BUMBLE ON THE TEST: Ben Duckett's lack of match practice has left him undercooked but it is the modern way - and enjoy the Lord's sell-outs while they last
- England moved to the verge of victory over West Indies in the first Test at Lord's
- Players will chase big money on offer in shorter-form cricket around the world
- Duckett, meanwhile, looked all over the place in his brief innings with the bat
England moved to the verge of victory in their first Test of the summer on Thursday with another dominant showing against West Indies at Lord's.
Jamie Smith and Jimmy Anderson were among the stars on what will likely turn out to be Anderson's penultimate day as an international cricketer as he prepares to bring the curtain down on an exceptional career.
Ben Stokes, meanwhile, passed 200 wickets as he again showed how key he is to his side as they look to build for the Ashes.
On Friday, England need five more wickets to claim a dominant victory, and likely won't have to bat again to earn it.
Here, Mail Sport columnist DAVID 'BUMBLE' LLOYD takes you through some of the stories you may have missed from day one at the home of cricket.
England have moved to the verge of a dominant victory over West Indies in the first Test
The retiring Jimmy Anderson (centre) was among the wickets on another successful day for the home side
Captain Ben Stokes, meanwhile, passed the 200 wickets mark in Test cricket on the day
Lovely drop… for £9.20!
At Lord's this week and fancy venturing further afield? I recommend Borough Market.
The Market Porter's busy, a great people-watching pub. Then there's The Rake, where a very pleasant cloudy IPA costs £9.20. Must be up there with the most expensive pints in the land.
At the Indian Gourmet, I tackled the lamb jalfrezi and lamb chops. The sheep must be nervous round here.
A tale of two sausages
Settling in for the day with a bacon sandwich, an advert ahead of Sky Sports' coverage caught my eye.
A couple dance round their living room, then shimmy into the bedroom. The ad was for erectile dysfunction medication. Bit early for that!
Then, blow me, Sir Alastair Cook produces a double ender - a type of sausage, presented to him the Bedfordshire young farmers. The mind boggles.
Money talks
Another Lord's Test sell-out - enjoy it while it lasts.
These satellite Twenty20 and T10 leagues are cropping up all over the world. There's a huge amount of money swilling around and the bottom line is that the players will chase it.
Lord's was sold out again on Thursday, but we may not see sights like that for much longer
Duckett looks undercooked
The curious case of Ben Duckett. I assume England's opener has hit countless balls in the nets this week, but what match practice has he had?
Well, after playing four-day cricket in April, he spent a month as a squad player at the Twenty20 World Cup and had one T20 Blast game for Nottinghamshire last week.
It's the modern way, I get that, but Duckett was all over the place in his brief innings - three from 13 balls - on day one.
Ben Duckett, meanwhile, looks undercooked in terms of his preparation for the current series
Cricket needs levelling up
'It can't be right that only three teams in the world play five-Test series. In what other sport would you have that and still call it a level playing field?' Words delivered by the excellent Fazeer Mohammed on Test Match Special on Thursday.
The Big Three of England, India and Australia benefit from huge broadcast deals but the wealth distribution is inadequate to allow nations with more modest incomes to compete. Uniformity in length of series might be a start.
