattered three sixes in four balls off Curran to end proceedings, finishing on 109 not out, while Shepherd crunched seven boundaries in his 28-ball stay before being dismissed two shy of fifty.

“There’s some young guys in that team who have not played loads and loads of one-day cricket, they’ll learn a lot from this,” Buttler said of a side that had five individuals with fewer than 10 ODI appearances.

“A lot of stuff we did really, really well; not well enough to win the game in the end but guys will be better for the experience, learn plenty from that and come back for the next one.

“I thought we played really well, I thought the two guys at the top set the tone really well. We were positive and aggressive and put the pressure on the West Indies at the start.

“We just didn’t quite close it out. There’s no need to panic, we’ve done a lot of things really well, there’s guys who have gained experience from this and we look forward to the next one (on Wednesday).”

The Windies are also at the outset of a new era, having failed to qualify for the World Cup, but it was Hope, a champion performer who reached 5,000 ODI runs in his knock, who was their star on Sunday.

“This definitely gives us confidence for the rest of the series,” Hope said. “We’ve got to make sure the guys believe they can win in any situation. It’s great we can start this way.”

Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd powered the West Indies to a four-wicket victory in the thrilling series-opening ODI in Antigua on Sunday.

Following a meek World Cup, England are at the start of a new era and they amassed 325 all out but Jos Buttler made his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs after being dismissed for three off 13 balls.

It looked to be enough as the Windies lurched to 213 for five in the 39th over but Hope’s unbeaten 109 off 83 balls and a punchy 48 from 28 deliveries from Shepherd underpinned a remarkable home triumph.

Hope’s three sixes in four balls off the expensive Sam Curran, who leaked 98 in 9.5 wicketless overs, helped the Windies get over the line with seven balls to spare as they drew first blood in the series.

There were positives for an England side who had six individuals in their XI who were out in India as Harry Brook top-scored with 71 off 72 balls while Phil Salt amassed 45 off 28 balls while Curran (38 off 26) and Brydon Carse (31no off 21) put on a lifted England beyond 300 after a middle-order wobble.

Rehan Ahmed was the pick of England’s attack but they were unable to pin down a side who failed to qualify for the World Cup, while Buttler’s form is an increasing concern and his run of innings with an ODI fifty stretched to 13 innings.

England started well as Salt crunched eight boundaries off fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shepherd but a turbocharged innings ended in tame fashion, vindicating the decision to introduce Gudakesh Motie’s left-arm spin after six overs.

Backing away to leg, Salt’s cut looped to the cover fielder to end a 77-run stand, while Will Jacks was gone for 26 in the next over after Joseph extracted extra bounce and found the outside edge.

Zak Crawley consolidated, initially alongside Test opening partner Ben Duckett then Brook, all of whom were watchful early on as the pitch started to become more unpredictable. Put down twice in the 30s, Crawley got to 48 when he set off for a single only to be left high and dry by Brook and run out.

Brook took 12 singles from his first 18 deliveries before reverse sweeping to the boundary while he accelerated after Buttler’s downfall with dismissive sixes off Shepherd and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah.

Liam Livingstone briefly got in on the act with back-to-back sixes in a Cariah over yielding 23 but the all-rounder and Brook were out in successive Shepherd overs. Livingstone was lbw to a delivery that kept low and Brook slapped a pace-off ball to mid-off, having added one run after being dropped on 70.

At 239 for seven with nine overs left, England were grateful for their lower order adding 86, underpinned by Curran and Carse putting on a belligerent 66 in just 38 balls. The pair each cleared the rope twice while Ahmed chipped in with a maximum as England’s innings ended with a flourish.

The hosts had only chased down 300-plus totals three times in ODIs but their attempt to overhaul the highest 50-over total at this venue began brightly courtesy of the highly rated Alick Athanaze.

The left-hander, leading run-scorer at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, feasted on Curran’s waywardness, hooking a six in the first over before ending the powerplay with a mighty mow off Gus Atkinson.

Brandon King was less fluent but put on 104 alongside Athanaze before Ahmed prised the pair apart. Athanaze missed a sweep at a googly and was given leg-before for 66 while Livingstone breached the defences of King on 35 eight balls later as England’s spinners gave them a foothold.

Keacy Carty made just 16 in a 39-ball stay before he was trapped in front by Carse’s grubber and the run-rate was steadily escalating when Shimron Hetmyer walked to the crease.

Both Hetmyer and ODI debutant Sherfane Rutherford were caught on the boundary off Atkinson and Ahmed respectively as the Windies went into the last 10 overs requiring 106 runs for victory.

Hope was the wicket England prized most, though. A standout ODI talent, he went effortlessly through the gears, rotating the strike well while he also thumped the only six Ahmed conceded in his 10-1-40-2.

He went past 5,000 ODI runs before, with 90 needed off 48 balls, Shepherd went on the attack to Curran, muscling two leg-side sixes in an over containing 19 runs.

The 45th over, also bowled by Curran, went for 15 and the 47th by Carse was taken for 17 as Hope and Shepherd turned the tide. While Atkinson took out Shepherd lbw, Curran was powerless to stop Hope repeatedly hammering him over the rope as the Windies claimed victory.

Deccan Gladiators raced to an impressive 10-wicket victory over Chennai Braves in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.

Propelled by some lusty hitting by Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who shared in an unbroken opening partnership of 85 in just 6.1 overs that took Deccan Gladiators past the 83-8 posted by the Chennai Braves.

Pooran began slowly but eventually got going smashing three sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock of 35 off 19 balls. Kohler-Cadmore was even more ruthless clubbing five fours and three sixes in his score of 44 also from 19 balls to propel the Deccan Gladiators to their third win in five games and first after back-to-back losses.

Despite the powerful hitting from their batters, it was the bowling of Andre Russell, that earned him the Player of the Match award. Russell took 2-12 from his two overs dismissing openers Jason Roy for 15 and Kobe Herft for four.

Both batters were caught by Nuwan Thusara, who was also among the wickets with 2-26.

Stephen Eskinazi, who was the best of the was run out by Andre Fletcher for with 25 from 14 balls with three fours.

Harry Brook underscored England’s bid for regeneration with an important 71 but captain Jos Buttler’s lean run of form continued in their first ODI against the West Indies in Antigua.

A chastening World Cup campaign has ushered in a new era for England although it was largely the contributions of individuals out in India who had the biggest impact in the first of three ODIs.

Three weeks on from their final match in the subcontinent, Brook top-scored in England’s 325 all out, with all of their batters reaching double figures except for Buttler and number 11 Gus Atkinson.

Buttler had a torrid World Cup, averaging 15.33 without passing 50 once, and never got going in Antigua before being dismissed for three off 13 balls after gloving a reverse sweep to the lone slip.

Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls down the order to get England over 300 after they had slipped to 239 for seven against a new-look Windies side who failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Phil Salt gave England a turbocharged start with a boundary-laden 45 in 28 balls after winning the toss under sunny skies while the tourists went on to record the highest ODI score at this ground, helped by occasionally shoddy fielding from their opponents.

Salt wasted no time in settling, crashing five fours and three meaty leg-side sixes off fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd, forcing Windies captain Shai Hope to turn to spin after six overs.

The change worked as Salt ended an electric innings in tame fashion. He has struggled against left-arm spin in the past and he was snared by Gudakesh Motie after backing away to leg and lofting to cover.

Will Jacks had been in Salt’s slipstream in a 77-run stand but still dispatched a 96-metre six arcing over cover, aided slightly by a breeze blowing across the ground, before nicking off as England’s openers departed in quick succession.

Conditions seemed to grow trickier, with the ball occasionally keeping low, as Test openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett attempted to build on England’s rapid start.

Duckett’s customary sweeps, both orthodox and reverse, came to the fore but he had his leg-stump pegged back by one that skidded on from leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, who should have had Crawley on 30 but a top-edged which looped gently to long-on was spilled by Motie, possibly unsighted by the sunshine.

Crawley was run out for 48 after setting off for a single, only to see Brook had not budged, allowing Hope to whip off the bails following Alick Athanaze’s throw from point.

Brook was initially quiet, nudging and nurdling 12 singles from his first 18 balls before reverse sweeping Motie for his first four. His second boundary was the result of more Windies misfielding as Keacy Carty got in a tangle and the ball sailed underneath his legs.

He kept England ticking over then accelerated after Buttler’s departure, clubbing Shepherd then Cariah for sixes. Cariah was also taken the distance twice by Livingstone in an over costing 23 but the England all-rounder fell for 17, trapped lbw by a grubber from Shepherd.

Brook was dropped at point on 70 but added just another run before being deceived by Shepherd’s pace-off delivery and thumping to mid-off.

At 239 for seven, England’s lower order had work to do but Sam Curran, who had a fringe role at the World Cup, and Carse, an unused squad member, helped the tourists finish with a flourish.

Both lower order batters cleared the rope twice to carry England beyond 300 before Curran was run out on 38. Carse was unbeaten on 31.

Mitchell Johnson has launched on astonishing broadside at David Warner, questioning whether his former Australia team-mate deserves to sign off from Tests on his own terms.

Warner has been Australia’s linchpin opener for over a decade and key to their World Cup triumph, but he expressed his wish to retire from Tests at the end of their series against Pakistan in Sydney next month.

He has been named in their squad for the first match in Perth, starting on December 14, despite averaging 28.9 in his last 25 Tests, amassing just one hundred – albeit a double ton – in that time.

But Warner was criticised for trying to organise his own farewell by former fast bowler Johnson, who thinks the 37-year-old is undeserving of one, pointing to his role in the 2018 ball-tampering saga.

In his column for The West Australian, Johnson, who represented Australia 256 times in all formats, wrote: “It’s been five years and David Warner has still never really owned the ball-tampering scandal.

“He has a decent overall record and some say is one of our greatest opening bats. But his past three years in Test cricket have been ordinary, with a batting average closer to what a tailender would be happy with.

“Now the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country. As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?

“Why a struggling Test opener gets to nominate his own retirement date. And why a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrants a hero’s send-off?”

Johnson, who played 26 Tests alongside Warner including the 2013/14 Ashes in which the former left-arm fast bowler terrorised England, also censured Australia’s selectors.

George Bailey, Australia’s chief selector and another former team-mate of Johnson, was accused of being too close to some players.

“The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players,” Johnson added.

Responding to Johnson’s critique, Bailey told a press conference: “Ultimately, we still think (Warner) is in our best 11 players to win the first Test.”

Kevlon Anderson scored a magnificent second first-class century to put the West Indies Academy in an excellent position at stumps on day one of their second four-day game against Emerging Ireland at Coolidge on Saturday.

The hosts ended the day 300-8 off 89.4 overs after being put in to bat by Emerging Ireland.

Anderson, 23, ended the day 101* off 172 balls including 14 fours and was well supported by Captain Nyeem Young who made 80 off 115 balls including seven fours and five sixes.

Matthew Nandu and centurion from the first game, Joshua Bishop, also made solid contributions with 35 and 22, respectively.

Tom Mayes has so far grabbed 3-62 off 21 overs while Michael Frost and Matthew Foster have taken 2-71 from 25 overs and 2-90 from 23.4 overs, respectively.

Full Scores:

West Indies Academy 300-8 off 89.4 overs (Kevlon Anderson 101*, Nyeem Young 80, Tom Mayes 3-62, Michael Frost 2-71)