Rob Smyth's Blog, page 153

Belarus 1-3 Holland, Bulgaria 0-1 France: World Cup 2018 qualifiers – as it happened

Blaise Matuidi’s early goal took France to the brink of automatic qualification, but the Netherlands were left needing a miracle just to reach the play-offs

9.41pm BST

That’s about it for tonight. These are the final scores in the Uefa qualifying games:

Group A

9.38pm BST

France have held on to beat Bulgaria. That’s a good result in a tricky match, and means they will qualify automatically if they beat Belarus at home on Tuesday.

9.37pm BST

Peep peep! That’s not really enough for Holland, who need to thrash Sweden on Tuesday if they are to reach the play-offs.

9.37pm BST

An excellent win for Greece, and bad news for the home nations.

9.36pm BST

No surprises in Group B. Switzerland made it nine wins out of nine, Portugal eight wins out of nine. The two meet in Lisbon on Tuesday, with Portugal needing a win to top the group and qualify autpmatically.

9.35pm BST

Memphis Depay has scored another for Holland, who now only need to beat Sweden by six goals on Tuesday to finish second in the group!

9.32pm BST

Ugrai lobs a header into the net to give Hungary something resembling a consolation.

9.30pm BST

Arjen Robben keeps theNetherlands’ World Cup hopes alive, but only in the eyes of the mathematicians. They need to beat Sweden 7-0 on Tuesday to finish second in the group.

9.27pm BST

Andre Silva seals an important, ugly win for Portugal. They know they will qualify automatically if they beat Switzerland in Lisbon on Tuesday. Switzerland have just scored their fifth against Hungary, a rasping drive from Stephan Lichtsteiner, and have won all nine of their group games.

9.23pm BST

79 min It hasn’t been the easiest second half for France, but they are starting to look more comfortable now against a tiring Bulgarian side.

9.18pm BST

75 min “Sorry to say that Dan Schulwolf’s recommendation is out-of-date: the Oscar Wilde, which had been in continuous operation since the early 1990s, closed earlier this year,” writes Ciaran Morrissey. “They seem to be redoing the entire building there. For anyone who’s already in the neighbourhood, Murphy’s Irish Pub just down the street, on Schiffbauerdamm, is a good alternative.”

Thanks Ciaran!

9.17pm BST

Group A

9.17pm BST

71 min “Aren’t I right in thinking that all us Welsh people should be supporting Cyprus tonight?” says Phil Grey. “If they get a result against Greece a draw will be enough against Ireland for Wales to reach the playoffs but if Greece win we’ll probably have to beat Ireland. That’s a significant difference!!”

Yep, a Cyprus equaliser would be very good for all the home nations, though I’m not sure of the exact impact on Wales because the whole thing is so darn complicated.

9.14pm BST

69 min “I think Messi should adopt some of Ronaldo’s swagger (exactly that which alienates so many from accepting his greatness) in order to pull his national team up by their bootstraps,” says Ian Copestake. “It is certainly the one clear difference in their impact as players. So I’m saying he should adopt a wide-legged stance at free kicks and open a Messi Museum.”

9.11pm BST

67 min Tick tock tick tock.

9.08pm BST

64 min France could really do with a second in Sofia, where Bulgaria look increasingly dangerous. A Bulgaria equaliser would put Sweden in control of the group.

9.06pm BST

62 min “It might be coincidence, but since Kante with his all-action style has been replaced by the decidedly more languid Rabiot, France has let Bulgaria harass them into all sorts of trouble,” says Charles Antaki. “Actually Rabiot has been pretty rubbish all round; languor is one of his less disappointing features.”

In other news, Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

9.05pm BST

The world’s best player scores a vital goal for Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo came on at half-time and has just scored from close range, his 15th goal of the qualification campaign. He looked offside but it wasn’t given. If it stays like that, Portugal will qualify automatically if they beat Switzerland on Tuesday.

9.03pm BST

Hungary have got one back against Switzerland. In the same group, Portugal are getting very frustrated by Andorra’s timewasting tactics. It’s still 0-0, and if it stays like that Portugal will be going into the play-offs.

8.59pm BST

Belarus have equalised through a cracking low drive from Maksim Volodko, and the Netherlands will not be going to the World Cup. They’re a Total Mess!

8.56pm BST

Zuber’s second goal puts Switzerland 4-0 ahead in Basel. They will qualify tonight if Portugal fail to score against Andorra.

8.54pm BST

51 min Zanev is booked for a nasty lunge at Tolisso, who screams in pain as he rolls off the pitch.

8.52pm BST

49 min Bulgaria improved towards the end of the first half and they have started the second strongly. For all their excellent play in the first half, France are only one goal away from a problem.

8.51pm BST

47 min “I’m sorry,” says Dave Wade, “but did Ian Copestake compare Ireland’s all-time leading goalscorer Robbie Keane to Ryan Babel?”

No, I think he compared Liverpool flop Robbie Keane to Ryan Babel.

8.48pm BST

46 min Peep peep! The five qualifying matches have resumed, which is great news for those who enjoy the unique misery of permutations.

8.44pm BST

Berlin pub department “Afternoon Rob,” says Dan Schulwolf. “Given that I’m on a train from Boston to lovely Westerly, Rhode Island, and that I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Berlin, I’d be happy to give our mutual acquaintance Simon McMahon a tip or two. While there aren’t many good bars near Potsdamer Platz, Oscar Wildes on Friedrichstraße is a decent option, if a bit touristy. My personal favorite place to watch a game there is The Harp in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, right off Ku’damm.”

Thanks Dan!

8.41pm BST

“Hi Rob,” says Nick Cherkas. “Big match in Casablanca tonight with Morocco taking on Gabon, hoping to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1998 (remember Mustapha Hadji and one of the goals of the tournament?) African stalwart Hervé Renard is in charge, Mehdi Benatia is captain and Nourdin Amrabat is hoping to be Moroccan all over the world in Russia. All African qualification is goin down to the wire, in fact... Enjoy!”

Who could forget Hadji’s goal – or this music.

8.33pm BST

Peep peep! It’s half time around Europe, and these are the scores:

Group A

8.29pm BST

Switzerland’s perfect qualification campaign continues: eight and a half games, eight and a half wins. It’s almost perverse that they still aren’t guaranteed to reach Russia.

8.28pm BST

43 min As things stand, Switzerland will qualify for the World Cup and France will be on course to do so.

8.26pm BST

41 min Bulgaria have been much better in the last 10 minutes. They haven’t created much, apart from that chance for Popov a few minutes ago, but the signs are much better.

8.25pm BST

37 min Hugo Lloris redeems his own error with a superb save. He fumbled a long-range shot which kicked up a little awkwardly off the pitch. When the loose ball was knocked back into the six-yard box by Delev, Popov twisted his body to head towards goal and Lloris reacted admirably to paw it away.

8.19pm BST

33 min N’Golo Kante is going off with what looks like a hamstring injury. Adrien Rabiot replaces him.

8.18pm BST

32 min It’s still Andorra 0-0 Portugal in their Group B match. Portugal need to win that to have a chance of qualifying automatically, assuming Switzerland don’t lose their 2-0 lead at home to Hungary.

8.17pm BST

30 min As things stand, the Netherlands need to beat Sweden by seven goals on Wednesday to finish second in the group.

8.15pm BST

29 min Lacazette, put clear by Mbappe, is denied a goal by a fantastic tackle from Bozhikov.

8.13pm BST

27 min “Evening, Dazzler,” sniffs Ian Copestake. “The return of Ryan Babel to footballing consciousness after a decade of recovery from all the hope we invested in him (before seeing him as meh), makes me wonder which other non-legend is out there on the fringes awaiting a revival. Robbie Keane? Andrey Arshavin? Christian Poulsen?”

I’ll take Matthias Breitkreutz and Gary Coatsworth.

8.12pm BST

26 min Griezmann swishes a half volley across Iliev and just wide of the far post. France are still in control of this match and playing very well.

8.11pm BST

Greece, who need to win tonight, have scored twice in three minutes to take the lead in Cyprus. Meanwhile in Borisov, the Netherlands have one of the 472 goals they need to maintain their hopes of qualifying.

8.07pm BST

Two quickfire goals for Switzerland, who should now make it nine wins out of nine in qualification. Yet in all probability they will still need a point in their final match, away to Portugal on Wednesday, to qualify automatically.

8.04pm BST

It’s there! Pieros Sotiriou has given Cyprus the lead against Greece, which is a significant goal in Group H. Greece need to win this game to move above Bosnia and Herzegovina into second place.

8.02pm BST

16 min Belarus make a mess of a three-on-three break against a Holland side who look resigned to having next summer off.

8.01pm BST

15 min Mbappe beats Bodurov with a stepover on the left of the box before hitting a left-footed shot that is beaten away at the near post by Iliev.

8.00pm BST

14 min Iliev spills Sidibe’s cross dangerously close to Griezmann before claiming it at the second attempt. This has, so far, been a performance of outstanding authority from France.

7.59pm BST

“I’d just like to agree with Simon,” says Benjamin Park. “Despite all the criticism of England, I bet that Holland would switch places with them in a heartbeat. A boring qualification seems the better alternative to Holland’s situation.”

I miss the days of England scrambling to qualify for major tournaments, usually in the final match against Poland.

7.57pm BST

The Barcelona left-back Lucas Digne is causing Bulgaria plenty of problems in attack. Bulgaria have hardly had a kick in the first 11 minutes.

7.54pm BST

The Netherlands haven’t started well in Borisov. They look like a team who have been demoralised by Sweden’s 8-0 win over Luxembourg.

7.52pm BST

France look really sharp in Sofia. A win tonight would mean they only need to beat Belarus at home in their last game to top the group.

7.51pm BST

France take an early lead with a fine goal! Digne crossed low to Griezmann, who cushioned the ball into the path of the advancing Matuidi, and he crashed a rising drive into the far corner from a tight angle.

7.46pm BST

It’s a grim night in Sofia, with the rain lashing down. Bulgaria get us going.

7.44pm BST

“Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Quite exciting, this World Cup qualification lark. Although not if you’re English, I suppose. Then it’s boring. Though I would take a few boring qualifications any day. Anyway, I’ll be in Berlin - Potsdamer Platz or thereabouts - tomorrow for Slovenia v Scotland. Seeing as MBMers are an international bunch, anyone recommend the best place to watch?”

Somewhere with a lot of sofas would be my suggestion.

7.41pm BST

Apologies for the lack of updates - I’ve been having a few technical problems. The five matches are about to start, with Bulgaria v France the most eye-catching.

7.14pm BST

France need to win their last two games - away to Bulgaria tonight and at home to Belarus on Wednesday - to be certain of top spot. It’s such a shame the play-offs will be seeded, or we could be looking at France v Italy. Imagine.

7.07pm BST

Belarus (4-2-3-1) Chernik; Rios, Yanushkevich, Politevich, Volodko; Dragun, Maevski; Balanovich, Karnitski, Stasevich; Signevich.

Netherlands (4-2-3-1) Cillessen; Janmaat, Van Dijk, Rekik, Blind; Wijnaldum, Vilhena; Robben, Propper, Babel; Janssen.

7.04pm BST

Bulgaria (4-4-2) Iliev; Popov, Bodurov, Bozhikov, Zanev; Manolev, Slavchev, Kostadinov, Nedelev; Galabinov, Delev.

France (4-3-3) Lloris; Sidibi, Varane, Umtiti, Digne; Tolisso, Kante, Matuidi; Griezmann, Lacazette, Mbappe.

6.43pm BST

The early games

The 5pm matches have just finished, and these are the results.

11.13am BST

Hello. It’s refreshing to see so many superpowers struggling to qualify for the World Cup, something that hasn’t really happened since it swelled to 32 teams in 1998. Argentina, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands are all unsure whether they will be in Russia next summer, with the Netherlands particularly deep in the malodorous stuff.

Tonight’s clockwatch will cover fixtures from Uefa qualification groups A, B and H (insert your own Ben Stokes joke here), with Group A our main focus. Sweden stuffed Luxembourg 8-0 in the early kick-off, so the Netherlands probably need to exceed that in Belarus to keep their hopes alive. It has been a bizarre comedown for a team who finished third at the last World Cup before failing to qualify for Euro 2016 and, in all probability, Russia 2018. Maybe Ryan Babel will be their saviour.

Continue reading...

Newcastle United 1-1 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Rafa Benitez’s side defended admirably to earn a draw against Liverpoo, with Philippe Coutinho’s superb effort cancelled out by a strange goal from Joselu

6.24pm BST

That’s a fine result for Newcastle, who defended admirably against a Liverpool side who dominated most of the game. They stay ninth, Liverpool drop below Burnley into seventh. Thanks for your company, bye!

6.23pm BST

That’s it!

6.22pm BST

90+3 min Diame’s shot actually hit Lovren’s hand but, as with the appeal against Newcastle in the first half, it deflected onto the arm after he originally blocked it with his feet. A penalty would have been extremely harsh.

6.21pm BST

90+2 min Ritchie’s left-wing corner dips over everyone at the near post and falls to Diame, whose snapshot has the sting taken out of it by Lovren and is claimed by Mignolet.

6.20pm BST

90+1 min There will be three minutes of added time. Newcastle have their first corner of the match ...

6.19pm BST

90 min Newcastle bring on Mohamed Diame for Ayoze Perez.

6.18pm BST

88 min Matip screams a long pass towards Moreno, who lobs the ball back into the area from the left touchline. Oxlade-Chamberlain gets to it first, under pressure from Manquillo, and heads over on the stretch. What a chance! I think the ball was out of play before Moreno crossed it, but it wasn’t given so the goal would have counted.

6.17pm BST

88 min “There’s a fantastic player somewhere inside Shelvey,” says Matt Dony. “It’s a shame he seems like he’ll never truly fulfil his potential, or at least not with any consistency. He’ll always have a special place in my heart though, thanks to the magnificent verbal volley he unloaded at Ferg while trudging off the pitch for an early shower.”

6.16pm BST

87 min A long goalkick from Elliot is headed down by Lovren to Perez, who sees Mignolet off his line and tries his luck from 30 yards. It goes well wide.

6.14pm BST

85 min Another Coutinho blast is blocked by the admirable Shelvey, who looks weary now.

6.13pm BST

84 min Coutinho’s flat cross towards the near post is headed just wide by Solanke, who did well to stoop and twist his neck to divert the ball anywhere near goal. Elliot may have had it covered.

6.12pm BST

84 min Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Mo Salah, who has been the best attacker on the pitch.

6.12pm BST

83 min Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is about to come on. Liverpool are attacking with an urgency that verges on desperation, but Newcastle are just about managing to repel them.

6.07pm BST

79 min Newcastle bring on Liverpool’s bogeyman, Dwight Gayle, to replace the goalscorer Joselu.

6.06pm BST

77 min Newcastle have settled, or been forced to settle, for a draw. They are under increasing pressure and look pretty tired. When Salah swings a corner beyond the far post, Lovren’s looping header back across goal is cleared from under his own bar by Shelvey.

6.04pm BST

75 min Gomez’s excellent cross just evades Solanke before Elliot punches clear. Liverpool have moved Salah back out to the right, with Coutinho on the left and Firmino playing behind Solanke.

6.03pm BST

74 min Liverpool make a double change, with Roberto Firmino and Dominic Solanke replacing the disappointing pair of Sturridge and Mane. Newcastle are also making a change, with Isaac Hayden replacing Merino in midfield.

6.02pm BST

72 min Shelvey gets plenty of criticism but he has been excellent today, without and especially with the ball.

5.58pm BST

69 min For all Liverpool’s dominance, Elliot has not had that much to do. Newcastle’s defence has been excellent.

5.55pm BST

67 min Salah is playing as a No10 now, with Liverpool switching to a 4-2-3-1, and Newcastle can’t get close to him.

5.54pm BST

65 min Salah plays another dangerous through pass to Sturridge, who this time is rightly flagged offside.

5.52pm BST

64 min Salah clips a fine pass over the defence, and Elliot hares from his line to get to the ball a split-second before Sturridge.

5.52pm BST

63 min There’s an excellent atmosphere at St James’. Just imagine the scenes when they next win a trophy.

5.51pm BST

60 min Joselu drives an excellent crossfield pass to Perez, who is nonetheless going nowhere when Moreno hacks him down. He might have been booked for that. The resulting free-kick is cleared and then tossed back into the box. Ritchie heads it right across the face of goal, with Mignolet unsure whether to stick, twist or pray. It’s headed back in the six-yard box by Clark and eventually Liverpool clear.

5.47pm BST

57 min Gomez is booked for an inept high tackle on Atsu. Newcastle’s players and supporters wanted him sent off, and for time it looked as if that might happen. Don’t ask me whether it was the right decision; I no longer have any idea what is and isn’t a red card.

5.45pm BST

56 min Coutinho’s free-kick hits the wall. Actually it was Perez who was booked, for kicking the ball away, rather than Merino.

5.44pm BST

55 min Merino is booked for an innocuous-looking tackle on Salah. It’s a free-kick to Liverpool, 30 yards from goal, and Coutinho is over it...

5.43pm BST

54 min Perez plays a good pass down the left to Atsu, who brushes Gomez aside and scoots into the box. Matip comes across to make a vital tackle, diverting the ball onto Atsu. This time it rebounds for a Liverpool goalkick rather than a Newcastle goal.

5.42pm BST

53 min Joselu screams in agony after a challenge with Mane, whose studs landed on his ribs. I’m pretty sure it was accidental.

5.40pm BST

51 min Moreno’s cross deflects towards Coutinho, whose shot is blocked by the charging Merino.

5.39pm BST

50 min Clark makes a monumental Horlicks of a routine clearance, slicing it behind him to put Sturridge clear on goal. His first-time shot is blocked by the right foot of Elliot, and Salah volleys the rebound over the bar. Both should probably have scored.

5.38pm BST

50 min Tacticswatch: Salah and Mane have switched sides.

5.37pm BST

48 min Salah’s outswinging cross from the left is just too high for Wijnaldum, whose header curls away from goal as a consequence.

5.35pm BST

47 min “Liverpool today remind me of Liverpool at the tail end of the 1990-1991 season,” says Stephen Worsley. “All over opposing teams but still managing to throw away matches by conceding goals against the run of play. If Liverpool then were to descending towards mediocrity, are Liverpool now emerging towards greatness? Probably wishful thinking on my part.”

5.34pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.

5.24pm BST

Half-time chit chat

“Liverpool today remind me of Liverpool at the tail end of the 1990-1991 season,” says Stephen Worsley. “All over opposing teams but still managing to throw away matches by conceding goals against the run of play. If Liverpool then were to descending towards mediocrity, are Liverpool now emerging towards greatness? Probably wishful thinking on my part.”

5.18pm BST

Peep peep! It’s deja vu for Liverpool, who have played some thrilling attacking football and should be ahead, but aren’t due to the concession of a vaguely shambolic goal. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

5.16pm BST

45+1 min “My uncles are Maltese Geordies (now that makes for an impenetrable accent) and members of the Toon Army, so we were talking this morning about whether Klopp would move to Bayern and Rafa would then return to Anfiel,” says James Debens. “Newcastle’s loss would, I feel, be our gain; I was guilty of implicating Rafa in the shenanigans of Gillett and Hicks back in 2010. I do admire Klopp but our league performances would improve. We’re rather like Keegan’s Newcastle at the moment, somewhat behind Rafa’s Liverpool. Eddie Howe would be a good match for Newcastle.”

5.16pm BST

45 min Two added minutes. It’s still all Liverpool.

5.13pm BST

42 min “Ah,” says Matt Dony. “I’m going to really miss Coutinho after January...”

5.12pm BST

41 min Liverpool have responded with furious anger to that equaliser and are camped in the Newcastle half. I’m not surprised. That goal wasn’t just against the run of play; it was an affront to the run of play.

5.10pm BST

39 min Liverpool win a corner on the left, and when it comes into the area Matip is wrestled away from the ball by Clark. It could have been a penalty, but it wasn’t.

5.08pm BST

Joselu equalises for Newcastle! It was a comedy goal, but who cares? Joselu looked fractionally onside as he galloped into a huge gap between Matip and Lovren to meet Shelvey’s superb long through pass. He dithered for ages as Mignolet came out, so much so that Matip was able to get back and make a desperate tackle from the side - only for the ball to hit Joselu and spin past Mignolet into the net!

5.04pm BST

33 min Coutinho wallops another 25-yarder towards goal. This time it’s high over the bar.

5.03pm BST

33 min Salah leads another superb break, running sixty yards before Clark makes a crucial tackle to concede a corner.

5.01pm BST

Pick that beast out! Coutinho has given Liverpool the lead with a storming 25-yarder. He moseyed infield from the left, away from Shelvey, and whipped a fast rising shot that curled away from Elliot’s right hand and into the net.

4.57pm BST

27 min Liverpool are starting to control this match, with Newcastle struggling to get out just now. They really need to get out more.

4.55pm BST

23 min: Liverpool hit the post! Gomez’s good low cross is volleyed over his own bar by the stretching Clark. The corner is swung out towards Wijnaldum, who hooks a clever volley that smacks off the near post. The ball ricochets around the box, with Lovren having a shot cleared off the line and Mane dragging the rebound wide. File under How The Eff Did That Stay Out?

4.52pm BST

21 min “I’m feeling all Natalie Imbruglia right now as this match leaves me torn,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “Liverpool is the team of both my boyhood and what’s laughably termed my maturity, yet when I lived in the Northeast I developed a real love of Newcastle and the Geordie fans. It’s like having a son and a daughter, both brilliant tennis players and it’s easy to cheer for both, except today is a mixed doubles match and they’re on opposite sides. Torn.”

4.51pm BST

19 min Sturridge turns smartly on the halfway line and plays a good pass behind Clark for Salah, who eats up 40 yards before Yedlin comes across to make a vital interception. Salah is so good to watch: decisive, electric and intricate.

4.48pm BST

18 min Gomez’s deep cross is volleyed wide from an impossible angle by Mane.

4.47pm BST

16 min Coutinho’s brilliant first-time pass finds Sturridge, whose shot hits the arm of Lascelles. Liverpool want a penalty but Craig Pawson turns down their appeals. I don’t think there’s much Lascelles could have done - the ball hit his leg and then, as he fell, rebounded onto his arm.

4.44pm BST

12 min Ritchie tests Mignolet with a nice curler from the edge of the box after a crisp forward pass from Shelvey. It wasn’t right in the corner and Mignolet held on comfortably as he plunged to his right. Shelvey and Ritchie book look sharp, as does Salah for Liverpool.

4.40pm BST

9 min Both sides have started brightly, with Newcastle certainly not parking the bus.

4.36pm BST

5 min Shelvey hits a long-range curler too close to Mignolet; at the other end, Sturridge chips high over the bar from 20 yards.

4.35pm BST

3 min A super counter-attack from Liverpool. Shelvey’s shot was blocked by Henderson and ricocheted to Salah. He moved past the halfway line and waved a wonderful through pass to Mane with the outside of his left foot. Lascelles did well to hold Mane up on the left side of the area, and eventually Mane overhit a return pass to Salah.

4.31pm BST

2 min “I can see this ending as a draw,” says James Debens. “Lascelles will trouble us all afternoon at set pieces and shackle Sturrridge as well. I’ve been hugely impressed with Newcastle’s defensive setup this season. In fact, could we buy Lascelles please in January, and perhaps allow Rafa to jobshare with Klopp, each man taking half of the pitch and half of the outfield players?”

If Klopp ends up at Bayern Munich, there must be a chance of a return, no? If anybody can make a silk purse out of this Liverpool defence, it’s probably Rafa.

4.31pm BST

1 min Peep peep! After a rousing blast of Going Home, and a minute’s applause for the late Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle get the match under way.

4.23pm BST

“How can you do this to me, Rob?” says Ian Copestake. “Not only do I have to put up with the return of “football’s nicest man” and his inspirationally positive team assessments, but you have to rub my face in his face rub! I thought you were special.”

You’re about as useful as a winger from Wolves playing centre-forward, mate.

4.07pm BST

First World fears department

“My big concern is seeing Liverpool go in 3-0 up at half-time,” begins Matt Dony, “and Rafa walking down the tunnel with a glint in his eye...”

3.59pm BST

This fixture has produced so many great moments. I’m sure we all agree which one sits top of the list.

3.33pm BST

Newcastle (4-2-3-1) Elliot; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Manquillo; Shelvey, Merino; Ritchie, Perez, Atsu; Joselu.
Substitutes: Darlow, Lejeune, Gamez, Hayden, Diame, Murphy, Gayle.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Coutinho; Salah, Sturridge, Mane.
Substitutes: Karius, Milner, Klavan, Can, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Firmino, Solanke.

3.16pm BST

Hello and welcome to coverage of Rafa Benitez Day, when the fans of Newcastle and Liverpool compete to demonstrate their love for a shy Spaniard. The background entertainment will be provided by 22 men attempting to win a football match.

Liverpool need the points more than Newcastle, who have done enough in the first few weeks to suggest this will be a season of relatively comfortable consolidation. Liverpool start this game eight points behind Manchester, so even a draw would be unsatisfactory.

Continue reading...

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion: Premier League – as it happened

A sparkling performance from Alexis Sanchez helped Arsenal to a comfortable victory in an enjoyably open match

1.51pm BST

And for your next fix...

Related: Everton v Burnley: Premier League – live!

1.50pm BST

Peep peep! Arsenal finish an excellent month [it’s October now you eejit - ed.] with a win that takes them up to fifth. Alexis Sanchez was ridiculously good, particularly in the second half, and Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi scored the goals. Brighton showed enough at both ends of the pitch to suggest they have a decent chance of avoiding relegation. Thanks for your company, bye!

1.48pm BST

90+2 min Gross tees up Propper, who guides a short just wide from 22 yards.

1.47pm BST

90 min The board says three.

1.44pm BST

87 min Another excellent inswinging cross from Gross skims off the head of Mustafi and goes just wide of the far post. Knockaert’s corner is flicked on by Propper and cleared crucially by Bellerin.

1.42pm BST

85 min Cech comes a long way from goal to punch the ball off the head of Duffy. Arsenal have been under some unexpected pressure in the last few minutes.

1.41pm BST

84 min Gross puts in an excellent cross in from the left, and Murray gets in front of Mustafi to flash a header into the side netting at the near post. That was a pretty good effort.

1.39pm BST

83 min Arsenal’s final substitution: Elneny on, Xhaka off.

1.38pm BST

80 min A fine one-touch move from Arsenal falls down when Walcott misplaces his pass in the area.

1.33pm BST

76 min Iwobi’s goal ended the contest at a stroke. Since then Brighton have offered little in attack.

1.33pm BST

76 min A double change for Brighton: Murray and Knockaert replaces Izquierdo and Brown.

1.32pm BST

75 min A scurrying surge from Sanchez is ended by a foul from Dunk 25 yards out. He has been so good since half-time. But he’s ot good enough to score the free-kick, which is whipped over the bar.

1.28pm BST

72 min Brighton make a change as well, with Schelotto replacing the impressive March.

1.27pm BST

71 min A couple of Arsenal substitution: Giroud and Walcott replaces Lacazette and the goalscorer Iwobi.

1.27pm BST

70 min Arsenal in total control now, with Sanchez full of mischief and menace.

1.24pm BST

67 min Sanchez plays a nice through ball to Lacazette, who is denied by an outstanding recovery tackle from Dunk. He has had a fine game at the back.

1.23pm BST

65 min Ryan did actually get a touch on that shot from Sanchez in the 61st minute, though it would still have gone in without Dunk’s touch.

1.23pm BST

64 min These days, sports fans are encouraged to learn a minimum of five things from every match. I’m not sure we’ve learned anything from this, but Arsenal’s next five league games should tell us a bit more about their prospects for the season: Watford (A), Everton (A), Swansea (H), Man City (A), Spurs (H).

1.19pm BST

61 min The brilliant Sanchez has a shot cleared off the line by Dunk. He ran infield from the left at Duffy, beat him with ease and sidefooted the ball across Ryan. It was sneaking in the corner until Dunk appeared from nowhere and deflected it just wide of the post. From the resuling corner, Kolasinac’s towering header is cleared off the line by March. Sanchez has been entirely magnificent since half-time.

1.17pm BST

59 min “How many games has Iwobi played?” says Andrew Hurley. “I think his time can still come.”

Yeah, I would argue that better players have had bigger flaws at the age of 21. I think he’s an excellent squad player.

1.14pm BST

58 min Sanchez, who was quiet in the first half, has been majestic since the break.

1.12pm BST

That’s a lovely goal. Sanchez, surrounded on the edge of the area, backheels the ball ingeniously into space for Iwobi, who drives it high past Ryan.

1.12pm BST

55 min Dunk makes an excellent interception on the halfway line, strides forward like Morten Olsen and drives a strong low shot that is well held by Cech down to his right.

1.11pm BST

54 min Sanchez’s teasing inswinging cross is headed towards his own goal by the stretching Duffy, who is relieved to see the keeper Ryan claim the ball comfortably. Duffy had to go for it because Ramsey was behind him waiting to score.

1.10pm BST

53 min A summary of the excitement in the last few minutes:

1.06pm BST

49 min Sanchez eases a pass into Lacazette, whose snapshot is excellently blocked by Duffy. Lacazette is so sharp around the box. He’s very good at hitting shots before the keeper is ready.

1.04pm BST

47 min “I’m inclined to agree that for all his talent Iwobi is sorely lacking in end product,” says Matt Loten. “He seems unfortunately to be following a familiar pattern for starlets at Arsenal in the late Wenger years: plenty of chances, flashes of brilliance, but lacking the drive (or managerial guidance) to truly explore the outer reaches of his talent. Possibly Bellerin aside, has there been a young player (bought or Academy-raised) since Fabregas who you could look at and say ‘yes, he pushed himself to be the absolute best player he could be’? Perhaps Wilshere would have without the injuries, but Walcott, Chamberlain, Chambers, Song, Coquelin, Song, and even Aaron Ramsey, you could argue, have burst onto the scene and ultimately fizzled out or stagnated.

Some would argue that Yaya Sanogo fulfilled his potential, though that wouldn’t compromise disprove your argument.

1.02pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Brighton begin the second half.

1.01pm BST

Half-time chit-chat

“On the subject of snappily named back fours, didn’t Charlton once field a defence that read Young-Fish-Costa-Fortune?” writes, er, Panini Cheapstakes. “Also, my own Saturday team could once field Burn, Burn, Birnie and Fry - surely the hottest back line in all football.”

12.47pm BST

That was an enjoyable half between two neat footballing sides. Monreal scored, Lacazette and March hit the post with storming efforts, and Ryan made an excellent save from Ramsey. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

12.45pm BST

45 min Bong marches forward from the back and slips a ball down the side of the area to Izquierdo, who holds Mustafi off and plays a short pass back to Propper. He doesn’t have much room to work with and his attempted curler flies over the bar.

12.43pm BST

43 min “Has anyone ever written a sentence where the words “Iwobi shot” and “comfortable save” don’t appear together?” says Martin McKeefry. “Just checking.”

In his defence, he’s 21 years old. I could barely do my tie up at that age.

12.43pm BST

42 min Cech makes a mess of a corner but gets away with it and Arsenal break in numbers at devastating speed. Bellerin and Kolasinac tee up Ramsey, whose close-range shot is brilliantly saved by Ryan. He was going the wrong way and stuck out his right foot to divert it wide.

12.39pm BST

38 min Duffy is booked for a naughty swish at Sanchez, who had turned him superbly.

12.38pm BST

37 min “There was a period when Swansea had both Angel Rangel and Jazz Richards on their books,” says Matt Dony. “Two of the finest names in the whole league, sharing one position. Brighton might just have them beat, though. Has there been a more satisfying back line than Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong?”

Good call. It sounds like a cryptic itinerary for a stag do.

12.36pm BST

36 min Since Arsenal went ahead this has been an enjoyable game, with both sides showing plenty of flair.

12.35pm BST

35 min A poor header from Mustafi goes to Izquierdo, who makes space for a shot that is well blocked by the charging Holding.

12.35pm BST

34 min A poor pass from Gross puts Dunk in trouble and he can only divert the ball to Lacazette. He moves towards goal and shoots straight at Ryan from inside the D. He should have done better there.

12.33pm BST

33 min “I like the idea of an unofficial nicest manager of the year award, but Hodgson has it stitched up,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Rumour has it he does the Santa at the PL managers’ Christmas bash, or was down to until Mourinho got upset and was awarded to role to avoid conflict before the mince pies were out.”

I suspect approximately 100.00 per cent of Liverpool fans would offer an alternative view re: Hodgson’s niceness.

12.32pm BST

32 min Another team who were superb at punching above the weight - Brian Clough’s late 80s/early 90s Forest side. I think they finished third in the league a couple of times but even when they were mid-table they were the scourge of the bigger teams.

12.31pm BST

31 min Dunk fouls Lacazette 25 yards from goal. Sanchez or Xhaka? Xhaka or Sanchez? It’s Xhaka, and it hits the wall.

12.29pm BST

29 min “The gruesome Wimbledon sides of the late 80s/early 90s hovered either side of eighth place in the top flight and could, with the wind behind them (literally as much as metaphorically) dole out some terrible beatings (yep, literally as much as metaphorically),” says Gary Naylor. “I was at Plough Lane to see Everton’s 1987 title-winning team hammered (and I mean hammered) 3-1 by Fash the Bash and his not so Merry Men. Just look at that line-up of steely pros who could all put a foot in - pretty much anywhere on the body too.”

12.29pm BST

28 min The lively Iwobi goes on a long, meandering run before driving a low shot from the edge of the area that is comfortably saved by Ryan.

12.25pm BST

25 min Brighton should try this attacking lark more often. They have been superb since going behind, with March causing plenty of problems on the right wing.

12.25pm BST

23 min March hits the post with a brilliant effort! Brighton worked the free-kick beautifully: March touched it to Stephens, who put his foot on the ball as Gross made a dummy run towards the ball as if to cross into the area. Instead Stephens pushed it square for March to run around the ball and whack a fierce rising drive from 25 yards that flashed past Cech and rattled off the post. The ball rebounded to Dunk, who diverted it wide of an open goal from 10 yards. The ball came to him so quickly that I wouldn’t be too critical.

12.22pm BST

22 min Brighton have shown more attacking intent since going behind. Izquierdo drives a fine crossfield pass to Propper, who is bundled over just outside the area by the endearingly oafish Kolasinac. The free-kick is a long way to the right, so you’d expect a cross rather than a shot...

12.21pm BST

21 min “Coming to you live and direct from the only sports bar in Ubud,” says Robert Petersen. “Some thing that Australians like has just finished, and I’m hoping Mount Agung doesn’t erupt mid-match. Interesting/exciting team selection from Chris Hughton. I’m looking forward to getting a proper look at Izquierdo. Bit concerned about Bong, though. He often looked outclassed in the Championship, so I don’t much fancy him in the Prem. Does Suttner have a knock?”

Nope, he’s on the bench.

12.19pm BST

19 min March drives a dangerous low cross that is kicked behind by Mustafi. Cech punches the corner away.

12.18pm BST

18 min Gross was booked for protesting about the goal.

12.17pm BST

Nacho Monreal drives Arsenal into the lead. Brighton are unhappy because they thought Xhaka’s free-kick went out of play before Lacazette headed it back into the area. Replays suggest he just kept it in play, and his header led to a game of pinball in the area. Mustafi had a shot kicked off the line, Bellerin’s follow-up was blocked and finally Monreal scored from 10 yards.

12.15pm BST

15 min Brighton will be happy that Arsenal have created no clear chances, although it’ll be hard to defend this deep for 90 minutes.

12.13pm BST

13 min Sanchez plays a nice little pass into the area for Iwobi, whose low shot is comfortably saved by the sprawling Ryan.

12.11pm BST

11 min Arsenal have had 77 per cent possesion so far. Brighton’s 4-2-3-1 is, in practice, a 4-5-0-0-1.

12.08pm BST

7 min Sanchez’s long-range shot is comfortably saved by Ryan.

12.06pm BST

5 min A half-chance for Brighton. Gross curls in a good free-kick from deep on the left that is helped on by the head of Brown and drifts a few yards wide of the far post. I don’t think he was trying to score so much as help it into a dangerous area. He managed that, but there was nobody following in.

12.05pm BST

4 min Arsenal have started with a lot of confidence. Brighton are playing dangerously deep, with nine men behind the ball most of the time.

12.03pm BST

3 min “A few years ago it seemed that out and out strikers were becoming an anachronism in elite football and the thing to be was some variation on Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie or Thomas Muller,” says Phil Podolsky. “With the likes of Lukaku, Morata and Lacazette, is the tide turning? I mean I’m sure you could cherry pick names to make the case for the opposite trend but I’m not one of those demanding intellectual rigour of football chatter.”

Yes, most tactics are cyclical aren’t they. See also three at the back and two up front. I’ve even heard rumours of an uninverted winger!

12.02pm BST

2 min Lacazette hits the post with a monstrous strike from 25 yards! The ball sat up perfectly after a return pass from Iwobi, and he sweet-spotted a stunning effort that roared past Ryan and smashed off the face of the post.

12.00pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Arsenal kick off from left to right. They are in red; Brighton are in yellow.

12.00pm BST

The players are on the pitch. Arsene Wenger and Chris Hughton, two outstanding contenders for the unofficial title of Nicest Man in Football, greet each other warmly on the touchline.

11.56am BST

An email!

“Arsenal maybe the best sixth-placed team in memory?” says Neill Brown. “I like this kind of idle speculation. Let me ask this: which Premier League team that never finished higher than, let’s say eighth, would ‘on their day’ give any team a proper mauling? For what it’s worth, I think the Di Canio era West Ham could potentially have outclassed the traditional big-hitters on a regular basis.”

11.04am BST

Arsenal (3-4-2-1) Cech; Holding, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Sanchez; Lacazette.
Substitutes: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Wilshere, Elneny, Walcott, Giroud.

Brighton (4-2-3-1) Ryan; Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Stephens, Propper; March, Gross, Izquierdo; Brown.
Substitutes; Krul, Goldson, Schelotto, Suttner, Molumby, Knockaert, Murray.

10.11am BST

Hello. Football is a peculiar elderly pastime. Take today’s match at the Emirates. Arsenal will probably win, yet they can’t win; Brighton will probably lose, yet they can’t lose.

Whether it’s fair or not, Arsenal’s season will be judged almost entirely on their results away from home and/or against the rest of the Big Six. Whoever finishes bottom of that mini-league will probably be the best sixth-placed team in Premier League history, and Arsenal are favourites to claim that dubious honour. They have responded well to their humiliation at Anfield in August and will expect to continue their superb home form today, yet they know only a draw or defeat will stop the press.

Continue reading...

England beat West Indies by nine wickets: fifth and final ODI – as it happened

Jonny Bairstow battered 141 not out as England demolished West Indies by nine wickets to complete a 4-0 series win and end the summer in style

8.17pm BST

And here’s Vic Marks’s match report:

Related: Roy and Bairstow steer England to crushing victory over West Indies in fourth ODI

7.57pm BST

That’s a very happy end to a largely excellent summer for England. Jonny Bairstow played another superb innings, battering 141 not out from 117 balls, and it was clear as early as the second or third over that England were going to win this match with ease.

“Thanks to you and all your colleagues for this season’s OBOs,” says Brian Withington. “Have helped make a summer otherwise stuck indoors fly by - hope to be kept awake by you this winter (in a manner of speaking).”

7.53pm BST

38 overs: England 288-1 (Bairstow 141, Root 46) Root completes the most emphatic victory, with 72 balls and nine wickets to spare, by carting Marlon Samuels down the ground for six!

7.49pm BST

37th over: England 281-1 (Bairstow 135, Root 39) Bairstow hammers Nurse through mid-off for four. He can be brutal when the mood takes, and it has certainly taken him in the last half an hour or so. A second boundary, blasted through extra cover, makes this the highest ODI score by an England batsman against West Indies.

“What’s the DLS score?” says Dave Voss. “Are England up with the rate?”

7.46pm BST

36th over: England 269-1 (Bairstow 124, Root 38) Bairstow flips Cummins through midwicket for his 13th four, and then crashes another through extra cover. He has dominated this partnership, wirh Root happy to stay in unobtrusive mode.

“Maybe Root should bat at No11,” says Simon McMahon, “so that when England are 75-9 and the Aussies see Root walking out to the middle, they flip themselves and bowl filth, allowing Root and Anderson to add 150 for the last wicket and gain the psychological upper hand. Gotta think outside the box in Oz.”

7.41pm BST

35th over: England 255-1 (Bairstow 113, Root 37) England are hurrying to victory. Bairstow pulls four more round the corner, this time off Taylor.

7.38pm BST

34th over: England 249-1 (Bairstow 108, Root 36) Four more to Bairstow, muscled over midwicket off Cummins. In the Tests he had a slightly disappointing summer for a player of his ability, with no hundreds and an average of 32, but it’s been a breakthrough year in ODIs. He has become an extremely good all-weather player.

7.32pm BST

33rd over: England 241-1 (Bairstow 101, Root 35) After an interminable drinks break, Jonny Bairstow rushes to his second ODI century in fine style. He hit the first two balls from Jerome Taylor for four to move to 99 and then steered a single to reach his hundred. He’s such a likeable, impressive bloke and it’s lovely to see him make such an impact in the ODI team. The second of those boundaries was possibly the shot of the innings, a beautifully timed back-foot drive through extra cover that teased two fielders and seemed to pick up pace as it approached the boundary.

“Aside from his keeping, which was outstanding, Knotty played really good shots which few others attempted at the time since they didn’t see the possibilities like he did,” says John Starbuck. “As he was a fairly short bloke (as many good keepers are), he wasn’t afraid to get down low for floor-level sweeps. The reverse sweep would have suited him down to the ground.”

7.21pm BST

32nd over: England 228-1 (Bairstow 91, Root 32) A long, long summer is ending quietly, on the field at least. The main point of interest is whether Bairstow can end the series as he started it, with a century. He crunches a yorker from Cummins down the ground for a single to move within nine of his hundred.

7.18pm BST

31st over: England 226-1 (Bairstow 90, Root 31) Bairstow steers a cut shot for four off Taylor, lifts another over the top for four more. He averages 105 in ODIs this summer: 72*, 51, 43, 100*, 9*, 13, 39 and 90*. In other news, I think I’ve missed an over somewhere. So sue me!

“Who cares about the Ashes anyway?” sniffs Simon McMahon. “Frankly, it’s all about the 2019 World Cup.. And there’s got to be a World T20 in 2020, right? Even the ICC wouldn’t miss that opportunity.”

7.12pm BST

29th over: England 214-1 (Bairstow 79, Root 30) “Darren Stevens!” says Scott Richmond. “Yes he 41, yes he is uncapped, but this is a very beatable Australian team who do crumble under pressure. Stevens would show that toil in the county circuit pays off no matter what the age; that form and results are more important than track record; and he’d bring a great storyline to the tour which would be great for English cricket. Simply put: Stokes bad, Stevens good.”

I would love it if you were right, love it. And I agree that England would benefit enormously from a David Steele figure; I just don’t think there is one.

Related: 20 great Ashes moments: No15 – David Steele in 1975 | Rob Bagchi

7.08pm BST

28th over: England 205-1 (Bairstow 75, Root 25) Root pulls Joseph smoothly for his first boundary, taking England past 200 in the process. They are administering one helluva beating here.

7.03pm BST

27th over: England 195-1 (Bairstow 72, Root 17) “Evening Rob,” says Harkarn Sumal. “We had the immense good fortune to be at Lord’s for the Women’s World Cup final back in July. What a nerve-shredding, heart-stopping, brain-frazzling day that was. Surely the zenith of this summer’s cricket. In amongst all the awful lows (the first ninety overs) and the searing highs (the last ten), the highlight for our gaggle in the Edrich Upper was the sensational stumping that Sarah Taylor clearly made when an Indian batter lifted her foot for a nanosecond, in respect of which the third umpire deigned to give the batter the benefit of the doubt for some inexplicable reason. Having been to international cricket regularly for over a decade and having watched on telly since the mid-eighties, it was for me the single finest bit of standing-up ‘keeping I’ve ever seen. It was pure silken magic.”

I know it can be crass to compare women’s and men’s sport, but every time I see Sarah Taylor I realise why the generation before mine still talk in hushed tones about Alan Knott. She has an otherworldly genius.

6.57pm BST

26th over: England 189-1 (Bairstow 71, Root 13) Rovman Powell comes into the attack and is milked for six no-risk runs. England need 100 from 24 overs, and the players on both sides know this game is over. The only question now is whether we’ll be home in time for the new series of The Last Leg.

6.54pm BST

25th over: England 183-1 (Bairstow 67, Root 11) “No3 isn’t difficult,” says Jon Millard. “All a decent No3 needs is the mental agility to rapidly assess the situation and determine which of his two natural games, the nuggety opener or Gower-esque stroke player is called for. And, I suppose, the ability to pull the requisite game out of the hat. Oh, and the nous to spot early the situation changing and switch to the other one effortlessly. Or, of course, improvise if that’s what’s really needed. Frankly, if we can’t find someone who can do this shortly after a long day in the field, or in the last four overs before close, we’re looking in the wrong place.”

6.49pm BST

24th over: England 181-1 (Bairstow 66, Root 10) A slower leg-break from Cummins slips down the leg side and turns past the keeper Hope for five wides. Root then survives an extremely good LBW appeal when he whips across the line. West Indies have already used their review. No matter, because Ultra-Edge shows a very slight inside edge that was superbly spotted by Simon Fry. That really was brilliant umpiring.

“You and the other OBO writers should heed the Stokes Lesson,” says John Starbuck. “Get all your nights out done before the Ashes and the seat-wrenching midnight blogs. You might not feel much inclined to do it at the end of the series so make merry while you can.”

6.44pm BST

23rd over: England 170-1 (Bairstow 63, Root 9) Bairstow and Root are two Yorkshire folk who are very happy to get ‘em in singles. They run quite brilliantly together and have already scampered 14 runs from 10 balls in this partnership.

“Hi Rob,” says Derek Fordham. “That video must be a fake. Too much about it is odd. He just drops the ball afterwards? They are practicing with a new ball? He doesn’t go all ‘arry Redknapp on the guy who has nearly killed them (“...that’s why he’s in the effing reserves”). Then they just wander off? Nah.”

6.40pm BST

22nd over: England 162-1 (Bairstow 60, Root 4) Joe Root, very happy to bat No3 in the ODI team, gets off the mark by pulling his first ball for a couple.

“That Alastair Cook clip is remarkable,” says Matt Dony. “He really does bring ‘unflappable’ to wild new levels ‘nonchalant’. He is chalant embodied, and has never been flapped.”

6.37pm BST

Jason Roy falls four short of a century, trapped plumb in front by the new bowler Cummins. Roy got in a bit of a tangle and played a strange shot down the wrong line. It’s a shame he missed out on a hundred but it was another spectacular innings: 96 off 70 balls to follow 84 from 66 on Wednesday. Yeah, he’s back.

6.33pm BST

21st over: England 154-0 (Roy 94, Bairstow 59) Roy moves into the nerveless nineties by pulling Nurse straight down the ground for four. This is turning into a rare old thrashing.

“Here’s the one I was looking for earlier,” says Brian Withington. “Marcus must have snaffled it no more than an inch off the ground to the disbelieving horror of Eskinazi and the delight of Somerset bowler and fielders. Genuinely uplifting moment - even without any Essex supporting schadenfreude connotations regarding Middlesex’s relegation (as if).”

6.30pm BST

20th over: England 146-0 (Roy 87, Bairstow 58) Bairstow sweeps Samuels very hard for four, another excellent stroke. Then Roy lifts him miles over midwicket for six, an even better stroke. England are halfway to their target, and are playing with such ease that it will almost be a disappointment if they don’t win by ten wickets.

6.28pm BST

19th over: England 135-0 (Roy 78, Bairstow 52) Bairstow reaches another high-class fifty from 48 balls. It’ll be interesting to see who opens for England in their next ODI at the MCG in January. Their depth of batting in ODI cricket is almost comical.

6.24pm BST

18th over: England 126-0 (Roy 76, Bairstow 49) A victory here would mean England have won 15 of their last 17 completed ODIs, and 11 out of 13 this summer. That defeat to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy semi-final gets more frustrating by the day.

6.22pm BST

17th over: England 119-0 (Roy 76, Bairstow 42) Roy edges Nurse through the vacant slip area for four. This is far too easy for England, who need 170 from the last 33 overs.

“If we accept that players like Stokes are once a generation, then surely not trying to replace him is the best option,” says Felix Wood. “England spent lots of frustrating years trying to find the new Botham, and it always ended in tears. If Stokes is out the best thing is to start from scratch. As for the fire thing, I think that there’s a number of options between putting out the fire and not getting out of control at two thirty in the morning mid series. I think he really needs to consider whether real mates would let him be in the position in the first place.”

6.13pm BST

16th over: England 111-0 (Roy 70, Bairstow 40) Marlon Samuels comes on to bowl a bit of right-arm slow. He owes West Indies a few wickets after an abysmal series with the bat, in which he has a 1980s strike rate of 49 runs per 100 balls. Nothing much happens in his first over, which is milked for six runs. It’s time for drinks.

6.10pm BST

15th over: England 105-0 (Roy 65, Bairstow 39) Roy drives Nurse for a single to bring up the hundred. It’s not beyond the realms that England could break their own record for the highest target in a ten-wicket ODI victory; Roy and Alex Hales chased down 255 against Sri Lanka a year ago.

6.06pm BST

14th over: England 99-0 (Roy 61, Bairstow 37) A short ball from Joseph is spanked through midwicket for four by Roy. He carries on merrily with another pull for four, this time a beautifully controlled stroke. He’ll be desperate to get his fourth ODI hundred after missing out at the Oval.

“Surely if Cook and Stoneman have batted for two hours, they don’t need Root to go in at No3,” says Graham O’Reilly. “The other thing is, you’ve gone for Ballance at 3 ‘to buy some time for the strokemakers’. You mean, like an opener would?”

6.03pm BST

13th over: England 88-0 (Roy 51, Bairstow 36) Roy pushes Nurse for a single to reach back-to-back fifties, this one from 43 balls. When he’s good, he’s pretty damn good, and he has batted so dominantly since returning to the side earlier in the week.

5.59pm BST

12th over: England 85-0 (Roy 49, Bairstow 35) Joseph returns to the attack, with West Indies in dire need of wicket. The increasingly dominant Bairstow uppercuts superbly for four more. England are batting brilliantly here and have reduced the target to 204 from 38 overs.

“I was looking for the video clip of Marcus Trescothick’s great kneeling catch “at prayer” against Middlesex yesterday, and stumbled on this remarkable Alastair Cook moment earlier in the season,” says Brian Withington. “Staggering reflexes in the (not so) old dog that may be further tested this winter.”

5.54pm BST

11th over: England 77-0 (Roy 48, Bairstow 28) The big offspinner Ashley Nurse comes into the attack. It’s all very low-key out there, with England apparently cruising to victory. Bairstow crashes a fine drive through extra cover for four more.

“If we are talking about a like-for-like Stokes’ replacement, a fast bowling all-rounder, many fall out of contention on an age basis such as Keith Barker, Rikki Clark, Darren Stevens etc,” says Peter Rowntree. “The only name which really comes to mind, and it’s a hell of a risk in terms of stepping up into international cricket from Div 2 is Ed Barnard. Let’s hope things do not turn out to be as bad for Stokes as they look right now.”

5.48pm BST

10th over: England 71-0 (Roy 47, Bairstow 23) “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Hard not to love Moeen, but I was at the Old Trafford Test back in early August, and to see James Anderson take a wicket in his first over from the James Anderson End was pretty special. As for the OBO, did we all agree that Root should bat at 3 in Australia?”

I’d bat him wherever he wants, which is clearly No4. There are huge risks in forcing him to bat No3, particularly on a tour that will drain his mental energy like nothing he has ever experienced. That said, I wonder if they could be a little more flexible - if Cook and Stoneman bat for, say, a minimum of two hours, then Root goes up to No3.

5.44pm BST

9th over: England 63-0 (Roy 44, Bairstow 18) Roy slaps Taylor just over the leaping backward point for four. He is such fun to watch when he’s in this mood, and on today of all days he has 44 not out from 35 balls.

“Totally agree that there’s no off-the-shelf all rounder ready to replace Stokes, but who would you take in TRJ’s absence?” says Rob Razzell. “Has Porter done enough, or is he too much of an English-conditions type?”

5.39pm BST

8th over: England 54-0 (Roy 36, Bairstow 17) A wide ball from Cummins is flashed through backward point for four by Roy, who then survives an LBW review next ball. It was a good nipbacker from Cummins that hit him on both pads, and the umpire Simon Fry said not out. It looked close so West Indies reviewed; replays showed the point of contact with the outside of leg stump was umpire’s call. Bairstow, who has been happy to potter along in the background, reminds us of his attacking prowess with a hearty thump through mid-off for four.

5.34pm BST

7th over: England 43-0 (Roy 31, Bairstow 12) Taylor has bowled well, four overs for12, but the flurry of boundaries at the other end means West Indies are already in urgent need of a wicket or three.

“Not sure we can continue to reject players like Stevens on the grounds of age, though relevant Test experience is an issue,” says John Starbuck. “Lots of sports have participants continuing much longer than they used to do because they take better care of themselves, such as Italian footballers, tennis champions achieving comebacks and of course boxing, though that has its own peculiarities. I suspect that Collingwood is going as both a coach and a possible back-up all-rounder who is still plenty active in the game.”

5.31pm BST

5th over: England 29-0 (Roy 18, Bairstow 11) “Moment of the summer has to be Shai Hope at Headingley,” says Jimmy Ainsworth. “You talk about inscrutability but the celebration for his second century was astonishingly low key. I look more emotional putting the bins out. Made me proud to be West Indian, and I’m not remotely West Indian.”

5.29pm BST

6th over: England 39-0 (Roy 28, Bairstow 11) Roy thumps the new bowler Cummins for a couple of boundaries through the covers. Roy has gone off like a getaway driver and has 28 from 21 balls.

“Afternoon Rob,” says Harkarn Sumal. “When we’ve been batting in the longer form, I have never seen Chris Woakes do anything other than bat like a proper test batsman. I mean a real, Collingwoodesque bat. Dull, with occasional startling pyrotechnics. Despite invariably tootling in at 8, 9 or 10, he seems to have both the technique and the temperament to go in at five or six. Perhaps the answer is there, right in front of our noses? Woakes 5, Bairstow 6, Ali 7, and then slot in the rest behind them. You can then have an out-and-out bowler who can bat a little joining Messrs Broad, Ball, Anderson, probably at 8. Anyway, goodness knows. Let’s just keep everything crossed and hope it pans out like the “can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t field” tour of ‘87.”

5.21pm BST

4th over: England 27-0 (Roy 17, Bairstow 10) You can tell a lot about the state of a game from the topic of conversation among the commentators. Rob Key and Sir Ian Botham are talking about Richie McCaw. This is not a particularly tense run-chase, hence the digressions, and at the moment England are cruising. Roy, who looks close to his thrilling best, drives and pulls Joseph for consecutive boundaries.

5.16pm BST

3rd over: England 15-0 (Roy 6, Bairstow 9) There would be no point trying to replace Stokes with an all-rounder, because there isn’t one. I think five bowlers are essential for this particular attack in Australia, so you could just move Bairstow and Moeen up a place. That’s not ideal, I realise, but English cricket departed an ideal world at 2.30am on Monday morning.

5.10pm BST

2nd over: England 11-0 (Roy 5, Bairstow 6) Alzarri Joseph, who took a futile five-for two days ago, shares the new ball. England get stuck into him from the start, with Bairstow clipping four through midwicket and Roy muscling a pull to the square-leg boundary.

5.07pm BST

1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 1, Bairstow 1) Jerome Taylor opens the bowling. Nothing to see here, just a couple of singles.

“Dear Rob,” says Joe Tomlinson. “Following on from the earlier discussion about who could replace Ben Stokes, I have two words that I have surprisingly not seen posted yet: Darren Stevens. Better fc batting average, similar bowling average, fills the batting allrounder slot very well. Worth considering lending your support to this one? I’m sure a word on the OBO will go a long way to influencing Mr Whittaker.”

5.02pm BST

Hello there, happy end-of-summer day. England need 289 to secure their biggest ODI series victory against West Indies. There have been three 3-0 wins - 1988, 1991, and earlier this year - but never a 4-0. It would be a nice way to end the summer.

I was thinking about my moment of the summer earlier today, and was almost surprised to realise just how many impressive, spectacular or feelgood moments there have been: Shai Hope and the Headingley miracle, Pakistan’s spine-tingling Champions Trophy win, England’s spine-tingling World Cup win, Morne Morkel’s happy-go-lucky brilliance, Jimmy Anderson’s 500th Test wicket and much else besides.

4.37pm BST

A shorter innings break because of the time lost early doors, so we’ll be back for the England reply post-haste. Rob Smyth will guide you through that, so I shall leave you with him. Your emails from this point to Rob.Smyth@theGuardian.com.

4.34pm BST

Well, it’s just about a score. But that dithering in the middle overs against the spinners from Samuels and Shai Hope might ultimately cost them. The pitch is decent so you’d expect England to knock these off with relative comfort, but you do of course never know...

4.33pm BST

50th over: West Indies 288-6 (Ambris 38, Nurse 31) It’s Ball with the last over, and two singles come from the first two balls, before Nurse drops to one knee and smears four over straight cover. Then he tries an outrageous scoop from a ball that would’ve been close to an off-side wide, getting another four for his troubles. A repeat of the cover thwack is tried, but this one plugs in the turf and they settle for two, and from the last ball he tries the same shot again, but this time can only get an under-edge and they dash through for a single.

4.28pm BST

49th over: West Indies 275-6 (Ambris 37, Nurse 19) Curran up for his last one, starting with a good yorker then following it with an excellent slower ball that kicks up. But then, another slower one is quite emphatically picked by Nurse, who batters it over long-on for six. And then another slower one, which Nurse smacks but it goes high, high, high in the air - Plunkett gets under it just inside the boundary, but ends up dropping the ball over the ropes, for another six. Along with a couple of couples, that’s 16 from the over, and West Indies are approaching something like a score.

4.24pm BST

48th over: West Indies 259-6 (Ambris 34, Nurse 6) Nurse is the new man, and gets off the mark thanks to some poor fielding, as Morgan lets one through his grasp and they come back for two. A rather more deliberate few runs next, as Nurse raises a leg and flicks one round the corner than Bairstow can’t stop from reaching the boundary.

4.21pm BST

Plunkett in for his last over, and Powell launches a meaty pull way over mid-wicket for six. Then he misses out in quite a profound way, missing a highish full toss that takes out off stump.

4.19pm BST

47th over: West Indies 246-5 (Ambris 33, Powell 5) Curran returns for Plunkett, and Powell goes for the biggest hoik you’ve ever seen but completely misses a slower ball. A single then Ambris repeats it, but this time it was too wide, and is called as such. The last ball is another slowie, this time really slow, and again Ambris swipes and misses. Decent over from Curran: five from it.

4.13pm BST

46th over: West Indies 241-5 (Ambris 31, Powell 3) A couple of fours for Ambris, as he squirts one through point-ish, then Ball tries the other side and instead offers up a leg-stump half-volley, which is firmly clipped past fine-leg. A few balls later there’s another one of those, but this time Bairstow dashes around to make a good save. Good over though: 14 from it.

4.09pm BST

45th over: West Indies 227-5 (Ambris 18, Powell 2) Plunkett’s here for a bowl, and we have five singles from the over. Sorry, not a huge amount more to say about that one.

4.05pm BST

44th over: West Indies 222-5 (Ambris 15, Powell 0) They crossed, so Ambris takes a single.

4.03pm BST

Here’s Jakey Ball, and Hope gets a “Wow” from Mikey Holding as he absolutely pulverises a six high over straight mid-wicket. That was the sort of shot that you can imagine the leather coming off the ball as it flies through the air, like something breaking up as it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. Ah, but hubris: Hope goes the other way but skews this one, going high to the cover fence where Billings waits, waits, waits and takes a solid catch.

3.59pm BST

43rd over: West Indies 212-4 (Hope 65, Ambris 12) Decent hook from Ambris, sending a Curran bumper between fine leg and deep backward square for a boundary. Then Hope tries something vaguely similar, but can only cuff the thing straight over the bowler’s head, plugging in the turf for a couple of runs.

3.56pm BST

42nd over: West Indies 203-4 (Hope 62, Ambris 6) Rashid goes down leg for a wide, then only marginally corrects himself and Ambris gets off the mark with a swipe out to square leg. Then Hope tries to go big, doesn’t get all of it and Root dashes around from long-off, just getting there but grasses a difficult diving catch. He is, nonetheless, very cross with himself. Don’t be unhappy, Joe. You might get two days of time off soon.

3.52pm BST

41st over: West Indies 195-4 (Hope 61, Ambris 0) Buttler dives to his right and parries what initially looked like a catch, but on closer inspection it was actually a toe-end that jabbed into the ground: so a great stop, then. A good yorker from Curran, a slower ball, and that’s a maiden after getting a relative tanning last up. Lovely stuff.

“Inspired by the new Bladerunner film review in the Guardian,” writes Brian Withington, “would this Ashes be too soon to go the whole hog and develop a Stokes “replicant”? The AI needed should surely not be too challenging given the original. And it can’t possibly be as far-fetched as Cameron McFarlane’s endearing Ravi Bopara suggestion.”

3.48pm BST

40th over: West Indies 195-4 (Hope 61, Ambris 0) “Just the mention of Ravi brought about a wicket,” writes a triumphant Cameron McFarlane. “Get him on the plane!”

3.47pm BST

Hope is waking up. Rashid returns for his last two overs, he drags an iffy ball short and Hope spins on it, whacking to the square leg boundary. But then, after a single, Mohammed has a go, tries to go for a six over extra-cover, but gets it wrong and Root runs around from long-off to take a decent catch.

3.43pm BST

39th over: West Indies 189-3 (S.Hope 56, Mohammed 24) After everyone has a drink, Curran’s back for Plunkett. After a couple of slower balls he slides down leg, and Hope gets down on one knee and sweeps it fine for a boundary - his first, as it happens. Then he gets his second, on his toes and flicked off his hip the other side of short fine leg. And then another! Similar place, this time a more full-blooded pull shot. Better hitting, but those last three balls were all a bit shoddy.

3.35pm BST

38th over: West Indies 174-3 (S.Hope 43, Mohammed 21) Here’s Mo for his last over, and what’s this! Mohammed skips down the pitch and smacks one over long-off, for six! Six! Six runs! The first one of those since the third ball of the sixth over, and the first by someone other than Gayle. Still, Mo finishes with very smart figures of 10-1-35-1.

3.32pm BST

37th over: West Indies 166-3 (S.Hope 42, Mohammed 15) Batsmen looking frustrated now. They’re sort of trying to hit out, but the bowlers are in a rhythm and they can’t get the big shots away. Another four from the over.

3.28pm BST

36th over: West Indies 162-3 (S.Hope 41, Mohammed 12) Mohammed looks in trouble after coming back for a second run, and Billings fires in a bullet of a throw coming in from the point boundary and the skipper makes it back to his ground with millimetres to spare. Only four from the over.

3.25pm BST

35th over: West Indies 158-3 (S.Hope 40, Mohammed 9) Some rare shoddy fielding from England: Bairstow dashes in from the boundary after Mohammed drives, but misses the one-handed pick-up and, despite his best efforts to recover the situation, it goes for four. A few balls later he gets a similar chance, this time going for the safer two-handed option and gives the ironic cheers from the crowd a quick nod.

3.21pm BST

34th over: West Indies 150-3 (S.Hope 37, Mohammed 4) Mo looks like he might bowl through here. Four singles from his eighth over.

Are you a county cricket fan? Do you like hearing from other county cricket fans? Well you’re in luck, as county cricket fans give their say on what the summer has been like for them.

3.19pm BST

33rd over: West Indies 146-3 (S.Hope 35, Mohammed 2) Plunkett sends down a thronking lifter that Mohammed almost gets into an awful tizzy over, getting caught between playing and moving out the way, in the end just sticking the bat in front of his face. He was lucky it didn’t take a top edge and balloon to a grateful fielder. Mohammed slashes at a wide one and misses...although Morgan thought there was a little nick, which snicko seems to confirm. Possibly.

“Re John Starbucks idea of a cardboard cut-out of Ben Stokes,” honks Matthew Doherty, “I thought that from the fuss about the squad that they were taking eight already?”

3.14pm BST

32nd over: West Indies 144-3 (S.Hope 34, Mohammed 1) That’s the real drawback of the slow pace: when you get out, a new man has to get himself in. And that new man is the skipper, Jason Mohammed. He gets off the mark with a sharp - possibly even ill-advised - single.

3.12pm BST

I supposed, among all the stuff about the boundary drought, you could say it’s been a while since England took a wicket too. But there’s one, as Samuels tries to up the pace a little by coming down the track, but he runs past one and Buttler efficiently takes off the bails. A one day innings with a strike rate of only just over 50. Retro.

3.09pm BST

31st over: West Indies 142-2 (S.Hope 33, Samuels 32) Samuels swipes at a pull shot, and for a moment it looks like there might be a boundary, but fine leg stops it. Then a...drop? Actually that’s a bit harsh: Hope absolutely batters a drive above Morgan’s head at cover, the skipper jumps about three feet in the air and grabs it, but just can’t hold on. Would have been an incredible catch. And then...a boundary! The first in 131 balls! Samuels pulls behind square, and finally one reaches the fence.

Cameron McFarlane isn’t quite so much thinking out of the box, but out of the box factory and all cardboard products: “I know it’s a bit out there, bit if we need another all rounder, how about bringing back Ravi Bopara? He’s not going to set the world alight, but is solid with bat, ball and in the field and as a County Champ he’ll be confident, and the international game isn’t new to him.”

3.04pm BST

30th over: West Indies 135-2 (S.Hope 31, Samuels 27) Still no boundaries. A couple of harder hit shots though: one of them even got as far as the fielder on the boundary. There’s one wide from a slower ball bouncer that looked a bit harsh. Seven runs from the over: even if they’re planning a 20:20 blitz from this point, they’ll have to go some in order to post a proper score of any description.

3.00pm BST

29th over: West Indies 128-2 (S.Hope 27, Samuels 25) Mo remains, and some smart fielding by Morgan saves a couple of runs from a Samuels whip. Otherwise, a tidy over. And a whopping 120 balls since the last boundary.

2.56pm BST

28th over: West Indies 126-2 (S.Hope 26, Samuels 24) With extremely ‘parents are coming to visit so sort the house out’ tidy figures of 8-1-28-0, Rashid gets a rest and Ball is back. Samuels swipes at a short ball, but misses and Ball’s returning over is rather tidier than some of his previous efforts. Not bowling at Chris Gayle helps, mind.

2.52pm BST

27th over: West Indies 124-2 (S.Hope 25, Samuels 23) A hint of aggression from Samuels, but he only gets a single to long-off after coming down the pitch. Samuels gets a thin snick on one down leg and Ball has to dash around to stop a boundary, but some slack running means they miss out on another run. Still: seven runs from that over, so at least that’s something.

“If Stokes is that good,” muses John Starbuck, “how about a cardboard cut-out of him placed at short cover? Just enough to confuse the opposition.”

2.49pm BST

26th over: West Indies 117-2 (S.Hope 24, Samuels 17) A touch more intent, but only a touch. Samuels takes two from a very fine glance that gets past short fine leg but doesn’t reach the boundary.

2.47pm BST

25th over: West Indies 113-2 (S.Hope 23, Samuels 14) Rattlin’ through them now. Mo sends down another tidy one, they try to take a couple of singles but they can barely get the ball off the square, and what’s more they don’t look like they’re trying especially hard to. That’s now a honking 16 overs without a boundary.

2.44pm BST

24th over: West Indies 111-2 (S.Hope 22, Samuels 13) Big LB shout as Samuels sticks his foot down the wrong line and Rashid thunks into his pads, but that was missing. Five from the over, but more solid work from Rashid, mixing up the leggies, googles and toppers.

2.42pm BST

23rd over: West Indies 106-2 (S.Hope 21, Samuels 9) After that relative glut of runs from the last over, a slightly more modest two from this one.

“I like Andrew Benton’s thinking regarding (not) replacing Stokes,” writes Brian Withington. “I think the Moneyball solution was to replace one star player with a composite of two or three, and converting a catcher (keeper) to first base. Still trying to figure how that translates from baseball to cricket though - might involve Jonny Bairstow batting out of his skin, catching everything at short extra cover and discovering he can bowl a mean in-ducking skidder at third change.”

2.40pm BST

22nd over: West Indies 104-2 (S.Hope 20, Samuels 8) No tap just yet, although they do positively rattle to five runs from the over: three singles and a two from Samuels, saved from a boundary by the diving Roy on the cover ropes.

2.38pm BST

21st over: West Indies 99-2 (S.Hope 18, Samuels 5) After 11 successive dot balls, West Indies finally get a run. Just one, a drive to the cover sweeper. Getting bogged down a little, but don’t be surprised if they start giving it some tap soon.

2.35pm BST

20th over: West Indies 98-2 (S.Hope 17, Samuels 5) A maiden from Rashid, and this is good stuff from England/sluggish batting from West Indies, depending on your point of view. No boundaries since the end of the 9th over, now.

2.32pm BST

19th over: West Indies 98-2 (S.Hope 17, Samuels 5) And now we have double spin, as Mo is into the attack. Four singles from the over, and we’re very much in the ‘ticking over’ section of the innings now.

2.25pm BST

18th over: West Indies 94-2 (S.Hope 15, Samuels 3) More good work from Rashid, giving up two singles, one of which was an under edge, then beats Samuels with a leg break. And now, drinks.

2.23pm BST

17th over: West Indies 92-2 (S.Hope 14, Samuels 2) Almost a shambles of a run out as Samuels gets a few steps down the pitch looking for a single which was not even remotely on. Plunkett sends down a wide, but otherwise a good over.

Andrew Benton has been thinking outside the box, re: Stokes: “I’d leave a gap - play with ten men, in the warm up matches, see what difference it makes. And to rub in how unacceptable Stokes’ behaviour was to him.”

2.19pm BST

16th over: West Indies 89-2 (S.Hope 13, Samuels 1) Decent stuff from Rashid, keeping his men relatively quiet. A slip comes in as England become a little more confident, and there’s only three runs from the over.

2.16pm BST

15th over: West Indies 86-2 (S.Hope 11, Samuels 0) Plunkett says hello to Samuels with a decent bumper, that Samuels nonetheless sways away from with relative ease.

2.14pm BST

Oh well that is just first class stuff from Plunkett. Kyle sort of jabs at a ball just outside off stump, it goes back to the bowler but reaches him around shin-height, at best, but Plunkett reaches down and plucks a wonderful return catch.

2.11pm BST

14th over: West Indies 85-1 (K.Hope 33, S.Hope 10) Oooh, lovely little delicate back-cut by Kyle off Rashid: on a dry ground that probably would’ve been four, but the damp turf denies him a run. Back on strike after a single, he then just reacts in time to a googly and somehow manages to get two runs out to deep point.

2.07pm BST

13th over: West Indies 79-1 (K.Hope 28, S.Hope 9) Both Hopes use the angle of Plunkett’s delivery, going in from wide on the crease, to collect a few runs down towards fine leg. Then Shai drives well out to the cover fence, where Bairstow runs around to save a few runs.

2.04pm BST

12th over: West Indies 73-1 (K.Hope 26, S.Hope 5) Spin! Here’s Dilly Rashid, and he starts well, mixing things up with some top-spinners and whatnot. Three from the over, as Kyle opens himself up and drives a couple through the covers from the last ball.

2.01pm BST

11th over: West Indies 70-1 (K.Hope 24, S.Hope 4) Bowling change, and here’s Muscles Plunkett to have a go. More pleasant driving down the ground, more singles but Shai only looks troubled when Plunkett drops one just back of a length.

1.56pm BST

10th over: West Indies 65-1 (K.Hope 22, S.Hope 2) A few nice strokes from both Hopes, but they only get three singles and a two for their troubles.

Alex Book isn’t keen on the old guard: “If I hear Michael Holding, Ian Botham or any of the other old-timers on commentary use the phrase ‘proper cricket shot’ once more, I might need to put a premature end to the cricket season and switch off. Hope’s drive down the ground was a ‘proper cricket shot’ apparently, which makes Gayle’s five sixes....what??? Everything that’s wrong with prevailing attitudes of the cricket classes, captured in a single phrase. Tut tut tut.”

1.52pm BST

9th over: West Indies 61-1 (K.Hope 19, S.Hope 1) Ball, with the relieved look of a pensioner who has just found out the teenagers that hang around his house drinking Hooch and throwing bangers have been moved on to the next estate, continues. Hush hush, eye to eye, too shy Shai Hope gets off the mark with a single, then off the last ball of the over Kyle takes advantage of a long hop and whips a pull past fine leg for four.

1.49pm BST

8th over: West Indies 56-1 (K.Hope 15, S.Hope 0) Forgot to mention that wicket was one of Curran’s back-of-the-hand slowies, too. Good stuff from the man with the 90s haircut. K.Hope plays a nice shot down the ground which skips off to the long-on boundary, but beyond that Curran keeps things quiet.

1.46pm BST

Well, as magnificent as his previous hitting was, that was a bit of a shambles from Gayle. He stepped away to leg, realised the ball was straighter than anticipated so tried to shuffle back and launch it, off balance and leaning back. The ball goes high in the air, Plunkett gets under it, misjudges the flight but then produces a brilliant diving catch to seal Curran’s first ODI wicket.

1.43pm BST

7th over: West Indies 52-0 (Gayle 40, K.Hope 11) Here’s Gayle, and there goes the ball: a decent enough delivery just back of a length disappears over extra cover, then a slashed effort goes over the slips and - get this - bounces before going over the boundary. What’s all this about, Chris? He rectifies things next ball, as Ball floats up an inviting effort that is murdered over long-off. And then - a single! Hope clips to fine leg for what should be a fairly long three, but Gayle ambles his way to two. Still, a handy 19 from the over, 43 from the last three.

1.39pm BST

6th over: West Indies 33-0 (Gayle 23, K.Hope 9) Slow coach Hope has his first boundary, not quite out of the meat, but he gets enough on a nice on drive that skips past the fielder. He then becomes rather cross with himself for missing out on a couple of presentable half-volleys. We all make mistakes, Kyle: don’t be so hard on yourself.

1.35pm BST

5th over: West Indies 29-0 (Gayle 23, K.Hope 5) Gayle has a shimmy around in his crease to try forcing something, but is tucked up again. Next ball he does get hold of one a little more, but a pull loops up over mid-wicket and plugs, bringing him two. And then: business. Gayle gets one in his arc, and casually puts it into the middle of the sightscreen; next ball is wider, he shifts his right foot out the way and spanks one high over the cover fence; next ball is down the ground again, slightly to the long on side, but with the same result. Six, six, six. Told you he looked scratchy...

1.30pm BST

4th over: West Indies 9-0 (Gayle 3, K.Hope 5) A few singles, a couple coming from inside edges that could have gone anywhere. Curran has started very well, that first ball wide apart. These twins are going to be some players.

Meanwhile, an anonymous work skiver has more Stokes thoughts: “I’d honestly back Foakes to score more runs than any of the so-called batsmen in the squad. How about Bairstow as a specialist bat at six, then Foakes, Mo, Woakes to keep that depth? Last time the Aussies hammered us in stands after the fifth wicket. We need to take each game as long as we can. Having Bairstow in the cordon will help the fielding also, where Stokes is a big loss.”

1.26pm BST

3rd over: West Indies 6-0 (Gayle 1, K.Hope 4) Hope floats a couple off his pads, and a single brings Gayle back. This is of course tempting fate and you can screenshot it for when he’s completing his century in the 23rd over, but Gayle looks very scratchy so far: two go past the edge, and he only got a thick bottom edge on a very wide one that he might ordinarily have burst a hole in the advertising boards with. Still, he gets off the mark with a single.

1.23pm BST

2nd over: West Indies 2-0 (Gayle 0, K.Hope 1) And here’s Tom Curran with the ball from t’other end. He starts with a wide, then is more on line with one that Hope shovels towards mid-wicket for a single. Gayle shoulders arms to the last ball of the over but Curran gets it to duck back in, it hits the back leg above his pad, and the lbw claim is correctly turned down.

1.18pm BST

1st over: West Indies 0-0 (Gayle 0, K.Hope 0) Gayle begins in uncharacteristically circumspect fashion, nibbling at one down the leg side that clipped his thigh pad. Ball beats his outside edge/he pulls well inside a ball on off stump, depending on your point of view. But we begin with a maiden.

1.16pm BST

Jake Ball will open the bowling. Should also say that despite the delayed start, we won’t lose any overs, with the innings break shortened.

1.14pm BST

And here we, here we, here we go: the players are out on the field, with England to bowl first. Chris Gayle and Kyle Hope open the batting for West Indies.

1.09pm BST

Before we start, let’s have a look back on the season in County Cricket: it’s The Wills 2017!

Related: It’s the Wills 2017! The complete review of the county cricket season

1.03pm BST

James Blake has an update to Ian Copestake’s mantra:

With apologies to I. Welsh, Ian’s mantra reminded me of another monologue slightly tweaked.....

1.02pm BST

One change for England, as Chris Woakes has a niggle and is replaced by Tom Curran, making his debut. And West Indies are without Evin Lewis, obviously, as it would be pretty unreasonable to ask him to play with a broken ankle, while Jason Holder has returned home for his uncle’s funeral. Kyle Hope and Sunil Ambris come in.

12.50pm BST

...and will bowl first.

12.49pm BST

Before the toss, let’s have some of those thoughts on how to replace Ben Stokes. Featuring you, the public:

12.34pm BST

1pm did seem a bit optimistic. Apparently the toss will now take place at 12.50pm, with a start 25 minutes later, assuming there’s no more rain. Which, for what it’s worth, is not forecast.

12.30pm BST

So as we wait, let’s have a piping hot debate! Assuming Ben Stokes doesn’t go to Australia, how would you replace him for the Ashes?

12.30pm BST

Aha! Turns out I was being a big pessimistic ninny! The toss will take place in about ten minutes, and the game is now scheduled to start at 1pm BST. Huzzah!

12.27pm BST

More encouragement: players who were lolling around on the balcony have now emerged from the dressing room and warm-ups are starting.

12.26pm BST

Ian Copestake would like you all to gather around in a circle, join hands and repeat this mantra over and over:

“Cricket is life. Smiley face.”

12.24pm BST

There’s movement out on the field, and some of it even involves removing covers from. This can only be a positive sign. Would suggest it’s optimistic to expect cricket before 1.30, mind.

12.17pm BST

While we wait, let’s enjoy Mark Nicholas, whose birthday it is today.

12.02pm BST

We should be tossing coins about now, but the rain falls on Southampton. A delayed start, obviously, and thus no team news just yet.

11.47am BST

And so, here we are. The end of the England men’s team’s summer. It began on a brisk May day in Bristol and ends on a brisk September/nearly October afternoon in Southampton. They have played 24 games - seven tests, four T20s and 13 ODIs - winning 17, losing six with one no result and zero draws. They’ve scored 8,348 runs and taken 250 wickets against seven opponents using 30 players, only two of which put their international futures in jeopardy by getting involved in a sticky-floored Bristol nightclub stramash.

That record, apart from the fighty bit, looks pretty good on paper, but what have we learned? Well, at the start of the summer we knew that England limited overs team was pretty decent with the odd moment of inconsistency and mental fragility, while the Test side had a solid quick bowling unit but serious questions about batting positions two, three and five. And now...erm...well...yeah. Really the only thing that’s changed is now more people recognise Moeen Ali for the king he is. And those that needed persuading anyway were only worthy of our pity previously. Have I missed anything there?

11.04am BST

Start: 12.30pm BST.

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England beat West Indies by six runs: fourth ODI – as it happened

Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali stole a series-clinching victory for England with a clever, classy partnership that ensured Evin Lewis’s spectacular 176 was in vain

8.13pm BST

The match has been abandoned, and England have clinched the series with a match to spare. That was a superb game, stolen at the death by Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali. The result extremely tough on Evin Lewis, who smashed 176 before fracturing his ankle, and Alzarri Joseph, who took all five England wickets to fall. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

7.57pm BST

The cut-off time for a restart is 8.45pm, though a chunk of that would be eaten up by removing the covers. And it needs to stop raining first.

7.45pm BST

It’s still pouring down. If the match is abandoned, and there is a 99.94 per cent chance of that, England will clinch the series with a match to spare.

7.42pm BST

“The appearance of Stern in the Duckworth-Lewis constellation smacks of legal proceedings restoring an ignored egghead to recognition,” says Ian Copestake. “Say I’m not wrong!”

You’re wrong!

7.40pm BST

The match has not been abandoned, though the prospects of further play aren’t good. If they do get back on, England will need 99 from 89 balls.

7.39pm BST

I can’t tell you how well Buttler and Moeen played in that partnership. They showed such skill, intelligence and calmness to add 77 in eight overs and put England ahead on Duckworth/Lewis in the nick of time. Moeen looked like he was still on a residual high from Bristol and hit a sparkling 48 not out from 25 balls.

7.36pm BST

35.1 overS: England 258-5 (Buttler 43, Moeen 48) Alzarri Joseph returns to the attack, with West Indies needing a wicket to move back in front on DLS, but he only bowls one ball before the umpires decide the rain is too heavy.

7.34pm BST

35th over: England 252-5 (Buttler 41, Moeen 48) Buttler and Moeen have batted outrageously well, especially as they’ve almost had to play two different innings each - one with Duckworth/Lewis in mind, one for a full 50-over match. Moeen drives the returning Jerome Taylor in the air for four, just to the right of the man at mid-off. The rain starts to fall after four balls of Taylor’s over, with England needing one more run from the last two deliveries to move ahead on DLS. Moeen pushes the last delivery for four, prompting wild cheers from the crowd! England are ahead on Duckworth/Lewis.

7.28pm BST

34th over: England 245-5 (Buttler 39, Moeen 39) Moeen flashes Cummins in the air for four, through the hands of the leaping Samuels at backward point. He should have taken that, although it was moving very quickly. Buttler walks across to ramp another boundary, and finally Moeen blasts a drive through extra cover for four more. That’s a great over for England, 15 from it, and now they are only three behind the DLS par score.

7.23pm BST

33rd over: England 230-5 (Buttler 33, Moeen 30) The urgency of England’s batting, which verges on desperation, suggests they have Duckworth/Lewis in mind. They are still 15 behind, however, after a fine over from Holder. If the match goes the distance England have a good chance, as they need 127 from 17 overs. A rain break is very much in West Indies’ favour.

7.18pm BST

32nd over: England 224-5 (Buttler 30, Moeen 27) Moeen goes into Bristol mode, smashing 16 from the first three deliveries of Nurse’s over. A big six over midwicket is followed by a vicious pull down the ground for four and a marvellous, fast-handed slog sweep for six more. A single next ball brings Buttler on strike. “It says something when you’re looking forward to bowling at Jos Buttler for a bit of light relief,” says Athers on Sky.

7.14pm BST

31st over: England 205-5 (Buttler 28, Moeen 10) Buttler forces Holder for four, aided by a misfield from Marlon Samuels at backward point. He has had a stinker of a series, though he’d doubtless point out that it could be worse.

7.12pm BST

Drinks The DLS par score is 237. If it rains, this match will take a deal of winning for England.

7.08pm BST

30th over: England 201-5 (Buttler 24, Moeen 10) The offspinner Nurse returns in place of Alzarri Joseph. You’d expect England to go after him, and Buttler scrunches a boundary down the ground. A few singles take England past 200. They need 156 from the last 20 overs.

7.05pm BST

29th over: England 192-5 (Buttler 17, Moeen 8) A quiet over from Powell, six from it. As Mike Atherton says on Sky, under normal circumstances these two would try to take the game deep and then have a late dash. But it’s difficult to do that today, because the forecast is for rain so they need to be ahead on Duckworth/Lewis if possible.

7.00pm BST

28th over: England 186-5 (Buttler 14, Moeen 5) Moeen Ali survives the hat-trick ball and then cuffs a boundary through midwicket. Joseph had a stinker in the day/night Test, but today has shown what the fuss is about. He has taken five wickets in his last six overs and has overall figures of 8-0-54-5.

6.56pm BST

Alzarri Joseph has his fifth wicket, thanks to a superb piece of athleticism from - and you’ll like this - Chris Gayle. Billings, trying to turn a shortish delivery from Joseph to leg, got a leading edge towards first slip. The ball died on Gayle, who plunged to his right to take a superb one-handed catch.

6.54pm BST

27th over: England 181-4 (Buttler 14, Billings 2) Rovman Powell comes on to bowl some medium pace, and gets through his first over without harm or alarm. England need 176 from 138 balls.

“What chance Bell or Collingwood being called up for Australia a la Colin Cowdrey in 1974,” says Matthew Doherty. Well, Collingwood will be there as part of the coaching team. I don’t think it’ll happen, not with the Lions players nearby, but it’s not completely beyond the realms. He’ll certainly be an option if there’s a bit of dystentery among the ranks.

6.50pm BST

26th over: England 177-4 (Buttler 10, Billings 0) That was the last ball of the over. Joseph has taken four wickets in his last five overs.

6.49pm BST

The 20-year-old Joseph is bowling with infectious aggression - and now he has his fourth wicket! Morgan nailed a pick-up shot but it was too close to fine leg, where the substitute Kyle Hope leapt to take a spectacular two-handed catch.

6.44pm BST

25th over: England 174-3 (Morgan 18, Buttler 10) The offspinner Ashley Nurse comes into the attack, and his first over goes for 11. Buttler reaches outside off stump to crack a boundary between mid-off and extra cover; Morgan reverse sweeps a full toss over short third man for another

6.40pm BST

24th over: England 163-3 (Morgan 13, Buttler 5) The new batsman is Jos Buttler, promoted to No5 because of Ben Stokes’ hand injury. He gets off the mark with a clip to the midwicket boundary. England are 12 behind on DLS.

6.36pm BST

Joseph has his third wicket! This is some comeback after a dismal start to his spell. Root launched into a swivel-pull and bottom edged it through to Shai Hope, who took his third catch. England are in trouble now.

6.33pm BST

23rd over: England 156-2 (Root 14, Morgan 11) Morgan unfurls the sweetest of cover-drives for four off Jerome Taylor. I’d love to be out of form like that. This is a cracking contest, especially as wickets are even more important than usual because of the likely involvement of Duckworth/Lewis. On Sky, Nasser Hussain reckons we might get around 50 minutes more play.

6.29pm BST

22nd over: England 148-2 (Root 13, Morgan 4) The new batsman is Eoin Morgan, who has made 22 runs in his last nine innings across all formats. And it should be 22 in his last 10 innings! He flashes loosely at his fourth ball from Joseph, edging it straight between the men at first and third slip. West Indies decided to have staggered slips and it cost them. As the ball flew between him and Gayle, Nurse started jumping on the spot in frustration.

6.25pm BST

Bairstow repeats Jason Roy’s dismissal, opening the face and steering straight to Shai Hope. He swishes his bat in frustration, and his irritation is compounded when Joseph gives him a hard-faced verbal send-off.

6.22pm BST

21st over: England 143-1 (Bairstow 39, Root 12) That’s a good over from Cummins, only two from it. England are still ahead on DLS, though a wicket would change that.

6.20pm BST

20th over: England 141-1 (Bairstow 38, Root 11) Root pulls another emphatic boundary, this time off Joseph. He looks bright and breezy, and is probably happy to be out in the middle after the last 72 hours.

“The unluckiest absentee is maybe Sam Robson,” says Geoff Wignall. “He is probably more secure in his play than those preferred.”

6.16pm BST

19th over: England 134-1 (Bairstow 36, Root 6) Cummins is pulled sweetly behind square for four by Root. England are eight ahead on DLS, which may well come into play in the next couple of hours.

6.11pm BST

18th over: England 128-1 (Bairstow 35, Root 1) The new batsman is Joe Root, who made a century when England chased down 350 to beat New Zealand two years ago. If he can bat through for around 100 not out, England should win. Easy game, eh.

6.08pm BST

Jason Roy’s thrilling innings ends in tame fashion with an attempted glide that goes too fine and is taken by the keeper Shai Hope. It was a storming knock, 84 from 66 balls, a timely reminder of Roy’s unique strengths.

6.02pm BST

17th over: England 116-0 (Roy 77, Bairstow 33) A no-ball from Cummins is pulled for four by Roy, though he can only take a single off the free hit. No matter, it’s another good over for England.

5.54pm BST

16th over: England 108-0 (Roy 72, Bairstow 31) Bairstow is playing without so much as a sliver of ego, giving the strike to Roy at every opportunity. Roy has faced 60 deliveries to Bairstow’s 36, and the plan is working. England need 249 from the last 34 overs.

5.51pm BST

15th over: England 103-0 (Roy 70, Bairstow 28) Bairstow works Cummins off the hip for four, and then Roy clouts a majestic six back over the bowler’s head! It’s so nice to see him playing like this after such a miserable Champions Trophy. England are, I think, 18 ahead on DLS at the moment. They’ve scored 27 from the last two overs.

That #England squad is a mess. Fair enough to finish the #Ashes looking like a rabble, but unusual to begin that way

5.46pm BST

14th over: England 90-0 (Roy 63, Bairstow 22) Jason Holder is being flogged by his captain and will bowl a seventh over on the spin. It’s a weary over, punished appropriately with consecutive pulls to the boundary from Roy followed by four leg-byes. Roy

5.42pm BST

13th over: England 76-0 (Roy 54, Bairstow 21) Miguel Cummins replaces Joseph, who may change ends. Roy crunches a full delivery onto his own foot, just as Evin Lewis did earlier in the day. Lewis had to be stretchered off and, although Roy isn’t exactly full of the joys of autumn as he grimaces with pain, he is fine to continue. Five runs from the over.

5.38pm BST

12th over: England 71-0 (Roy 50, Bairstow 20) Bairstow, who hasn’t had as much strike or been as fluent as Roy, misses an attempted cut off Holder. Then Roy drives a single to reach a crisp, confident fifty from 46 balls. As Roy Keane used to scream in Dwight Yorke’s face from time to time, welcome back.

5.33pm BST

11th over: England 67-0 (Roy 48, Bairstow 18) It’s getting gloomy at the Oval, so England will have to consider DLS at some stage. The introduction of the inexpected Alzarri Joseph might allow for a bit of the old ultraviolence. Roy clouts a pull for four off Joseph’s first ball, a statement of intent that is followed by a sweet chip down the ground for four more. Roy is two away from his first ODI fifty of the summer.

5.28pm BST

10th over: England 57-0 (Roy 39, Bairstow 17) Bairstow steals a second run to backward square leg, another example of his brilliant running. It’s hard to recall many England players who have been as good between the wickets. Matt Prior was up there, especially when using quick singles as a means of counter-attack.

5.25pm BST

9th over: England 51-0 (Roy 37, Bairstow 13) Roy clumps Taylor unceremoniously over mid off for four to bring up the England fifty. It’s been a familiar Roy start, 37 from 35 balls, and because of it England are still in the game.

5.19pm BST

8th over: England 47-0 (Roy 33, Bairstow 13) Like all the best things in life, Jason Roy’s impact can be measured in stats. His ODI strike-rate of 101 is the highest of any England opener, unless you count statistical freaks like Mike Gatting and Steven Davies.

5.15pm BST

7th over: England 42-0 (Roy 30, Bairstow 11) Roy runs down the pitch to whack a low full toss from Taylor through mid-off for four, and follows up with a pretty gorgeous back-foot drive that bisects the two men in the covers on the way to the boundary. When Roy is in this mood, and this form, he becomes must-see TV.

“It’s a fair old target, but no need to panic,” says Matt Dony. “Lay a good foundation, then hopefully Stokes can come out swinging. What? Oh...”

5.11pm BST

6th over: England 32-0 (Roy 21, Bairstow 10) With the exception of two or three fourballs this has been an excellent start from Taylor and Holder, who have given England little to work with.

“This is a bit of a frantic day of cricket news eh Rob?” says Guy Hornsby. “Despite the elephant in the room, Stokes feels like a bit of a footnote right now, given the Ashes squad announcement and this hellfire game. I’d agree that nothing feels worthy of a 140-character CAPS LOCK diatribe, but there’s still a lot of unknowns with who’ll be No.3, No.5 and second seamer come the Gabba, or the G. It feels like we’ve covered a lot of bases, but none of the potentials are people you’d back right now to rip up trees. I’d love for Vince to be the surprise of the tour, but I feel we’ll be talking a lot about him as a hipster Ramprakash, making stylish 20s before nicking off classily to second slip. We could win down under, but we could get walloped too. In some ways a good tour for TRJ and Hameed to watch on telly, no?”

5.06pm BST

5th over: England 27-0 (Roy 18, Bairstow 8) Taylor straightens an excellent delivery past Bairstow’s outside edge, the start of a fine over that costs only a single. England need 330 from the remaining 45 overs.

5.02pm BST

4th over: England 26-0 (Roy 18, Bairstow 7) Bairstow works Holder off the pads for his first boundary. These two and Joe Root will be so important because, with the exception of Moeen Ali, the middle order aren’t in the greatest form. Roy has a moment of fortune later in the over when he edges through the vacant slip area for two

4.58pm BST

3rd over: England 19-0 (Roy 16, Bairstow 2) A short ball from Taylor is cuffed emphatically over square leg for four by Roy, who is then beaten feeling gingerly outside off stump. He has 16 from 14 balls, Bairstow two from four.

4.55pm BST

2nd over: England 14-0 (Roy 12, Bairstow 1) Jason Holder shares the new ball, and Roy tucks him into the leg side for four. After a desperate summer in international cricket, he looks more like the dominant Roy of old.

“What do you think of the Ashes squad then?” says Andrew Benton.

4.48pm BST

1st over: England 9-0 (Roy 8, Bairstow 1) England will probably need Jason Roy to go off like a pacemaker in a if they are to win this match. He has the capacity to score 70 off 50 balls, something like that, and he starts confidently by taking eight off hi first three deliveries from Jerome Taylor.

“Evin Lewis may well have hit the highest score in an ODI at the Oval, but England have the person whose record he just broke opening for them,” says Stephen Brown. “So that, and his general need to show he should still be considered a force to be reckoned with, should get Roy’s arm’s pumping early on. Now would also be a good time for Morgan to get back in form. I put England as second favourites at the moment, but not by much.”

4.25pm BST

Hello there. When this match started it felt like a background accompaniment to a long chat about Ben Stokes and England’s Ashes squad, so it’s a pleasant surprise to be talking about the actual cricket. Evin Lewis’s swaggering 176, confirmation of the spectacular talent we have read so much about it in the last year, took West Indies to a mighty 356 for five. It’s not an unassailable total, not at the Oval, but England will need to bat darn well to win.

4.21pm BST

Without Hales or Stokes, England will have to chase down a huge total. A lot of pressure is on Jason Roy to perform: this is his home ground, the pitch is fairly flat and he’s probably not going to get another opportunity soon if he doesn’t do well here – Hales will most likely return for Friday’s match at the Rose Bowl.

England started bowling well, but got worse as West Indies got better with the bat. The fielding was also sub-standard, a few mis-fields and three dropped catches, although all of them were tricky.

4.11pm BST

50th over: West Indies 356-4 (Holder 77 and out, Powell 28) Plunkett is given the ball for the last over. He’s unlucky as Powell top edges one over the head of Buttler for four, and bowls short two balls later, which Powell smashes for six. I have no idea why there have not been more yorkers, short bowling does not seem to be working at all. Holder is out on the final ball of the innings, and West Indies finish on 356, with 131 off the last 10 overs. Woof.

4.07pm BST

Last ball of the innings: Plunkett throws up a full toss, Holder swings his bat but can only find Billings in the deep.

4.04pm BST

49th over: West Indies 344-4 (Holder 76, Powell 17) Two overs left. Woakes tries a wide yorker, but Holder improvises well, steering a clever half volley wide of backward point for four. Holder repeats the trick next ball, but Morgan had moved third man Moeen a bit squarer, and he was able to cut it off for a single. Next ball: six for Powell! It’s not a bad ball from Woakes, but Powell moved across his stumps and flicked it nonchalantly off his pads. A couple more singles: it doesn’t feel like a bad over but that’s 14 off the over.

3.58pm BST

48th over: West Indies 330-4 (Holder 70, Powell 9) West Indies need to get Holder on strike ASAP, but Powell manages to shovel a full toss straight back to the bowler. A single does get Holder on striker from the second ball, but that’s some clever bowling from Moeen. Variation does for Holding, and a tick edge and a cover drive means that there’s just seven from the over.

Mike Daniels has an email:

3.54pm BST

47th over: West Indies 323-4 (Holder 66, Powell 5) It’s Ball to bowl the last of his 10 overs. After Holder tickles one down to third man, Lewis smashes an inside edge ball against his own ankle. Crickey, the 25-year-old is in agony, writhing around on the ground. He’s really hurt himself here, his face is all screwed up and Holder beckons for the physio to come on. Lewis is still down on the ground after three minutes – I don’t think he’s going to be able to continue! They’ve called for the stretcher! Such a shame, no player has ever got an ODI double hundred in England, and Lewis would have been gearing up for that total in these last few overs. Morgan won’t mind. Lewis leaves the field unbeaten on 176 – which is the highest ever total that somebody has retired hurt. He’s given a standing ovation as he is wheeled off the field, he looks devastated. Powell comes in, and Ball goes to work with his yorkers, although Powell manages to clip one for four! The fielder was at mid-wicket and he couldn’t get across! Six from the over.

3.45pm BST

46th over: West Indies 317-4 (Holder 66, Lewis 176) Plunkett finally reels it back: one (slow ball), dot (wide yorker), one (length), one (full), one (full), one (cutter). That’s excellent death bowling, Plunkett kept Holder and Lewis guessing every ball.

3.40pm BST

45th over: West Indies 310-4 (Holder 63, Lewis 174) First ball from Ball – who took his time limbering up in an attempt to try and break West Indies’s momentum – and Holder sends it for another maximum, what a way to bring up 300. Next ball is a full toss, but only a single, before yet another six, this time Ball is sent careering over square leg. Ball finally throws down a yorker. Finally. This is now the highest West Indian fifth wicket ODI partnership ever. England are really missing Stokes, but I’m not sure if even he could handle Holder and Lewis at the moment. We were wondering earlier if West Indies would make 300.

3.36pm BST

44th over: West Indies 295-4 (Holder 55, Lewis 165) Lewis is on fire. Four, six, six, two, four, two, one. Twenty-five from the over. Lewis reaches his 150 and is looking likely to beat the highest ODI score against England: Viv Richards’ 189. A miserable over for Moeen.

3.31pm BST

43rd over: West Indies 270-4 (Holder 54, Lewis 143) This has become a bit of a T20 innings now. A lot of pressure on Woakes as he comes into bowl, Lewis swings but doesn’t connect, and has to settle for the single. But it isn’t long until Lewis finds his range, swatting Woakes for six, the ball just bouncing over the rope. Woakes is varying his pace, and his line, but Lewis is dealing with this just fine. Holder survives another run-out, just getting in despite a direct hit from Morgan, before battering yet another six over mid-one. And that takes Holder to his 50!

3.24pm BST

42nd over: West Indies 255-4 (Holder 47, Lewis 135) Mooen comes in, as England try to stem the tide. It doesn’t work, Holder smashing the first ball of the over back over Moeen’s head. So powerful, the ball doesn’t get 20 feet off the ground, but hits the rope again on the fly. Moeen panics, throws down a wide, before Holder smashes another six. This is getting ugly for England. Forty-three runs in the last three overs. Ouch.

3.21pm BST

41st over: West Indies 240-4 (Holder 32, Lewis 121) Rashid’s final over. The absence of Stokes may well tell from hereon in. Rashid throws down a googly, Lewis doesn’t pick it and the ball spoons over Jason Roy at cover. Roy sprints back, and he gets to it, but spills it back towards the boundary. England’s third drop of the innings, but they’ve all been tough chances. Lewis isn’t hanging around though, smashing a six over mid-wicket the next ball – which lands on the rope on the fly – and then under-edging one past Buttler for another four. Fifteen from the over! West Indies motoring here, and with wickets in hand!

3.16pm BST

40th over: West Indies 225-4 (Holder 32, Lewis 121) Plunkett resumes, he gets some words of advice from Morgan, who looks a full foot shorter next to the bowler. It seems the advice doesn’t pay off: two consecutive sixes. The first is a top edge, with Rashid just unable to catch it on the boundary – he trips on the rope – but the second is absolutely smashed back over Plunkett’s head. I think that’s ended up near England’s dressing room. Wow, he middled that. Lewis moves into 121, 10 overs left!

3.11pm BST

39th over: West Indies 212-4 (Holder 31, Lewis 109) Holder goes over the top. Woakes is a little short and the West Indies captain simply stands there and bats it over mid-wicket. It falls two feet shy of the boundary, we haven’t had a maximum yet here today. Holder then goes for a quick single, and Root shows excellent skills in scooping, turning and throwing at the stumps – he connects, but Holder’s long arms ensure that he’s in. Next, Lewis is lucky that a square cut falls just short of point.

3.07pm BST

38th over: West Indies 207-4 (Holder 26, Lewis 109) Another close call for Ball! Holder takes on a short ball but completely mis-times it, the ball cannoning off the underside of his bat, onto the ground and just missing leg stump. So nearly chopped on. Lewis, meanwhile, powerfully pulls another short ball to square leg, but Bairstow does excellently on the boundary, just as he has all day.

3.04pm BST

37th over: West Indies 201-4 (Holder 23, Lewis 106) The 200 is up for the West Indies and also the 50-partnership between Holder and Lewis off just 48 balls. Woakes bowls a nice little bouncer to Lewis, who actually does a pretty good job of getting out of the way. Woakes tries another short ball, but this time Lewis takes it on – he doesn’t get all of it, but finds a single.

3.00pm BST

36th over: West Indies 199-4 (Holder 22, Lewis 105) Fifteen overs left then, and West Indies will think 300, maybe even 320 will be within reach if these two stick around. That’s some recovery after being 33-3. Jake Ball’s seventh over of his 10, and he tries a slower ball – around 75mph – but on this pitch, it simply sits up. But he’s bowled well today, and perhaps a little unlucky not to get a wicket. Three from the over.

2.54pm BST

35th over: West Indies 194-4 (Holder 20, Lewis 104) England need a wicket, and so Woakes comes back into the attack. But he’s a little wayward, and Holder pounces on a short and wide delivery, punching it through the covers. He’s such a powerful man, Holder, 6ft6in and shoulders like boulders, and sometimes he just need to lean. Woakes is not much better to Lewis, who hits consecutive fours to fine leg to finish the over, the first of which brings up his century! Helmet removed and blade raised, he acknowledges the applause as Brian Lara looks on. A magnificent innings, 14 fours, no sixes.

2.49pm BST

34th over: West Indies 183-4 (Holder 15, Lewis 96) These two, particularly Lewis, are nippy between the stumps, and take advantage of some sloppy England fielding. Certainly two of three runs here that they had no right to get. Just four away from his century, I’ve been extremely impressed by Lewis, I knew he had the destructive power as he showed with a T20 century against India in July, but this has been a very smart, tactical innings. He’s had to change the pace of attack constantly and always looked in control. Holder less so, he spoons one up from Ball into the air, the ball landing three feet wide of a sprinting Moeen. Fortunate.

2.44pm BST

33rd over: West Indies 176-4 (Holder 12, Lewis 92) West Indies seem happy to just keep the scoreboard ticking over, some neat singles and each aggressive shot is a measured one. Right on cue, Lewis rocks back onto his back foot and nicely despatches a shot Rashid ball to the boundary, dissecting mid-off and extra cover. He’s into the 90s.

2.41pm BST

32nd over: West Indies 169-4 (Holder 10, Lewis 87) Ball replaces Plunkett, who has looked out of sorts today. The sun is streaming down on the Oval, and the pitch is flat-ish, this is a good opportunity for Holder and Lewis. We’ll see when Woakes comes back, but I suspect that swing that we saw at the start of the innings is now more. It’s now not so muggy. Good over from Ball, five from it, and he was unlucky not to remove Holder, who so nearly chopped onto his own stumps.

2.38pm BST

31st over: West Indies 164-4 (Holder 8, Lewis 84) Holder shows a much better drive against Rashid, getting to the pitch of the ball and going with the spin. He’s a class act once he gets in, England will want to remove him ASAP.

2.35pm BST

30th over: West Indies 157-4 (Holder 2, Lewis 81) Plunkett resumes, but is maybe lacking the pace to really worry Lewis. It’s very disappointing not to have Mark Wood fitter. A fuller delivery from Plunkett, and Holder is dropped by Morgan at cover. That’s his second fumble of the day, again a very tough chance. Morgan was at full stretch to his left and actually managed to catch the thing, but as he hit the deck, the ball squirmed out of this hands. Very unlucky. A reprieve for Holder. West Indies need an innings from him.

2.31pm BST

29th over: West Indies 153-4 (Holder 2, Lewis 81) That’s an important breakthrough for England. They wouldn’t be worried about the run rate, but with wickets in hand, West Indies could accelerate at any time. Rashid has blown hot and cold this morning, but that was a vital blow. West Indies captain Holder gets off the mark straight away, punching one down the ground.

2.28pm BST

An excellent catch from Buttler! It’s a short-ish delivery from Rashid, which Mohammed goes to cut, but instead gets a large edge. Buttler’s hands snaffle it and he takes the congratulations from those around him, including Test keeper Bairstow. That’s the end of a 117-run partnership.

2.25pm BST

28th over: West Indies 148-3 (Mohammed 46, Lewis 79) Plunkett is retained, but his balls have been a bit short today, 52% of his deliveries. There doesn’t seem to be much jeopardy for the batsman, but Plunkett’s line is much better and he concedes just two runs.

2.23pm BST

27th over: West Indies 146-3 (Mohammed 45, Lewis 78) Rashid returns for his sixth over, which passes without note another than a few singles. Lewis mis-timed a couple of drives.

2.18pm BST

26th over: West Indies 141-3 (Mohammed 44, Lewis 75) Just over the half-way stage then, and West Indies will be a little disappointed with the score, but delighted with how these two have upped the ante in the last few overs. Stick around, and they may well surpass 300. At mid-on, Joe Root dives to his left to save a certain boundary but Plunkett is off target again – too straight – and Mohammed just glances it down to fine man for four.

2.15pm BST

25th over: West Indies 132-3 (Mohammed 38, Lewis 74) Rashid is looking increasingly flaky here, and Lewis races onto 74 with a powerful cut away through the covers. I’m pleased to say that Brian Lara is another man in the stands, dressed in a sharp suit, drinking champagne, laughing. Lovely.

2.12pm BST

24th over: West Indies 126-3 (Mohammed 37, Lewis 69) Plunkett replaces Moeen and comes back into the attack. Both batsman have surpassed their ODI averages. He can be a patchy player but I’m surprised Lewis’s is as low as 28.57.

“Re Ashes squad: I really, really hope England play Stokes, Woakes and Foakes together,” emails Barney Jeffries. “I wonder what’s the record for the most rhyming names in a team?”

2.08pm BST

23rd over: West Indies 121-3 (Mohammed 36, Lewis 65) Rashid resumes. Mohammed is starting to loosen his arms now, and he hits a couple of shots down to extra cover, where Bairstow twice fields. And oh dear, Beefy just showcased his West Indian accent on commentary. “Easy man”. Christ.

2.04pm BST

22nd over: West Indies 115-3 (Mohammed 30, Lewis 65) Lewis is looking a class act, tickling one from Moeen fine past third man this time. It’s a quick out field here, but a much bigger boundary than Bristol on Sunday so it’s hard to say what is going to be a good total. West Indies will probably be hoping for 300, but it’s more likely 270/280-ish.

2.01pm BST

21st over: West Indies 108-3 (Mohammed 28, Lewis 60) Rashid resumes. He’s had an excellent line so far today, but this is a poor over for him, 12 from it as West Indies bring up the ton. Mind you, a couple of excellent shots – Lewis tucking one fine past fine leg and then playing a glorious drive off the back foot through the covers.

1.57pm BST

20th over: West Indies 96-3 (Mohammed 26, Lewis 51) But then Moeen throws up an absolute dolly – a half-volley well outside off stump, and Mohammed lofts it over extra cover for four. He needed that, as did the West Indies. Lewis, meanwhile reaches his 50 with a single, but as expected there’s not much fanfare. Fifty-one runs off 53 balls. But still a lot of work to do.

1.54pm BST

19th over: West Indies 88-3 (Mohammed 20, Lewis 49) The pressure is building on Mohammed. Just two runs from his last 12 balls, and he manages just the one run from this over to retain the strike for the next over.

1.52pm BST

18th over: West Indies 86-3 (Mohammed 19, Lewis 48) There’s a little lull in this game at the moment, with Rashid and Moeen, here, stifling this game. England and Morgan will be just fine with that. Just the one run from the over.

1.50pm BST

17th over: West Indies 85-3 (Mohammed 19, Lewis 47) Rashid into the attack, so spin from both ends now. I wonder what Rashid thinks of Mason Crane’s inclusion in the Ashes squad. Just 20 years old, an average of 42.22 in the County Championship this summer, I’m not sure I’d want Crane going out at the Gabba for the first Test should something happen to Moeen between now and 23 November. Spare a thought for Jack Leach too, an average this season of around 20 and over 100 wickets, more than twice what Crane managed. Anyway, Rashid starts with a wide with Lewis pilfering a couple more.

1.42pm BST

16th over: West Indies 82-3 (Mohammed 18, Lewis 46) Root is brought on, Morgan will be hoping he can emulate Moeen’s spin. Ah, nope, he’s whacked for four off the first ball by Mohammed – Root is absolutely furious with himself – and Lewis canters down the pitch for the the over’s final delivery, volleying one powerfully through the covers.

1.39pm BST

15th over: West Indies 72-3 (Mohammed 13, Lewis 41) That said, West Indies need to up it here. A run a ball wouldn’t get them past 300 at present. Moeen keeps it tight again, that’s just seven runs conceded from his three overs thus far.

1.37pm BST

14th over: West Indies 68-3 (Mohammed 11, Lewis 39) Plunkett is certainly not at his best – he’s shaking his head a lot out there – as Lewis creams one through mid-wicket for four. Lewis has looked good out here, he’s beginning to build a nice innings here. Mohammed has looked a bit more nervy the other end.

1.34pm BST

13th over: West Indies 62-3 (Mohammed 10, Lewis 34) Theresa May is at the Oval, sat next to Trevor McDonald in a private box. Never mind the impending doom of nuclear war or Brexit, get yourself to the cricket Terry! When the Labour conference is on, it’s evidently time to put your feet up. Moeen concedes his first runs, as Lewis squirts a couple away down to third man.

1.27pm BST

12th over: West Indies 59-3 (Mohammed 10, Lewis 31) England have had better summers in the field and Morgan would have been disappointed to drop that, even though it was a very good effort. Plunkett resumes, apart from one wide, he keeps it nice and tight. West Indies’ run rate has dropped below five.

1.25pm BST

11th over: West Indies 55-3 (Mohammed 9, Lewis 29) Woakes has been good all series, but this is the best I’ve seen him bowl in a while. Still, all good things have to come to an end, and Moeen Ali comes into the attack for England’s second change. He’ll throw down to Mohammed to start, it’s a flat-ish pitch here at the Oval. Morgan dives nicely to stop a cover drive on the second ball, that’s better from the captain, but then he drops Mohammed on the fourth ball! Ooof! That was a tough chance, it absolutely flew off the bat, Morgan timed his jump well and reached the ball, but could only palm it and couldn’t catch the ball at the second and third attempt. Maiden for Moeen.

1.20pm BST

10th over: West Indies 55-3 (Mohammed 9, Lewis 29) Plunkett comes back onto the pitch and straight into England’s attack. His figures of 5-52 on Sunday were his best ODI figures this year, he’s been a magnificent bowler in 2017. Of course, none of that matters as Mohammed smashes his first ball for four, before Plunkett bowls two wides. Hmmm. That’s the 50 up for the Windies and the end of the powerplay.

1.16pm BST

9th over: West Indies 46-3 (Mohammed 2, Lewis 29) David Willey, England’s 12th man today, comes on for Plunkett, it’s not immediately obvious why. Woakes canters in and there’s another lbw appeal against Lewis, but he just managed to get an inside edge onto his stumps. Five dot balls to start the over, before Lewis goes and ruins it all with a lovely swivel and pull to the boundary. Four.

“Considering Hales is available for the fifth ODI, it seems that Jason Roy’s international career (at least in the short term) hinges on him scoring a fairly significant number of runs today,” emails Robert Taylor. “He could be forgiven if part of him is cursing England for starting so well.”

1.12pm BST

8th over: West Indies 42-3 (Mohammed 2, Lewis 25) Ball resumes. Plunkett, all 6ft3in of him, gets down well to try a run-out, but Lewis gets back in time. Mohammed looks nervy, a swing and a miss, and there’s plenty of natter from England’s slip cordon behind the stumps. Less impressive fielding from Morgan, who misfields in the covers, which allows Mohammed to get off-striker. Lewis immediately goes on the offensive, crashing one to the boundary, pulling Ball through square leg.

1.07pm BST

7th over: West Indies 35-3 (Mohammed 1, Lewis 19) The sun is shining at the Oval, and England are well on top here. Four slips are out for Woakes, and a gully – he’s 3-18 at the moment. He’s throwing it up outside off stump, and encouraging the drive. Why not, in conditions like these? Couple of men on the boundary, but it’s a very attacking field.

1.03pm BST

Woakes gets his third! Samuels got himself into all kind of trouble in front of his stumps, failed to connect on a clip down to third man, the ball hitting him on the kneeroll. West Indies have already used their one review on Hope, so Samuels has to walk. Replays show it was just clipping the top of the bales, so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway with the on-field decision as out. Woakes looking absolutely tip-top here.

1.00pm BST

6th over: West Indies 33-2 (Samuels 1, Lewis 18) Another over, another appeal! Ball pins Samuel on his pads, but with the on-field decision being not out, Morgan decides against a review. Morgan is fielding at backward point I think, which means he has a pretty good idea of height, and replays show it was going over the top. A couple of neat singles precede a big powerful striker from Lewis – he smashes a full ball down the ground. Not a lot of footwork there, but it’s effective.

12.55pm BST

5th over: West Indies 26-2 (Samuels 0, Lewis 12) Woakes bowls his first bad ball of the day, and Lewis responds accordingly, cutting the high-and-wide delivery through for a boundary. England hands go up for an appeal for a lbw – Lewis does have a tendancy to shuffle across his stumps – but the Trinidadian got some bat on it, and I think it pitched outside leg anyway.

“These player profiles, unfortunately borrowed from Sky’s football coverage, are terrible,” emails Kevin Wilson. “Basically you get a few regular poses - the tough, non-smiling “don’t give a toss” look for batsmen, the “hold the ball up” because I’m a deadly fast bowler or the “point at the camera like you’re in a 90s boy band shooting a pop video”

12.51pm BST

4th over: West Indies 20-2 (Samuels 0, Lewis 6) The Windies sensibly take their foot off the gas to compose themselves. They’ve already lost two big batsman. Just the one run from the over, nice stuff from Ball.

12.49pm BST

3rd over: West Indies 19-2 (Samuels 0, Lewis 5) The funny thing was that before his dismissal, Hope looked to be playing well, 11 from 11 balls, which included a beautiful drive straight down the ground to start the over. Immaculate timing, he seemed just to be a forward defensive but didn’t need to move after that. There was a little bit of confusion between the batsman at the end – Samuels called for a run, Lewis didn’t budge – but Morgan was unable to field the ball cleanly and Samuels recovered.

12.47pm BST

Woakes gets his second wicket! Hope plays at one he really shouldn’t, the ball nicking the top of the bat and carrying easily through to Buttler. The umpire gives it out on the first, Hope reviews it, but UltraEdge shows a small spike.

12.42pm BST

2nd over: West Indies 15-1 (Hope 7, Lewis 5) Ball, a spring in his step, starts with a wide. Hope and Lewis nibble a couple of singles away before Ball whizzes one past the edge of Lewis. There’s an appeal – Root at first slip particularly likes it – but no dice. Root ponders a review, but decides against it, and and Lewis guides one down to third man for four to end the over.

12.37pm BST

1st over: West Indies 6-1 (Hope 4, Lewis 0) Hope trots out and smashes the first ball for four, and then plays and misses the last ball of the over. There’s definitely some movement out there for Woakes, very interesting for the rest of the seamers.

12.35pm BST

The danger man is gone fourth ball! Woakes zipped one two inches wide of Gayle’s stumps the previous ball and straightened up slightly, with Gayle nicking one to Root at first slip. He had to play at that, great start for England!

12.30pm BST

Gayle and Lewis are out in the middle, Gayle to face the first ball. Woakes is limbering up, he’ll start from the Vauxhall end.

12.26pm BST

Our first email of the day, from Michael Bate.

“Good afternoon Michael, How’s the atmosphere looking at the Oval? (I’m not talking about fancy dress and beer snakes) I’m down the road in Clapham and am keeping the windows shut after reading this …”

Related: Sadiq Khan triggers alert for high air pollution in London

12.20pm BST

Mark Stoneman, another man on the Ashes plane, is in action for Surrey today, falling just shy of a century – out for 98. Surrey are 174 for six at Old Trafford, leading by 107 – Lancashire are on the march! Join Will Macpherson for all the county action today in our rolling liveblog as the relegation and promotion races near their climax.

Related: County cricket: relegation and promotion races near climax – live!

12.16pm BST

West Indies have made one change to Sunday’s side, Alzarri Joseph in for Devendra Bishoo. Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis will open the batting for the tourists, I’m a big fan of this picture from Sky …

12.05pm BST

West Indies captain Jason Holder calls heads, it comes down tails.

Eoin Morgan talks to the cameras.

Any team that loses Ben Stokes means that they’re at a loss but it means that Jason Roy comes in at the top of the order, Sam Billings will bat at six.

12.01pm BST

The inclusion of James Vince in the Ashes squad is an interesting one. Tom Westley can feel genuinely to have missed out - his Test average and County Championship average is higher than Vince’s, and unlike the Hampshire batsman, he has a Test half century to his name. As Simon Mann pointed out this morning, even Paul Collingwood – a coach on the Ashes tour – has a higher average than Vince this season.

But then, the Ashes are not all about numbers and the statement given this morning by national selector James Whitaker regarding Vince was telling:

The selectors are backing James Vince to make an impact on his recall to the Test squad. He is a quality strokeplayer and we believe his game will suit the Australian pitches. His understanding of the England set-up will help him settle into the environment quickly and hit the ground running when we arrive in Perth next month.”

11.36am BST

In case you were in any doubt, this week marks the end of the British summer. The Met Office might tell you that it passed last Friday but officially, the seasons change when first-class cricket ceases to be played in the UK, and with the county championship wrapping up and England playing two final ODIs – today and Friday – we can earnestly turn our attention to Australia and the Ashes. That is, if you hadn’t already. In case this preamble is your first foray onto the internet today, England announced their Ashes squad earlier.

Related: Stokes, Vince and Ballance named in England’s Ashes squad

Joe Root (Yorkshire, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Craig Overton (Somerset), Ben Stokes (Durham), Mark Stoneman (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

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England crush West Indies by 124 runs: third one-day international - as it happened

An astonishing burst of hitting from Moeen Ali, who hit 61 from 14 balls at one stage, and Liam Plunkett’s first ODI five-for helped England go 2-0 up in the series

7.58pm BST

Related: Moeen Ali’s blistering century sets up England victory over West Indies

6.06pm BST

WICKET! West Indies 245 all out (Holder c Moeen b Plunkett 34) The superb Plunkett does get his first ODI five-for, with Holder driving straight to Moeen at long-off. It completes a fine win for England, one that will stay in the memory because of an astonishing burst of hitting from Moeen Ali. England lead 2-0 with two to play, and will expect to wrap up the series at the Oval on Wednesday. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

6.03pm BST

39th over: West Indies 245-9 (Holder 34, Cummins 4) The No11 batsman Miguel Cummins survives the remainder of Rashid’s over, dragging the last ball round the corner for four.

6.01pm BST

Taylor is bowled for a golden duck, failing to pick the Rashid googly. Plunkett might not get a chance to take a five-for after all, because Rashid has five deliveries to finish this match.

5.59pm BST

38th over: West Indies 241-8 (Holder 34, Taylor 0) That was the last ball of the over. Plunkett may never have a better chance to take his first ODI five-for.

5.58pm BST

Holder clouts Plunkett into the stand at long-off. That’s the 28th six of the match, a record both for ODIs in England and involving England. Plunkett consoles himself with a fourth wicket later in the over when Bishoo shanks a slower ball to Morgan at backward point.

5.53pm BST

37th over: West Indies 232-7 (Holder 26, Bishoo 11) This shouldn’t take long to finish. It depends whether West Indies want to bat out of the 50 overs or not. Rashid bowls a fine over to Bishoo, beating him twice outside off stump. The second leads to a stumping referral but Bishoo was fine.

5.50pm BST

36th over: West Indies 228-7 (Holder 26, Bishoo 7) Holder pulls Plunkett elegantly for four to make it 12 from the over. West Indies need 142 from 14 overs.

5.45pm BST

35th over: West Indies 216-7 (Holder 19, Bishoo 2) Rashid could feasibly pick up a five-for here, despite not bowling until the 27th over.

5.42pm BST

Rashid gets his second wicket. Nurse pushes forward at a straight delivery and is hit on the pad. Michael Gough gave it out and, although Nurse decided to review, replays showed it was hitting the off bail.

5.40pm BST

34th over: West Indies 212-6 (Holder 17, Nurse 1) Plunkett has had the best year of his career in ODI cricket: 16 matches, 31 wickets at an average of 21. This game is surely done: West Indies need 158 from 16 overs.

“Plunkett is a player who knows his game inside out; can generate some steam with his pace; and has natural bounce,” says Tom Van der Gucht. “He would be an ideal Tremlett-like selection for the ashes, brought in to do a specific job suited their Liam Neeson-esque specific set of skills.”

5.36pm BST

Liam Plunkett strikes with the second ball of a new spell. Mohammed pulled a heavy short ball straight to deep square leg, where Bairstow took a comfortable catch.

5.34pm BST

Drinks break The weather looks a bit grim now, with the lights on and some light rain. If you’re into the whole Duckworth/Lewis thing, West Indies are 45 behind.

5.30pm BST

33rd over: West Indies 210-5 (Mohammed 38, Holder 17) A sharp offbreak from Moeen leads to an LBW appeal against Holder. It’s turned down and England decided to review. I think height will save Holder. Here comes the replay... yes, it was going over the top. Holder hits a sweet straight six off the last ball of Moeen’s spell; he ends with figures of 10-0-65-0.

5.27pm BST

32nd over: West Indies 202-5 (Mohammed 37, Holder 10) Willey’s throw on the turn from fine leg is dummied by Buttler and just misses the stumps with Holder well short. Holder embraces the reprieve with a mighty slog-sweep for six off Rashid.

5.22pm BST

31st over: West Indies 193-5 (Mohammed 37, Holder 1) Moeen bowls a superb over to Holder, who is first beaten through the gate and then hit twice high on the pad. Just a single from the over.

5.21pm BST

30th over: West Indies 192-5 (Mohammed 37, Holder 0) That’s Rashid’s 70th ODI wicket since the last World Cup, more than anyone else in the world.

5.19pm BST

England should win this match now. Powell tries to hit his second straight six of the over and lifts it miles in the air towards long off, where Chris Woakes takes a calm catch.

5.16pm BST

29th over: West Indies 185-4 (Mohammed 36, Powell 2) Moeen returns to the attack and hurries through an over that goes for three singles. West Indies need a lot more than that.

5.13pm BST

28th over: West Indies 182-4 (Mohammed 34, Powell 1) Rashid, no longer deemed a flight risk now that Gayle has gone, comes into the attack. Mohammed bludgeons four to cow corner in an otherwise quiet over. West Indies need 188 from 22 overs.

5.10pm BST

27th over: West Indies 176-4 (Mohammed 29, Powell 0) One thing I would say about Plunkett and the Ashes is that his age shouldn’t count against him. England should be unashamedly myopic in picking this squad, and they can think about the future afterwards. It’s a shame there’s no David Steele type they could pick to bat at No3.

5.08pm BST

Adil Rashid has dismissed Chris Gayle - without bowling a ball. Gayle took a tight single to midwicket, and was struggling to make his ground when Rashid’s superb throw hit the stumps. There was no dive and replays confirmed he was fractionally short. It ends a spectacular innings of 94 from 78 balls from Gayle, whose lack of speed between the wickets has cost him again.

5.02pm BST

26th over: West Indies 173-3 (Gayle 94, Mohammed 28) I’m surprised Rashid hasn’t bowled at all. It must be a Gayle thing, I don’t think Rashid needs to hide from anybody. (I might revise that view if he comes on and disappears for 27 in his first over.) He is England’s best chance of dismissing Gayle and winning the match. West Indies will be favourites so long as Gayle is at the crease - even more so if Mohammed plays more shots like that, a coruscating flat pull for four off Stokes. West Indies need 197 from 24 overs.

4.59pm BST

25th over: West Indies 165-3 (Gayle 93, Mohammed 24) Woakes returns to the attack, with England in increasingly urgent need of a wicket. He almost gets one with a superb cutter that beats Gayle’s outside edge and just misses the off stump. Three from the over.

“The ever reliable, often wicket-taking and useful tailender Plunkett never seems to get a mention as a possible back-up seamer for the Ashes,” says Geoff Wignall. “Why ever not?”

4.55pm BST

24th over: West Indies 163-3 (Gayle 92, Mohammed 21) “We just might have seen a bit of statsgasmic history today,” weeps Tom Bowtell. “By my initial statsguring, I tentatively reckon the record number of runs scored in all formats in an English summer was previously Gooch’s 1277 in his Indian summer of 1990. If that’s the case, then Root went past that today, and is currently on 1342. Can you/any OBOers think of any other possible contending seasons?”

Yep, that’s correct - it’s on Cricinfo and everything! I’m not sure why, but I struggled to get excited about those ‘all international matches’ stats. It’s like bracketing the winners of Masterchef and Celebrity Masterchef together. It’s exactly like that.

4.51pm BST

23rd over: West Indies 156-3 (Gayle 91, Mohammed 15) Gayle hurtles into the nineties by swiping Moeen for three consecutive straight sixes. He is an astonishing player; he has 91 from 66 balls and it feels like he’s just warming up. If he is still batting at the end, West Indies willhave won this game.

4.47pm BST

22nd over: West Indies 137-3 (Gayle 73, Mohammed 14) Still no sign of Adil Rashid, which must be related to the presence of Chris Gayle. He moves into the seventies with a clever steer past short third man off the bowling of Stokes. He has 73 from 61 balls, Mohammed 15 from 27.

4.43pm BST

21st over: West Indies 131-3 (Gayle 68, Mohammed 14) Chris Gayle is into overtime, the 21st over of the innings. He has slowed down a bit ion the last few overs, perhaps recharging for a second assault, and Moeen slips through a good over for just two runs.

4.42pm BST

20th over: West Indies 129-3 (Gayle 68, Mohammed 13) Stokes comes into the attack in place of the ever-excellent Plunkett (5-0-29-2). Mohammed edges his first ball short of the keeper Buttler, and not much else happens.

Here’s one: assuming a foursome of Anderson, Broad, Woakes and Stokes for the Gabba, who should be the two back-up seamers in the Ashes squad? Wood must go if he’s fit, and my heart is screaming FINN for the other place. I would take him just in case he can reach his 2015-16 level again, and make sure Jake Ball is nearby with the Lions.

4.36pm BST

19th over: West Indies 124-3 (Gayle 66, Mohammed 10) Mohammed edges Moeen onto the shin of Buttler and launches the next ball lazily down the ground for six. Shot! West Indies need 246 from the last 31 overs.

“I think that DRS decision against Samuels was the equivalent of a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan,” says Brian Withington. “Crazy overrule.”

4.34pm BST

18th over: West Indies 117-3 (Gayle 66, Mohammed 3) “Two things you notice about Morgan are his selection of bowlers and his field settings, which tend to be in advance of most of his contemporaries,” says John Starbuck. “As these are more likely to win you games than his explosive hitting you can discount the latter to some extent. A thought: when he does come to give it up, who’s next? Ben Stokes, maybe, as a training phase for Test team captaincy when Root gets exhausted by it all. Stokes would have to mature well in the next two years, though, in both temper and tactics.”

Stokes feels like the perfect vice-captain to me, though maybe I am just going on the Botham/Flintoff principle. I think it should and will be Buttler. He’s clever, tough, thinks outside the box and probably won’t be playing Test cricket.

4.28pm BST

17th over: West Indies 115-3 (Gayle 65, Mohammed 2) Six from Moeen’s over, all singles or wides.

4.26pm BST

16th over: West Indies 109-3 (Gayle 62, Mohammed 0) I think Samuels has been really hard done by. As Samuels walked off with an affronted pus, Plunkett raised his eyebrows and fixed him with a wonderful look of wry schadenfreude.

4.22pm BST

Marlon Samuels is controversially dismissed on review. The bowler Liam Plunkett didn’t even appeal for the caught behind, but Jos Buttler was so convinced of an edge that, when it was given not out on the field, Eoin Morgan decided to go upstairs. There was a really small spike as the ball passed the bat, which was a long way away from the body. I thought you needed a slightly bigger spike to overturn a decision, especially as there was no sound or obvious deviation, but Rod Tucker knows a bit more about umpiring than I do and he decided it was out.

4.17pm BST

15th over: West Indies 104-2 (Gayle 62, Samuels 7) Gayle mispulls Moeen straight down the ground, and the ball drops exasperatingly between Stokes and Willey at long-off and long-on. A good over from Moeen, just three from it.

4.13pm BST

14th over: West Indies 101-2 (Gayle 59, Samuels 6) Plunkett has an optimistic LBW appeal against Samuels turned down. Samuels then gets off the mark with five runs from his fifth delivery. He was pottering absentmindedly for a single when the bowler Plunkett threw on the turn towards the stumps at the non-striker’s end. It went for four overthrows but it was fair enough as I think Samuels would have been out with a direct hit.

4.09pm BST

13th over: West Indies 92-2 (Gayle 57, Samuels 0) Gayle monsters Moeen into the crowd to reach a 38-ball half-century. That’s followed by a couple of near misses: an attempted pull that flashes past Moeen at catchable height, and a swat towards cow corner that just evades the diving Bairstow on its way to the boundary. Thirteen from the over.

4.07pm BST

12th over: West Indies 79-2 (Gayle 44, Samuels 0) “If you’d told me in 2014 when Mo was just making his way shakily in Test cricket that he’d hit this monstrous score today, putting ubermensches Gayle and Stokes in the shade I’d have spat my east London craft lager out in snorts of derision,” says Guy Hornsby. “But this isn’t even his top ODI score, and I’ve not seen such ferocity in such a sensible man since Michael Douglas lost it in Falling Down. Is there nothing he can’t do?”

That’s the interesting thing with Moeen: you sense he is only just starting to realise what he can do, both as an off-spinner and a lower-order punisher. If he gets through this winter unscathed - and that’s a big concern, I think - he’ll be a national treasure for the next few years.

4.03pm BST

Liam Plunkett strikes in his second over. Shai Hope tried to drive a tempting wide delivery and snicked it through to Jos Buttler. Plunkett has become a very reliable wickettaker in ODIs - only Rashid Khan and Hasan Ali have taken more this year.

3.59pm BST

11th over: West Indies 77-1 (Gayle 43, S Hope 19) Moeen comes into the attack in place of Chris Woakes, who bowled better than figures of 5-1-27-0 suggest. Gayle has a couple of sighters before launching a one-bounce four that lands a few yards wide of Stokes at long-off.

3.57pm BST

10th over: West Indies 73-1 (Gayle 39, S Hope 19) Plunkett replaces Willey, and his second ball is pulled out of the ground by Gayle. Shots like that used to merit an exclamation mark but not any more. Shai Hopes makes it 11 from the over with another classical extra-cover drive for four. Even for an England fan, his batting is the gift that keeps on giving. He is gorgeous to watch.

3.53pm BST

9th over: West Indies 62-1 (Gayle 32, S Hope 15) This has been an extremely good contest between Woakes and Gayle. Both have had their moments, but this over belongs to Gayle. He dumps a slower ball over midwicket for four and steers the next one - a short ball that followed him outside leg stump - to the third-man boundary. He has 32 from 25 balls.

3.50pm BST

8th over: West Indies 53-1 (Gayle 23, S Hope 15) Shai Hope is showing that the coaching manual can still have a place in white-ball cricket. He flashes a back cut for four off Willey and then stiffens his wrists to clip a gorgeous shot between midwicket and mid-on.

3.47pm BST

7th over: West Indies 45-1 (Gayle 23, S Hope 4) “Couple of questions about Morgan,” says Ben Parker. “Would he have been dropped by now if he weren’t captain? How many more failures is he allowed before he loses his place?”

Probably not, and plenty. I agree that his fluctuations in form are frustrating but he usually makes runs when it matters. It’s only two or three months since he played an immense innings against Australia in the Champions Trophy, and since the last World Cup he averages 46 at a strike rate close to 100. And his captaincy is even more important than his runs.

3.41pm BST

6th over: West Indies 38-1 (Gayle 19, S Hope 4) Gayle slashes Willey just over the head of Morgan at backward point for four. The next ball brings a more authentic boundary, howitzed through the covers off the back foot. He has 19 from 19 balls and, although it has been a sketchy innings, England will not stand comfortably until he is out.

3.36pm BST

5th over: West Indies 29-1 (Gayle 11, S Hope 4) Woakes is bowling a cracking spell to Gayle. He beats him three times in the over - first with lack of pace, then seam movement and finally some trampoline bounce. It’s a maiden, which doesn’t happen a lot when Chris Gayle is on strike and his team need eight an over.

3.32pm BST

4th over: West Indies 29-1 (Gayle 11, S Hope 4) Willey continues, and Shai Hope gets off the mark with a thoroughly beautiful drive between extra cover and mid-off for four.

“There is also the stunning fact that Mo’s second 50 came off just 12 balls!” says Dean Kinsella.

3.29pm BST

3rd over: West Indies 25-1 (Gayle 11, S Hope 0) Gayle blasts Woakes’ first two deliveries for four and six, a drive over mid-off followed by a muscular heave to cow corner. Woakes’ response is excellent, with four dot balls - including two past the outside edge - to end the over.

3.25pm BST

2nd over: West Indies 15-1 (Gayle 1, S Hope 0) That’s a nice breakthrough for Willey, who has had a tricky time after a brilliant start to his ODI career.

3.23pm BST

This is a very good early breakthrough for England. After two superb leg-side sixes in the over, Lewis falls going for a third. He mispulled Willey straight to mid-on, where Moeen took an easy catch.

3.19pm BST

1st over: West Indies 2-0 (Gayle 1, Lewis 1) A low-key start to the innings, with Chris Woakes conceding two singles from the first over. It surely won’t be long before Gayle and Lewis tee off, as the required rate is already 7.5 per over.

3.17pm BST

The England players are out on the field, as are Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis. Let us flay.

2.58pm BST

Hello, Rob here. We’ve had a few Mogasms this summer, but today’s surely tops the lot. Moeen Ali reached new heights of velvet brutality to move from 39 to 100 in just 14 balls, including eight sixes. Eight sixes in 14 balls. There hasn’t been a comparable burst of hitting by an England batsman in 140 years of international cricket. It means that West Indies must chase a huge target of 370 to square the series. With Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis opening the batting, it’s not impossible. But even they will do well to smack eight sixes in 14 balls.

2.56pm BST

50th over: England 369-9 (Rashid 9, Willey 1) Excellent finish from Adil Rashid, who deliberately and then inadvertently guides the last two balls to third man for boundaries. It’s England’s fifth highest ODI score and a record in an innings against West Indies. Trying to find the words to describe that innings from Moeen Ali that aren’t just hearts-eyes emojis. While his hunderd was the third fastest for England in ODIs, it’s the fastest for England at home. Seven fours, eight sixes, all class.

Rob Smyth is taking over from here on in. Thanks for your company!

2.46pm BST

Quality work from Taylor, following through right up to the ball, that had been dropped just in front of the stumps. Side-foots home from close range.

2.44pm BST

49th over: England 358-8 (Plunkett 9, Willey 0) Plunkett forces a four through midwicket. Six balls to go, potentially 370 on the cards...

2.41pm BST

Show’s over, but my it was good while it lasted. Two drops in three balls – both off Ashley Nurse, both by Ashley Nurse – is followed by a loft down the ground that doesn’t beat the biggest man on the ground, Jason Holder. Unreal knock.

Moeen Ali today:

First 39 balls - 39 runs, 5x4, 0x6
Next 14 balls - 61 runs, 2x4, 8x6#ENGvWI

2.37pm BST

48th over: England 351-7 (Ali 101, Plunkett 3) Outrageous! Moeen Ali has the second fastest ODI hundred for England, disrupting the Buttler monopoly on the top three slots. Cummins is smeared high to square leg to take Moeen to 94 before three figures are brought up with one fetched outside off stump, way over wide mid on...

WOOOOOW! No words for @MoeenAli – he brings up his century from 56 balls!

Just 12 balls for his second 50! https://t.co/Iokv5fMDti pic.twitter.com/lSOAoyx3qz

2.34pm BST

47th over: England 336-7 (Ali 88, Plunkett 1) One of the more outrageous overs today. Second ball, Moeen Ali is dropped at backward point: a full toss slashed straight into Chris Gayle’s hands. Gayle, who didn’t have to move – just how he likes it – can’t react quick enough. Six and out for Woakes, who wasn’t hitting them well but grew into his role superbly. Now for Mo’s hundred...

2.28pm BST

A chaotic few deliveries that sees Woakes caught and taken over the long on fence for four ends with him carving over extra cover... only to be caught smartly on the fence by Powell. And breathe...

2.26pm BST

46th over: England 326-6 (Ali 87, Woakes 27) MOEEN ALI! Stop it. Three sixes in a row off Jason Holder, followed by a two and a four puts England back into play for a monstrous total. Speaking of monstrous, Moeen’s last 10 balls have brought 48 runs!

6624666624!

2.20pm BST

45th over: England 301-6 (Ali 63, Woakes 26) Moeen – he came to party. Miguel Cummins is looking at me. Wondeful start to the oevr from the left-hander as he opens his stance and plants the quick for two sixes over wide mid on. The blows take him to his half-century, from 41 balls. How does he celebrate? With a skewed four and then a slapped six over square leg. Cummins concedes 25 from the over!

England on course for their highest ODI total against the West Indies (currently 328)...

2.13pm BST

44th over: England 276-6 (Ali 39, Woakes 25) Chris Woakes tries to muscle a couple to midwicket but falls short, twice. The first is the better hit, but good work in the deep from Powell saves two runs. The second effort is weaker from Woakes and, as a result, it’s a single and Woakes keeps the strike. A result for West Indies.

2.08pm BST

43rd over: England 268-6 (Ali 37, Woakes 19) Plenty of runs behind the keeper. Another edge from Moeen flies away inside third man for four. The over finishes with one, too – Woakes’ first – as the allrounder skips down to Taylor and puts him back over his head. “Would Englands take 280?” asks Matthew Doherty. Not a chance. With seven overs to go, 300 shouldn’t be too tough.

2.03pm BST

42nd over: England 257-6 (Ali 31, Woakes 14) No boundaries for Woakes so far, but he’s hitting the ball into some workable gaps, albeit after wasting the first two balls of the over trying to hit the ball out of Gloucestershire. A thread through extra cover, backward point and cover bring him five runs. Moeen the man on strike next over. Exactly what England need.

1.58pm BST

41st over: England 251-6 (Ali 30, Woakes 9) The fielding hasn’t been great today but the field placings have been good from Jason Holder. Twice, now, Moeen Ali has tried to lace balls through square leg but hasn’t been able to beat the fielder, Lewis. Jerome Taylor backs up his skipper with a couple of yorkers. Woakes gets his toes out of the way of one to find a single into cover point to nick the strike.

1.51pm BST

40th over: England 244-6 (Ali 27, Woakes 6) Wonderful from Moeen Ali. Powell’s not fast enough to bowl back of a length and Moeen’s too good to miss out. With a smidge of a rock back, Ali flays through midwicket for four.

1.49pm BST

39th over: England 239-6 (Ali 22, Woakes 6) Evin Lewis with a brilliant diving header out at deep backward square leg to save two runs! Moeen Ali tries to hook the returning Jerome Taylor out of the ground, but is unable to fetch find the stands.

“That may be so,” says Peter Salmon on Woakes’ scoring rate exceeding Chris Gayle’s. “But Gayle has a better economy rate as a bowler, 4.76 vs 5.57 #whataworld.” That is a maginficent pick-up, Peter.

1.44pm BST

38th over: England 235-6 (Ali 19, Woakes 5) Unlucky from Powell. Part-timer status means he’s never going to be given a slip, so when Moeen drives and edges through, way out to the wicketkeeper’s left, he knows it’s four straightaway. A good score was 340... now is it a straight 300, given what’s left to come?

1.40pm BST

37th over: England 228-6 (Ali 14, Woakes 3) Cummins drops one short to Moeen, who pulls out the Lara pull – hands high, finishing higher, leg in the air – and gets four through midwicket.

1.39pm BST

36th over: England 222-6 (Ali 9, Woakes 2) Powell changing his pace well here. He’s been a real bonus after Nurse and Bishoo were taken apart. Three from the over

1.34pm BST

35th over: England 219-6 (Ali 7, Woakes 1) Six overs, three for 36 so far for Cummins. Each wicket pegging England back. A steady platform is slowly being dismantled. Thankfully, Moeen is now being accompanied by #UNIVERSECHRIS...

Great early stat from @ZaltzCricket.

England's @chriswoakes currently has a faster scoring rate in ODIs than @henrygayle #bbccricket pic.twitter.com/b2ntAkLr4C

1.30pm BST

A third for Miguel Cummins! Joe Root, touch over-balanced, is struck in front by a delivery that moves into him. He reviews but it’s clattering into leg stump. Cummins’ today: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Root. Not a bad bunch.

1.28pm BST

34th over: England 217-5 (Root 84, Moeen 6) Moeen up and running with a work away off his hip for four down to fine leg.

1.25pm BST

33rd over: England 211-5 (Root 83, Moeen 1) Very good from Cummins. Given how the spinners have been costly, I’d imagine he’d bowl out. Why wouldn’t he after this:

WICKET Buttler bowled by Cummins

210/5 #EngvWI

Follow: https://t.co/Iokv5fMDti pic.twitter.com/UgYqZCAcak

Related: India v Australia: third one-day international – live!

1.19pm BST

1.16pm BST

32nd over: England 209-4 (Root 82, Buttler 2) Stokes goes. Out comes the man with the first, second and third fastest ODI hundreds for England...

1.14pm BST

The party’s over and a deserved scalp for Powell, who has bowled better than the part-timer tag I gave him when he came on. Stokes goes high to the off side but can’t quite control the direction of the shot. Slices out right to the cover boundary, where Evin Lewis takes a simple catch.

1.12pm BST

31st over: England 205-3 (Root 80, Stokes 73) Oh wow... now we’re talking. Ben Stokes his Nurse over his head for back-to-back sixes. Big man doing big things. Nurse’s figures have taken a pasting in the last two overs – 29 from them!

1.08pm BST

30th over: England 189-2 (Root 79, Stokes 58) Another steady over from Powell concedes just three runs.

Highest innings total in ODI at Bristol is 329...England on track to go well past that https://t.co/d4e5j5fNFS #ENGvWI

1.05pm BST

29th over: England 186-2 (Root 78, Stokes 56) Joe Root’s awoken from his cruise control. Nurse drags one down and is flayed through the off side. Next ball is given a bit of air and Root gets under it to slog-sweep into the crowd at midwicket. Stunning.

Brian Withington emails in: “Having missed the opportunity to express my unstinting man love for Jonny Bairstow, can I instead proffer a word for young Lawrence of Leytonstone, whose century after following on inspired Essex’s ninth win of the Championship at the Ageas this week. The excellent Rob Keys has been noticeably fulsome in his praise of this precocious Daniel - maybe too early to expose him to an Ashes tour but his time will surely come, and soon.” Oh Brian, you don’t need to sing the virtues of Lawrence to me. I’m a full paid up member to the Church of DL. Saw him score an excellent century against Surrey earlier this season and fend off a Lancashire attack of James Anderson, Kyle Jarvis and Ryan McLaren. Played one of my favourite shots of 2015:

#Wrists pic.twitter.com/CJJdZR1e7C

1.00pm BST

28th over: England 173-3 (Root 67, Stokes 54) First bit of width from Powell is punished by Root, who arches back and cuts behind point for four.

12.57pm BST

27th over: England 167-3 (Root 62, Stokes 53) The first ball spins – mark it down: fiffth ball of the 27th over – but Root covers up well to push it into the off side for a single. That’s only one of four runs taken in the over. Had West Indies fielded a bit better, England might have been in a bit of trouble here. As it is, a steady enough platform is being built for that man Jos.

12.53pm BST

26th over: England 163-3 (Root 59, Stokes 52) Bit of part-time medium pace from Rovman Powell. The sprightly stuff you might face on a Saturday. Quicker when he’s shorter, moving when its full. Stokes and Root are good enough and in enough to counter it all, but the wicket-to-wicket line is proving hard to get away. In fact, Powell rattles off four dot balls in a row to finish the over.

12.50pm BST

Here’s that reverse sweep...

FIFTY! Fantastic innings @benstokes38! #EngvWI

How about this for a shot? pic.twitter.com/ChoJNN5Dkf

12.49pm BST

25th over: England 161-3 (Root 58, Stokes 51) Stokes’ initiative keeping England ticking. Nurse, around the wicket, bowling into leg stump, is whipped through point via another reverse sweep for four. A single down the ground takes Stokes to his 10th fifty of his ODI career. It’s also his ninth 50-plus score in all formats this summer.

12.45pm BST

24th over: England 152-3 (Root 55, Stokes 45) Bishoo carries on Nurse’s work... but only for four balls. Stokes brings up England’s 150 with a punch through cover off a flatter, shorter delivery that the left-hander plays easily off the back foot.

Re the Root record, we're still counting this as "summer" are we @Vitu_E?

12.43pm BST

23rd over: England 146-3 (Root 54, Stokes 40) After a 10-run over, Nurse responds with six darts to concede just one. Good comeback from him and the West Indies.

12.42pm BST

22nd over: England 145-3 (Root 54, Stokes 39) Tired of singles, Stokes jaunts down the pitch and uses his wrists to hammer a straight six that doesn’t get above the second storey of the flats down the ground!

12.41pm BST

21st over: England 135-3 (Root 52, Stokes 31) Three singles off Nurse. From affecting play up top, it looks like West Indies are just waiting for a mistake.

12.36pm BST

20th over: England 132-3 (Root 50, Stokes 30) Joe Root has his half-century, from 41 balls. Was tentative at first but has done that Joe Root thing of suddenly picking up runs in a hurry, without seemingly being in a hurry. Five fours and one six. “It seems to get easier and easier for him,” says Anderson. Also in this innings, the small matter of this accolade:

IT'S A RECORD!@root66 has now scored more runs in an English international summer than anyone else.

Going past Graham Gooch in 1990. pic.twitter.com/7t61jkb301

12.33pm BST

19th over: England 128-3 (Root 48, Stokes 28) Spin from both ends as Ashley Nurse comes on to bowl his off-breaks. Out comes the reverse sweep, as Ben Stokes whips it through Marlon Samuels at wide leg. Wonder if they’ve said hello yet...

12.31pm BST

18th over: England 122-3 (Root 47, Stokes 23) Collectively better from Bishoo, but Root and Stokes able to take singles off every ball. Something to worry about for Holder, considering the runs are taken to all parts. Bishoo might be one to target for a middle-overs burst.

12.28pm BST

17th over: England 116-3 (Root 44, Stokes 20) Sharp analysis from James Anderson – very good on comms – who reckons Miguel Cummins’ tentative run-up and short follow-through are robbing him of an extra 5mph. It also allows Stokes to stride out of his crease and hammer down the ground for a one-bounce four.

12.24pm BST

16th over: England 108-3 (Root 42, Stokes 14) Drinks followed by leg spin. Not very good leg spin, mind. But then again, it’s a bit like Mel Brook’s sex-pizza quip. It’s still pretty damn good. A fair few bad balls but the odd one grips.

“Great to hear The Spinners namechecked,” writes Peter Salmon. “My parents only had about 6 albums, there was Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits, Holst Planets, Music to watch Girls By, Tchaikovsky 1812, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (featuring a cover of Please Mrs Henry) and The Spinners. Made it hard to pretend to be a rock star with my cricket bat, frankly.” Reminds me of a story from a few years ago at the Oval during a Championship match. Florence Welch was on the outfield during the tea break. Naturally, half the Surrey side gravitated towards her and ended up having a quick knock-about game of cricket in their interval. She had no idea who they were.

12.13pm BST

15th over: England 101-3 (Root 36, Stokes 13) For a moment, I was about to change tab and type up another wicket... instead, it’s a Root top edge for six! On a bigger ground he’s in trouble, but the swivel on the pull shot ensures Root gets it fine enough to go far enough.

An email from John Starbuck: “Well, at this rate we shan’t need to worry too much about the Windies run-chase being interrupted by rain around 5pm, shall we?” Pub by 3pm, dregs of the Sunday roast offerings. Easy.

12.09pm BST

14th over: England 93-3 (Root 29, Stokes 12) Stokes playing a shot-a-ball here – barring that early leave – as a back cut, off the toe of the bat, lands just short of Ashley Nurse at gully. Root, though, is starting to tick. Width from Holder is struck crisply through the off side for his fifth boundary.

Isn't it "England’s Limited Overs captain" @Vitu_E? No - on second thoughts you're right - "England’s limited overs captain". Very limited.

12.05pm BST

13th over: England 85-3 (Root 23, Stokes 10) Glorious from Stokes. Beats mid on, inside, with a well-guided on drive off Cummins and threads one through extra cover for three runs. “Sad to see Bairstow go as he is my absolute favourite England cricketer (thus cricketer per se),” writes Ian Copestake. “Is it just my misconception or has Jos Buttler had a lean run recently? Hope that changes today to make up for Bairstow’s demise.” I suppose by Buttler’s lofty standards, he has been on a lean run, certainly if we’re comparing his last 10 ODI innings to the 10 before that. Full innings list here. He’s due in next so should get the chance to build an innings rather than finish one off.

12.01pm BST

12th over: England 77-3 (Root 22, Stokes 3) I asked if Eoin Morgan needed to play at that ball. Ben Stokes, another leftie, leaves a similar length and angled delivery, first up.

Golden Duck for @Eoin16!

He's now scored 22 runs in last 9 innings in all T20s & ODIShttps://t.co/z8AuGD8DpR pic.twitter.com/QqNSCip4H0

11.57am BST

A rotten run of form continues for England’s limited overs captain. His first ball is a cracker, to be fair: Holder moving one across the left-hander, forcing him to play and finding an edge through to the keeper. Had another look just now. Did he have to play at it?

WICKET Morgan caught behind off Holder first ball

74/2 #EngvWIhttps://t.co/Iokv5fMDti pic.twitter.com/apE3tMynzd

11.54am BST

11th over: England 73-2 (Root 21) Miguel Cummins on for Jerome Taylor, immediately after the Power Play. He’s got a bit of extra pace but, perhaps because of his action, isn’t able to get the same kind of lateral movement as Taylor. As a result, Hales punches him down the ground for a glorious on drive. Reminscient of his one off Taylor in the ninth over:

The is lovely @AlexHales1

Now 65/1 after 10 overs #EngvWIhttps://t.co/Iokv5fMDti pic.twitter.com/g1cNmJnkgE

11.53am BST

Excellent review from Jason Holder. Miguel Cummins, first change, gets the ball to nip back in off the surface. The ball makes it way through to the keeper but via the front pad. Replays show impact in line and the projected path had the delivery clattering into leg stump.

11.49am BST

10th over: England 65-1 (Hales 29, Root 20) Strong end to the Power Play for England. The last five overs, despite seeing the wicket of Jonny Bairstow, also reaped 47 runs. Andrew Bentons is wondering about England’s record at Bristol. They’ve won the last 11 ODIs here.

“Simon McMahon’s sporting 5th over challenge is duly accepted (by the fraternal power of attorney vested in me at birth).” Morning Brian! “I think we can safely discount any suggestion that continued membership of the single market might be incompatible with state sponsored investment in our upper order. And unrestricted movement of labour from Eastern Europe has done little to restrict home grown opportunities at 2,3 and 5.”

11.43am BST

9th over: England 61-1 (Hales 27, Root 18) Fifty up or England as Root watches an inswinger from Taylor onto the face of his bat and then away to the leg side fence. Hales takes over for the remainder of the over, driving superbly down the ground for four, then watching for the over-correction – shorter, wider – and flaying that over cover.

11.39am BST

8th over: England 48-1 (Hales 19, Root 13) A bit of a clumsiness and a bit of class in the space of a few balls. Alex Hales in a nutshell. A plink down the ground – it sounded like he hit it with a bat you’d get at a seasside corner shop, with a ball and a set of stumps – *just* clears mid off, tracking back. Moments later, he plays a picture-perfect jab through midwicket for four.

11.35am BST

7th over: England 40-1 (Hales 11, Root 13) Not a convincing start from Root, but with Taylor’s pace and swing, and a pitch that looks tough to trust, it’s understandable. An aerial flick through midwicket his hit hard enough to beat the fielder for height. A shorter ball from Taylor is pulled through square leg for a second, before a delightful whip along the floor through the same region makes it three fours in a row.

11.31am BST

6th over: England 28-1 (Hales 11, Root 1) Another no ball – this time from Holder. Unlike Taylor, he’s unable to get away with the free hit. One in short is clouted over square leg for the game’s first six and Bairstow’s second boundary. Next ball, Holder ensures it’s his final one today. Joe Root in at three: plays and misses first ball, off the mark with his second.

“Ian Copestake would probably just say something inane like ‘change your hair change your life’,” writes Ian Copestake. “The kindly Brian Withington should go with his intuition.”

11.27am BST

Just after feeling out of the middle, Bairstow is undone by a bit of bounce from Jason Holder. Attempts to work to the leg side but pops one back to the West Indies skipper.

11.24am BST

5th over: England 19-0 (Bairstow 6, Hales 10) Still swinging for Jerome Taylor. And Bairstow’s still swinging, too. Hasn’t really felt one out of the screws so, last over, tries to hit the white off the ball, through square leg. Nothing but air. “Cocktails on Brian Withington’s brother if Jeremy Corbyn offers his thoughts on the Ashes squad in his speech next week?” Now there’s a gauntlet laid down by Simon McMahoan. “Plenty of lefties, lots of spin etc...”

11.20am BST

4th over: England 17-0 (Bairstow 5, Hales 10) Both batsmen struggling to time the ball on this pitch. Perhaps Alex Hales’ form is desserting him?

Sure, he smoked it in the Royal London Cup and T20 Blast, but now against international quality, he’s been found wanting
Hales smashes Jason Holder through backward point for four. Pure class. Get him on the plane.

England’s Spinners brought out a classic of their own last week:

BRILLIANT: @MoeenAli and @AdilRashid03 get the giggles! #NoBoundaries pic.twitter.com/vP0Jv4wnoS

11.15am BST

3rd over: England 11-0 (Bairstow 5, Hales 4) Hales punches a no-ball off the back foot for two to wide third man. The free hit? Well, anything but... Taylor follows up with a stunning outswinging yorker that crashes into middle stump. The stats say this is the best ground for bowling swing in ODIs, since 2007. That swing almost brings about Bairstow’s demise as a leading edge flies in point’s direction. Luckily for England, it’s wide enough of Evin Lewis for the first boundary of the innings.

A thousand apologies. I’ve sold a lie to anyone buying. John Starbuck is on hand to put me right: “The Spinners were a four-man folk band and the members came from Liverpool, Lancashire and Jamaica. Not much Irish there, unless you accept, which many do (especially when they’re in The Beehive), that Liverpool is an Irish city.

11.10am BST

2nd over: England 3-0 (Bairstow 1, Hales 1) Singles apiece for Jonny and Hales, both into the leg side. “Big dilemma,” starts Brian Whitington. “Cannot decide whether to proffer a stale ten penn’orth of opinion on the Ashes squad or attempt some riff on the Labour Party conference. Classic WWICS scenario - what would Ian Copestake say? Please keep us in suspense no longer...” Help us Ian Copestake. You’re our only hope.

11.06am BST

1st over: England 1-0 (Bairstow 0, Hales 0) Shape straight away from the right-handers for Jerome Taylor. Decent nip, too. Needs it to be full otherwise it seems to be coming onto the bat nicely. That being said, Jonny Bairstow has trouble beating point with a couple of cuts. England get off the mark with a nudge off his hip to square leg.

11.02am BST

“It’s Brizzle, not Brizzy!” writes Andrew Benton. “As in, rhymes with drizzle, though let’s hope for none of that. Where’s Brizzy?” What’s the OBO without a bit of creative license? Also, Brizzle doesn’t rhyme with “Breezy”. There you go.

Foo Fighters belting out around Bristol, as Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales take their positions. Bairstow facing the first ball. Jerome Taylor serving it.

10.42am BST

Eoin Morgan drops the coin and then spins it incorrectly for Jason Holder to get a choice of going first. A bit of grass on the pitch – “odd-looking,” says Michael Atherton – and that’s enough for the West Indies to take the ball first. Morgan would have done so, too. England unchanged, West Indies bring in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for Keswick Williams.

ENGLAND: JM Bairstow, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan, BA Stokes, JC Buttler †, MM Ali, CR Woakes, AU Rashid, LE Plunkett, DJ Willey

10.32am BST

BREAKING FROM BRISTOL

Terrible challenge by Adil Rashid on Jason Roy in England's football at Bristol. Straight red! Reminiscent of Owais Shah on Joe Denly....

Related: Setback for England as Joe Denly injures knee in football warm-up

10.18am BST

Two ODIs played, England 1-0 up, one win away from taking an unassailable lead in this five-match series. Hope we’re all well on this Sunday morning. Vish here bringing you live action from Bristol, where it’s grey but keeping dry – West Indies cold but welcoming back Chris Gayle.

As ever, there are some matters at hand for England that extend beyond this format with an Ashes series on the horizon. Toby Roland-Jones, an Ashes banker, has come down with a stress fracture of his lower-back, opening opportunities up to the rest of the chasing pack. Steven Finn, with his eight-wicket haul for the last week for Middlesex, has pushed himself to the front of the queue. But what of Jake Ball or Liam Plunkett? The former has started this ODI series on the bench, while the latter’s red ball work hasn’t been all too great over the last year. Alex Hales has another opportunity to push his case for a middle order spot with some runs at the top of the order. New age team, 90s thinking right there.

10.01am BST

Vish will be here presently.

Continue reading...

Leicester City 2-3 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Philippe Coutinho starred and Simon Mignolet saved a Jamie Vardy penalty as Liverpool edged a controversial and richly entertaining match

9.24pm BST

Related: Liverpool dig in for victory after Simon Mignolet penalty save denies Leicester

7.24pm BST

Peep peep! Liverpool just about to deserved to edge a raucous, richly entertaining match between two likeable, flawed teams. Jurgen Klopp grits his teeth in celebration; that’s a big result for him after four games without a win. Thanks for your company, night!

7.20pm BST

90+2 min Vardy is booked for a foul on Moreno. He has had a storming game; it’s a shame his missed penalty will probably cost Leicester a point.

7.19pm BST

90 min There will be five additional minutes of high blood pressure in the away end.

7.17pm BST

88 min Liverpool look relatively comfortable just now but, with the way this match has gone, you’d expect Leicester to get one last chance.

7.15pm BST

87 min “Liverpool fan here,” says Scott Chesters. “I have no arguments about Mane´s red card but about the penalty; Mignolet challenged for the ball, got the ball, no matter how softly, then the two collided. Can´t see how it is a penalty myself.”

I see what you mean, and it was a slightly confusing incident. Isn’t the argument for a penalty that, after Mignolet miskicked, Vardy would have had an open goal had he not been sent flying?

7.14pm BST

86 min “Fascinated by Matt Dony’s marriage (70 min),” sniffs Pete Salmon. “So he has to watch Strictly, but can also check the min-by-min? On laptop, full exposure? Or loo every five mins with his mobile? If the latter, I’m as tense for him as I am about the game.”

7.13pm BST

85 min Wijnaldum misses a decent chance, slicing just wide from Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cut-back.

7.13pm BST

84 min Slimani plants a header just wide from a great cross from Vardy. It wouldn’t have counted because either Slimani or Morgan had been penalised for fouling Matip.

7.11pm BST

83 min Thias has been a monstrously entertaining game.

7.11pm BST

82 min Sturridge, with almost no backlift, whips an excellent long-range shot that is palmed around spectacularly by Schmeichel. Sturridge has looked close to his best since coming off the bench.

7.08pm BST

80 min And now Leicester make their last change: Albrighton off, Islam Slimani on.

7.08pm BST

79 min Liverpool make their final substitution, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing the pretty wonderful Philippe Coutinho.

7.06pm BST

76 min Here’s Mac Millings. “Do assure the 70th minute’s Matt Dony that, after a number of full and frank discussions with Mrs. Millings, ‘we’ have not watched any football at all for quite some time, so he has that to look forward to.”

Love is in the air/when Mac Millings is around, doo doo doo doo doo.

7.05pm BST

75 min Sturridge slips classily past Maguire, comes back on his left foot and shapes a beautiful curler just over the bar from 20 yards. He looks really sharp tonight. By the way, Can was pretty lucky not to concede another penalty for handball moments after Vardy’s kick was saved by Mignolet. There was so much going on that I forget to mention it. So sue me!

7.03pm BST

74 min Both sides make a change: Milner for Can, Iheanacho for Okazaki. This is pulsating stuff.

7.02pm BST

Vardy smashed it as hard as he could, and Mignolet moved to his right to push it away. He has an outstanding record of saving penalties, and it’s even better now. That said, it was a poor penalty from Vardy - nowhere near the corner, and not straight down the middle.

7.01pm BST

Mignolet is booked. He’s had a shocker here. He was so flustered by the presence of Vardy that he miskicked the ball completely, and his momentum was such that he then sent Vardy flying. I didn’t think it was a penalty at first but replays show it was a definite penalty.

7.00pm BST

Mignolet is penalised for a foul on Vardy, and Liverpool are furious again.

7.00pm BST

70 min “The first 47 minutes or so were very entertaining,” says Matt Dony. “But at half time, I had a full and frank discussion with my wife and, long story short, ‘we’ decided that the Tv would be showing Strictly rather than the second half of the game. So I’m entirely in your hands. Please keep the good news rolling”

6.59pm BST

It’s not over yet! Albrighton does brilliantly to beat Gomez down the left and crosses beyond the far post to Gray, who chests the ball up and swishes a spectacular shot towards goal. Mignolet leaps to his right to make an excellent save but Vardy heads the rebound into the empty net. Vardy may have been offside when Gray hit the original shot, I haven’t seen a replay yet.

6.57pm BST

Liverpool finish Leicester off with a clinical counter-attack. Maguire sauntered forward from the back, but when he lost the ball Leicester were in trouble. Coutinho and Sturridge combined to find Henderson, who came back inside the recovering Maguire and reversed the ball smartly past Schmeichel.

6.56pm BST

67 min Coutinho and Salah have shots blocked in quick succession, and then Matip makes a vital block from Vardy, who might have gone down in the area after a challenge from behind.

6.54pm BST

66 min “Liverpool’s great coup in the transfer window was keeping their best player, who - and I still can’t over this fact - they somehow signed for £8.5 million in the first place,” says Phil Podolsky. Coutinho’s agent must be some California businessman not too conversant with this soccerball nonsense, because it’s always been clear he’s a stunning player.”

Fair point. He looked really good as a teenager when Internazionale beat Gareth Bale 4-3 all those years ago.

6.53pm BST

65 min Daniel Sturridge replaces Firmino for Liverpool.

6.53pm BST

64 min Morgan is penalised for shovng Wijnaldum, who then handles the ball in his own area as he goes over. It was a soft foul, but probably the right decision.

6.49pm BST

62 min A change for Leicester: Mahrez off, Demarai Gray on.

6.49pm BST

61 min Coutinho’s fierce long-range shot is well blocked by Morgan, and then Firmino - who has been unusually poor today - drives high over the bar.

6.47pm BST

58 min Leicester have some excellent attacking options on the bench: Slimani, Gray, Iheanacho.

6.46pm BST

57 min A decent chance for Can, who heads Henderson’s dipping cross over the bar from the corner of the six-yard box. He was under pressure from Simpson, who did enough to ensure Can struggled to get on top of the ball.

6.45pm BST

56 min Coutinho’s superb dipping corner lands on the head of the off-balance Lovren, who can’t steer it on target. He wants a penalty, having been manhandled by Maguire. Anthony Taylor says no and then books Lovren for dissent. Maguire was certainly holding him, though Lovren was giving plenty back.

6.43pm BST

54 min Leicester are having a decent period of pressure, with Mahrez starting to look sharp.

6.41pm BST

53 min It’s been a manic start to the second half, with both teams lacking composure in possession.

6.40pm BST

52 min “Am I the only person who thinks Klopp is right in not buying bang average defenders,” says Mel Lynam. “Liverpool have enough of those over the years. Dortmund were built on Hummel and Subotic, and a decent holding midfielder. Klopp system demands ball-playing defenders, Keita is the holding midfielder. So for all the Kloppo-out eejits, be patient, I went to BVB v Hertha on a cold Friday night when I thought they were the two worst teams I ever seen, one got relegated (which I support) the other won the next two German titles.”

6.40pm BST

51 min There have been plenty of emails, only some of them abusive, about the foul by Matip on Vardy that ultimately led to Leicester’s goal. The consensus is:

a) it was a clear block from Matip, and anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t understand football.

6.37pm BST

48 min “Hey Rob,” says JR in Illinois. “I went to the farmer’s market at halftime of the West Ham-Spurs game. I bought some potatoes, red peppers, sweetcorn, and a loaf of bread (whole wheat sourdough). Let’s see if you publish this.”

I’m not too proud to acknowledge another man’s superior eye for edible produce.

6.35pm BST

47 min Henderson’s cross is headed up in the air by Can and drops to Coutinho, who sidefoots a wobbling volley straight at Schmeichel from the left edge of the box. His technique was beautiful but the shot was too close to the keeper.

6.34pm BST

47 min “Is some of the Klopp backlash maybe just the media and the public getting tired of their shiny new toy?” says Shaun Wilkinson. “I have always liked him, but his behaviour on the touchline can be obnoxious. Also, he does need to stop speaking as if he has just inherited this team when questioned about its flaws - he has been here two years now. We saw a similar trend with Mourinho, where everyone was gushing when he was arrived but that soon faded. Is it just that the novelty of Klopp in England has begun to wear off at a time when the team is coincidentally having a sticky patch?”

Yeah, I’m sure that’s a factor. It’s all very infantile.

6.33pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Leicester begin the second half.

6.29pm BST

Okazaki’s disallowed goal “Have a look again Rob,” says Ricky Gill. “Maguire was offside when the freekick was taken. It doesn’t matter if Okazaki was onside or offside because Maguire was offside in the previous phase of play. Let’s see if you publish this.”

Why wouldn’t I publish it? It’s not a custodial offence to admit being wrong. (And you’re right; I’ve since seen a replay and it was the correct decision.)

6.22pm BST

That goal should enliven the second half. Okazaki didn’t do that much to Mignolet but it was a foul. Jordan Henderson was still chuntering to the referee as he left the pitch. See you in 10 minutes for the second half!

6.21pm BST

Mignolet produced an excellent save to deny Vardy, only to make a mistake from the corner and let Leicester back in the game. Or so it seemed. Mignolet waved haplessly at the corner and got nowhere near it, with the ball rebounding towards goal for Okazaki to stab in from two yards. So far, so familiar - except replays showed that Okazaki was slyly holding Mignolet’s arm when he first tried to come for the corner. You can see why Liverpool are so aggrieved.

6.18pm BST

Liverpool are furious about this.

6.17pm BST

45+2 min Matip is booked for cynically blocking Vardy, who was trying to close down Mignolet just outside the area.

6.16pm BST

44 min “As a Liverpool fan I’m firmly in the ‘Klopp In’ camp,” says Matt Dony. “Yes, it is frustrating that he didn’t buy a centre half over the summer, BUT he had identified Van Dijk as his ideal target, and initially tried very hard to sign him. Van Dijk wanted to move, and he clearly has a set of qualities that Klopp wants. Yes, there are other defenders around, but Klopp (like all top-level managers) knew exactly what he wanted, and refused to settle. Bearing in mind how the Neymar transfer skewed fees across the continent, any defender who would have been a clear upgrade on Lovren would have probably been in the £35-40m area, and really, does anyone want to see a club they support spend that kind of money on a ‘back-up plan’? Matip is a fine defender, I have hopes for Klavan, things could improve. I’m not saying they definitely will, but it’s not outside the realms of possibility. And then go back for Van Dijk next year.”

I’d love to support a Jurgen Klopp team. I admire his willingness to play the long game with Van Dijk and Keita, though it’s a risky tactic in modern football.

6.14pm BST

43 min Firmino misses an excellent chance to make it 3-0. Liverpool broke decisively through Coutinho and then Can, who played a simple reverse pass to put Firmino clear on the left side of the box. He went for the first-time shot with his left foot and drove it a few yards wide of the far post.

6.11pm BST

40 min Okazaki has a goal wrongly disallowed for offside. A free-kick was lumped towards the edge of the area, at which point Okazaki was deliberately in an offside position. By the time it was headed into the area by Maguire, Okazaki was being played onside by Henderson and finished smartly past Mignolet. That counts as a different phase of play and so the goal should have counted.

6.05pm BST

35 min With a two-goal lead, Liverpool are content to play Leicester at their own counter-attacking game. Leicester are having more of the ball as a consequence, and Chilwell’s dangerous low cross is well claimed by Mignolet.

6.02pm BST

33 min “Any chance Moreno getting a bang to the head in the foul leading to the goal might knock some sense into him?” says Keith Tucker. “And now he might be able to defend?”

That sounds like a great idea for a David Lynch football film: Twin Peake, in which Coventry defensive stalwart Trevor Peake suffers a blow to the head and starts playing like Jesper Olsen.

6.02pm BST

32 min Moreno’s long-range shot is blocked by a player in blue, possibly Simpson.

6.00pm BST

30 min “On Klopp, whilst football is of course ridiculous with its continual crisis mentality, doesn’t he deserve quite a bit of criticism?” says Andrew Hurley. “His football looks great when they are up against those who can’t defend and non-triers (Arsenal), but his failure to either play a striker (to win games they should) or buy a central defender (who can do that thing they’re supposed to, defend) is very strange indeed. His stubbornness doesn’t make much sense.”

Oh definitely. Every manager deserves criticism, even Conte and Pochettino. It’s the tone and extent of the criticism that is so lamentable.

5.57pm BST

28 min Leicester make a mess of the free-kick. Shakespeare out!

5.57pm BST

27 min Mahrez slithers through a group of Liverpool defenders and is fouled by Moreno, 30 yards from goal.

5.54pm BST

24 min Klopp out!

5.53pm BST

Oh yes, yes, yes. Coutinho puts Liverpool 2-0 up, curling a magnificent free-kick over the wall and into the corner. That was nigh-on perfect, an absolutely brilliant goal to go with his excellent cross for Salah’s first.

5.51pm BST

22 min After a good break from Liverpool, Ndidi is booked for a foul on Moreno 25 yards from goal. The free-kick is in a great position for Coutinho.

5.48pm BST

18 min This is a very entertaining game. Mignolet, dithering over a backpass, is closed down superbly by Vardy and screws the ball straight to Okazaki 35 yards from goal. He shoots first time and Mignolet, by now outside his area, stretches his left leg to divert the ball behind for a corner.

5.47pm BST

17 min Albrighton is booked for a foul on Salah.

5.47pm BST

It was made by Coutinho, who curled a beautiful inswinging cross beyond the far post from just outside the area. Schmeichel was slow to get across his line, perhaps thinking the ball was going out of play, and Salah sneaked behind Chilwell to squeeze a header into the net at the near post. That’s an extremely good header, because the angle was so tight. The cross from Coutinho was a gem.

5.45pm BST

Mohamed Salah redeems his miss with an excellent goal!

5.44pm BST

13 min Salah misses a great chance for Liverpool! Emre Can drove an excellent low shot from 25 yards that hit the inside of the far post and rebounded straight to Salah, who clipped it wide from 10 yards. That was a bad miss, because Schmeichel was still on all fours after trying to save Can’s shot. The one mitigating factor is the speed with which it rebounded to Salah. He should have scored though.

5.41pm BST

12 min “What the hell is Lovren doing?” says Cian McMahon. “Seriously? What is he doing? Terrible passing. Out of position on Vardy’s attack... he will be the bane of us today... mark my words.”

It’s odd as he looked so good at Southampton. See also: Schneiderlin, Morgan; Shaw, Luke; and Chambers, Callum.

5.41pm BST

11 min Liverpool have had 78 per cent of possession, yet it feels like Leicester have been more threatening.

5.39pm BST

9 min Leicester look sharp on the counter-attack. Every defence knows what’s coming, but there’s not a lot they can do about it. It all revolves around Vardy, possibly the fastest England forward I’ve ever seen.

5.37pm BST

6 min The first chance goes to Leicester. Okazaki played a good pass down the left wing to Vardy, who was played onside by Lovren on the other side of the pitch. Matip couldn’t catch him and Vardy made an angled run into the box before curling a shot that was beaten away by Mignolet. The ball bounced up for Mahrez, who came on the blind side of Lovren and clipped the bouncing ball over the bar. That was a deceptively good chance for Mahrez, less so for Vardy because of the tight angle.

5.35pm BST

4 min These days, erery self-respecting attack needs an acronym these days. Today, Liverpool have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

5.33pm BST

3 min A quiet start to the game. Liverpool are eight points behind the Manchesters, though a win would take up them to fifth.

5.30pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Liverpool kick off, from right to left if you like to paint televised pictures in your noggin. There’s an excellent atmosphere.

5.29pm BST

Another email! Here’s Andrew Hurley. “Wenger (rightly) got criticised for the mess that was Arsenal’s transfers this summer (no midfielder, waiting for last minute to bid properly for Lemar, Sanchez staying/going/staying) but he did very very well, even in this market, to get nearly £40m for Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player given countless chances and who is, despite huge natural talent, frustrating, position-less, often lazy and very little end-product.”

I’m loath to judge that transfer for a couple of years - his current performance level is not worth £40m, I agree, but his potential is worth more. If Klopp can’t get the best out of him, nobody will.

5.26pm BST

An email! “Is it possible for the Premier League Crisis Baton to pass between players as well as clubs?” says Matt Loten. “If so, I would wager that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain must be warrant a spell in possession - jumping ship from Arsenal, only to find he can’t even make a Liverpool lineup shorn of Mane, Lallana and, until today, Coutinho. Given that we live in an era when managers can be sacked four games into the season, surely we can call time on Chamberlain’s Liverpool career before the end of September?”

I’m not sure what took you so long, Matt. You need to stop sitting on the fence. This is the age of Sav, not the 1990s.

4.52pm BST

Leicester (4-4-1-1) Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell; Mahrez, Ndidi, King, Albrighton; Okazaki; Vardy.
Substitutes: Hamer, Fuchs, Amartey, Iborra, Gray, Slimani, Iheanacho.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Coutinho.
Substitutes: Karius, Klavan, Alexander-Arnold, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sturridge, Solanke.

10.34am BST

Welcome to 27 Days Later, a divisive tale of expectation, premature denunciation and Dejan Lovren. It’s four weeks tomorrow since Liverpool dismantled Arsenal with an exhilarating performance, yet in that short time the mood around Anfield has changed considerably. Liverpool are on a despicable run of FOUR games without a win, and Klopp has become the topic du jour for many an entitled blowhard.

You don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve got rid of it. In years to come, Liverpool fans will go a big, rubbery one as they recall the swaggering football played under Klopp. Yet a fair percentage of those same fans are currently aboard a bandwagon to have him sacked. He isn’t perfect, and it’s hard to understand his blind defensive eye, but the anti-Klopp grandstanding is little more than reactionary nonsense in a sport that has lost all contact details for reality, logic and decency.

Continue reading...

West Ham 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened

Harry Kane scored twice and hit the post twice as ten-man Spurs withstood a late onslaught from West Ham to win an eventful London derby

2.27pm BST

That was a game of three thirds. West Ham were superior for the first half hour, Spurs were magnificent either side of half-time to go 3-0 up - but they had to survive a late onslaught after the sending off of Serge Aurier. Thanks for your company, you can follow all the 3pm games here.

Related: Southampton v Manchester United, Stoke v Chelsea and more: Premier League – live!

Related: Manchester City v Crystal Palace: Premier League – live!

2.24pm BST

Spurs have held on to win their third consecutive away game in the league this season.

2.24pm BST

90+6 min Yellow cards all round: Carroll, Llorente and, I think, Alderweireld.

2.22pm BST

90+5 min It’s all kicking off now! It started with a foul by Carroll on someone, and now players on both sides are shoving each other. It’s a bit more than manbags, though I don’t think any punches were thrown. Chicharito, who has already been booked, might be in trouble.

2.21pm BST

90+3 min Ayew is booked for a lunge at Davies.

2.20pm BST

90+2 min Carroll’s long-range shot deflects behind for another corner. Cresswell curls a lovely outswinger towards the far post, where Carroll arrives imperiously ... and then heads the ball away from goal! He ended up ahead of the ball. Did he mistime his run or was he shoved by Sanchez? Carroll thinks the latter. There was some contact, but it’s hard to judge whether it was enough for a penalty.

2.18pm BST

90+1 min There will be four minutes of added time. Spurs suddenly looked ragged.

2.18pm BST

90 min Masuaku, who has made a significant impact on the left wing since coming on, wins a corner for West Ham. Cresswell takes it short to Masuaku, gets the return and stands up a gentle, deep cross that Lloris can only fingertip towards the right corner of the box. Reid runs round the ball and wallops it into orbit. He should have lifted that back into the area before Lloris was out of his goal.

2.17pm BST

89 min For Spurs, a cheery stroll has turned into a grim struggle for survival. They make their final substitution, with Fernando Llorente replacing the magnificent Harry Kane.

2.14pm BST

Oh my. Is something brilliant happening? Masuaku beats Winks on the left and curls in a beautiful cross to the far post. Kouyate attacks it at pace, gets above Davies and thumps a memorable header through the leaping Lloris. That was a brilliant goal.

2.10pm BST

82 min Carroll, who has had an absolute beast since coming on, ruins a promising attack with a needless foul on Davies.

2.09pm BST

81 min Chicharito is booked for a foul on Dier. Spurs are pretty comfortable, even with 10 men.

2.08pm BST

80 min Alli and Kane break dangerously for Spurs, but Alli can’t find the moment or angle for a shot and the danger passes. Moments later, Kouyate is booked for something or orher.

2.07pm BST

79 min Chicharito’s volleyed backflick hits Sanchez in the chest. While everyone is appealing for a penalty Chicharito collects the loose ball and smashes a shot from 15 yards that is beaten away by Lloris. Had that been anywhere near either corner I think he’d have scored.

2.05pm BST

78 min Another Spurs change: Kieran Trippier replaces Mohamed Sissoko at right wing-back.

2.05pm BST

77 min Carroll drags a shot well wide from the edge of the area. West Ham have been far too excitable since Spurs went down to 10 men.

2.02pm BST

75 min “It’s nice to see there’s at least one cavernous, divisive London stadium in which Spurs can win,” honks Matt Dony.

2.01pm BST

74 min A substitution apiece: Harry Winks for Christian Eriksen, and Arthur Masuaku for Jose Fonte. West Ham have gone to a back four, Spurs are now playing a 3-5-1 formation.

2.00pm BST

73 min West Ham need to calm down a bit. The red card has given them fresh hope, but they’ve been a little giddy in the few minutes since, hammering cross and shots from all angles.

1.59pm BST

71 min Spurs have moved Sissomo to right wing-back in a 3-3-2-1 formation.

1.58pm BST

70 min He’s an accident waiting to happen, this chap. He lunged at Carroll, who was leading a West Ham break, and a second yellow card was a reasonable decision from Michael Oliver.

1.57pm BST

68 min Noble crosses from a deep position on the right to Hernandez, who strains his neck muscles like a cuckolded Bruce Banner to power a header towards goal from 15 yards. It’s too close to Lloris, who saves comfortably, but it was a good effort.

1.55pm BST

67 min “To be fair Rob, Danny is right,” says Alistair Donegan. “West Ham look a bit poo.”

They do now. I thought they were the better team for half an hour.

1.54pm BST

66 min Andre Ayew replaces Marko Arnautovic for West Ham.

1.54pm BST

West Ham have got one back. Cresswell’s excellent corner is headed across goal by Fonte, and Chicharito backpedals into space to head in from four yards. A classic Chicharito goal.

1.52pm BST

64 min Serge Aurier has been asking for a yellow card all day and now he’s got one for a foul on Carroll.

1.51pm BST

63 min Kane hits the other post! He ran at Reid on the left side of the box, shifted the ball down the line and cracked an early left-footed shot that rattled off the outside of the post. It seems Hart got a slight touch with his right foot as a corner has been given.

1.50pm BST

62 min Spurs were subdued for half an hour, but since the goal they have been quietly majestic. They are such a lovely team to watch. All right-thinking neutrals should want them to win the league this year.

1.48pm BST

Game over. Kane, on a hat-trick, hits the post with a sensational free-kick, whacked across goal from an absurd angle on the left. The ball comes to Aurier, whose deflected cross bounces nicely for Eriksen to sidefoot a classy half-volley into the corner from 15 yards.

1.44pm BST

56 min Sissoko slides a straight pass into the area for Alli, who tries a clever turn back inside Reid and goes over. His penalty appeals are ignored by Michael Oliver. I thought Reid got something on the ball but replays show he didn’t. Whether he got enough of Alli to warrant a penalty is debatable; you could also argue that the sharpness of the turn was the main reason for Alli going down.

1.42pm BST

54 min This game is really open now, with West Ham trying to rough Spurs up. The next goal feels even more important than usual. This game could conceivably end 3-2 or 0-6.

1.39pm BST

52 min West Ham are starting to lump a few crosses into the area for Carroll. So far Spurs have dealt with him comfortably.

1.37pm BST

49 min Eriksen fouls Noble just outside the area on the right. Cresswell dinks in the free-kick and Vertonghen heads clear. Spurs break three-on-two only for Alli to overrun the ball.

1.36pm BST

48 min Arnautovic and Cresswell combine to win a corner. It’s headed away by Alderweireld.

1.33pm BST

47 min “Not sure what game you’re watching to call this scoreline a lie - West Ham had some dangerous looking runs into the box early on but no clear chances to speak of (Aurier’s hands on Arnautovic during his brilliant tackle would have been a soft penalty to give),” says Danny Michaux. “Spurs usually take a while to find a rhythm, and since Kane’s offside miss 25 minutes they’ve looked comfortably in control, even more so since Antonio came off injured.”

Cheers Danny. I don’t know if I could this do this without you.

1.33pm BST

46 min West Ham begin the second half, kicking from right to left.

1.18pm BST

There are lies, damned lies and this half-time scoreline, but Spurs won’t care about that. Harry Kane scored twice in four minutes to flatten a buoyant West Ham, who have a job on to get anything out of the game. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

1.16pm BST

45+1 min “Arnautovic + Carroll, time for some kick and rush?” says Yoann Lechenault. “Come on England, we know you want it!”

1.15pm BST

45 min Alli flips a lovely pass with the outside of the foot to usher Davies towards goal. He gets on the inside of the last man Zabaleta, who just does enough to ensure Davies can’t get a clear run at the ball. That was excellent, if slightly desperate defending.

1.14pm BST

43 min Spurs, so subdued until they scored, are now swaggering around like they own the place. West Ham looked a bit stunned, not unreasonably, and desperately need to hear the half-time bell.

1.12pm BST

41 min Kane demonstrates his stratospheric confidence by shooting from a ridiculous angle on the left, curling the ball across goal and a few yards wide. Hart had it covered.

1.11pm BST

39 min West Ham have been mugged.

1.10pm BST

Harry Kane gets another one! Eriksen and Vertonghen combined smoothly down the left to o put Alli through on goal. His first-time shot was well saved by the outrushing Hart but it rebounded straight to Kane, who had an open goal from 12 yards.

1.06pm BST

Spurs take the lead against the run of play with an excellent goal. Eriksen, picking up a loose pass from Carroll just past the halfway line, puts Alli clear down the right with a fine angled pass. He takes a touch and clips a fast cross towards the near post, where Kane stretches to flash a header in off the far post. That was clinical: from the moment Carroll played a poor pass on the halfway line Spurs needed just five touches to score.

1.05pm BST

33 min Arnatuovic’s long, dipping free-kick hits the arm of Aurier, who mistimed his attempted header. There were no real appeals for a penalty by West Ham.

1.04pm BST

32 min Noble ploughts through Sissoko, taking man and ball, and the players square up to each other. The excellent Michael Oliver sorts it out with the minimum of fuss and the two players shake hands.

1.02pm BST

31 min Eriksen plays a brilliant cutback to find Kane in space in the D. He tees himself up and hits a fierce shot that is crucially blocked by Fonte.

12.59pm BST

29 min “Well, Rob,” says Paul Neilan. “What’s the Sissoko situation? Where/how/why/who/which is he playing? We must know this information(s).”

He’s playing as a kind of inside-right midfielder in a loose 3-3-3-1 formation.

12.58pm BST

28 min Carroll does replace Antonio, so Chicharito will presumably move to the wing. Unless Andy Carroll is going to roam up and down the flank like an inverted Ormondroyd.

12.56pm BST

27 min Antonio is struggling with what looks like a thigh injury, and Andy Carroll is going to replace him.

12.56pm BST

24 min Harry Kane misses an open goal, though it wouldn’t have counted. Spurs worked the ball neatly until Sissoko eased a through pass to Aurier on the right of the area. He blasted the ball towards the far post, where the partially unsighted Kane diverted it wide from three yards. Just as hundreds of non-Spurs fans were deliriously preparing some banter, the linesman’s flag went up to thwart them.

12.52pm BST

22 min “So wrapped up as I am in my own team’s looming crisis I have lost track of the repercussions of Alli’s finger-gate,” says Ian Copestake. “Did he get a rap on his knuckle?”

No idea. I’ve developed a sophisticated internet tool that blocks anything with even a whiff of faux outrage.

12.50pm BST

20 min Spurs aren’t playing well, though much of that is down to the quality of West Ham’s defending and counter-attacking.

12.49pm BST

19 min Arnautovic runs at Alderweireld and wafts a poor cross straight out of play. He is getting in some dangerous positions, though, and has been the most threatening attacker on either side.

12.48pm BST

16 min West Ham break and Noble curves a superb long pass towards Arnautovic. He rumbles thrillingly into the area, between Aurier and Alderweireld, before Aurier makes a brilliant recovery tackle. I say brilliant: replays showed he had a fair chunk of Arnautovic’s shirt as he did so. That should have been a penalty.

12.44pm BST

15 min The game has been pretty low on intensity for a derby, certainly when compared to the match at Ibrox. West Ham look slightly sharper at the moment.

12.43pm BST

13 min Eriksen’s deflected shot is shovelled over the bar by Hart, who didn’t risk trying to catch it as it dropped out of the sky. Nothing happens from the corner.

12.41pm BST

11 min Antonio drags a through ball towards Arnautovic, and Lloris hares from his area to clear.

12.39pm BST

8 min West Ham are starting to play some good stuff. Chicharito plays a one-two with Antonio and whips an extravagant, long-range curler onto the roof of the net. Lloris had it covered but it was a decent effort.

12.38pm BST

6 min Spurs seem to be playing more of a 3-3-3-1 formation, with Dier just in front of the three defenders and Sissoko, Eriksen and Alli playing behind Kane. Tactics are so damn hot right now.

12.35pm BST

5 min Arnautovic beats Alderweireld with a stepover on the left side of the box and drives a dangerous low cross that is cleared from inside the six-yard box by the stretching Sanchez.

12.34pm BST

3 min Spurs have started confidently, with some smooth passing in the West Ham half. Alli plays a through pass round the corner to himself, in a manner that evokes Dimitar Berbatov’s awesome goal against Charlton all those years ago, and Cresswell comes across to cover.

12.30pm BST

1 min Spurs kick off, from right to left as I look at my 23-inch HD TV screen. They are in white; West Ham are wearing claret and blue.

12.30pm BST

Opta stats show that West Ham fans are precisely 0.00 per cent enamoured of Tottenham Hotspur, and there’s a decent atmosphere at the London Stadium as a consequence.

12.27pm BST

“It might indeed get nawty - which, naturally, turned my thoughts to Danny Dyer,” writes Gary Naylor. “Twelve years ago, he was brilliant in The Business, a film that more pseudo-highbrows than just me treasure as a guilty pleasure. So, betting without Wilson Phillips and the OC, what’s yours Rob?”

Good question, Gartholomew. Does Masterchef count? When I was a twentysomething kid my guiltiest cinematic pleasures were crap postmodern slashers and the American Pie films, though I reckon I could still go into bat for the American Pies. The slashers, not so much.

11.52am BST

This isn’t the only early kick-off today. The Old Firm derby is taking place at Ibrox, and you can follow that with Barry Glendenning.

Related: Rangers v Celtic: Scottish Premiership – live!

11.34am BST

West Ham (3-4-3) Hart; Fonte, Reid, Ogbonna; Zabaleta, Kouyate, Noble, Cresswell; Antonio, Chicharito, Arnautovic.
Substitutes: Adrian, Masuaku, Byram, Rice, Ayew, Carroll, Sakho.

Spurs (3-4-2-1) Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Aurier, Sissoko, Dier, Davies; Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Substitutes: Vorm, Trippier, Walker-Peters, Winks, Nkoudou, Son, Llorente.

3.03pm BST

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the lunchtime meeting between the homesick henries of the Premier League. Spurs have away advantage against West Ham, and really need a win to keep the Mancunian pacemakers within sight. The next few weeks are likely to determine whether Spurs will challenge for the title again, or whether this will become a bit of a lost season in which they end up focussing on the cups.

West Ham have started to pick up after a difficult start to the season, though Slaven Bilic still has reason to look over his shoulder. And he keeps having those weird dreams about Rafa Benitez and Anne Boleyn. Both sides need a result, they don’t like each other, and Tottenham want to avenge the May defeat that ended their title challenge. It should be lively, it might be nawty; it kicks off at 12.30pm.

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England v West Indies: rain forces abandonment of second ODI – as it happened

Only 2.2 overs were possible at Trent Bridge before heavy rain forced a frustrating washout

4.20pm BST

The umpires have accepted the inevitable and called the game off. I’m sure you’ll agree that this has been a triumph for all concerned. Thanks for your company, bye!

4.19pm BST

And Haseeb Hameed has suffered another broken finger, which presumably ends his hopes of being in the Ashes squad. That’s a blessing, I think, even if his poppadom fingers are a concern.

Related: India v Australia: second one-day international – live!

4.16pm BST

The left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has taken a hat-trick for India against Australia at Kolkata!

Related: India v Australia: second one-day international – live!

4.04pm BST

No need is bad news: it looks increasingly unlikely that there will be any play before the cut-off time just before 6pm.

3.42pm BST

The next match is in Bristol on Sunday. The forecast is much better - there is a 1 per cent chance of precipitation, it says here.

3.39pm BST

Rain update It’s still raining.

3.31pm BST

“Unlike you, I want to see a boring Ashes squad,” says Chris Anderson. “Pick the same XI from the last test plus few broken-finger-on-the-morning-of-the-game replacements. Hopefully this would send the message that the management are confident in the players selected. Then you put all your wildcards and young talent in the Lions squad, giving them experience of aussie conditions before some of them are inevitability drafted into the Test team when we are 2-0 down after two Tests.”

Ha. That reminds me of something I wanted to do to raise money in memory of our dear friend Dan Lucas: £10 each, everyone predicts the England XI for the fifth Ashes Test, the winners (if there are any) split half the cash and the other half goes to JDRF. Any interest? Let me know if so and I’ll try to arrange it.

3.26pm BST

“I don’t think the squad will have any surprises,” says Kevin Wilson. “Australia’s not the place to introduce anyone green or else they might return with a case of the Kerrigans. I reckon Hales will go because he covers two spots, Dawson probably will go because he’s a steady bloke and they like Wood even though I can’t see him having a long term Test career. Finn might be tacked onto the squad as an extra bowler or if TRJ gets injured. The Lions squad should be interesting though.”

As Mike Atherton said the other day, I don’t understand the argument about Hales covering two bases. He said he doesn’t want to open in first-class cricket any more, and we know he struggles in that position against high-class Test bowling. I could understand it back in the day, when you needed a squad to cover lots of bases, but the Lions will be nearby so they’ll have back-up openers there. I would probably pick a third opener in the squad, with a view to batting him at No3. I don’t think that will happen though.

3.22pm BST

I have a theory about Ballance (wait! Come back!) that his ugly style counts against him, just as the beauty of Stokes and Moeen’s batting makes it feel like they score more runs than is actually the case. For example, I think most people would tell you Ballance had a shocker v South Africa earlier this summer, yet his scores were not disastrous: 20, 34, 27, 4. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t pick him for this tour, but I can’t remember the last time there was such a strong aesthetic prejudice against an England batsman.

3.18pm BST

“Stokes, Woakes AND Foakes, he jokes?” croaks Andrew Benton. “Must be a hoax, folks.”

3.17pm BST

“What am I missing that Ballance gets repeat opportunity after repeat opportunity?” sniffs Jeff Smith. “Maybe having the captain be selector is a bad practice. Yes they basically run the team but every bad Test side ever assembled was basically picked by the captain, right?”

What about the good ones? I wouldn’t pick Ballance, certainly not in Australia, but the argument in his favour says he has a better Test and first-class average than all the other contenders, and clearly has the necessary temperament to succeed in Australia. But I’d agree with those who think the Aussie quicks will have a field day with that technique, certainly if he bats at No3.

3.14pm BST

“I read the Mark Nicholas piece covering much the same ground as everywhere else,” says Tony Harlow. “He does have the benefit of seeing the Aussies a lot at home and being inside their brains so those bits (must be able to play properly, must be aggressive …) are worth thinking about. I am quite persuaded by the idea of Patel being ready as a batsman. Sort of pick that would confuse the Aussies and might work. And the idea of a non-Adonis Test player is amusing too. But reality says the idea is fanciful and he should have been tried during the summer if it was an option.

“The Vince idea is also fanciful and to my mind a bit of home town picking by Hampshire favouring Nicholas. Loose outside off stump at Brisbane? Not such a good idea. But the omission seems the most obvious flaw .. what has Sam Robson done wrong. Why is he on the outer? He has clearly improved since his chance (in which he did as well as anyone else), he has had as good a summer as anyone else, he has a grounding on Australian wickets and he has the motivation to play well against old friends/ team mates. And he’s right handed. And to make it even better Stoneman was a number 3 for a long period so comfortable there but scores quicker than Compton. So for me: Cook, Robson, Stoneman, Root, Hales or Patel or Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Woakes, Broad, Anderson.

3.02pm BST

I do hope England pick a wildcard in their Ashes party, in the name of nostalgia if nothing else, but I suspect this will be the squad: Root (c), Stokes (vc), Cook, Stoneman, Ballance, Malan, Hales, Bairstow, Foakes, Ali, Dawson, Woakes, Wood, Broad, Anderson, Roland-Jones.

Any thoughts? About anything?

2.39pm BST

“Greetings from soggy Trent Bridge, Rob. Having a look at the rain radar out in the press box and (courtesy of a colleague who has paid for the predictive element) the algorithm suggests the wet stuff could stop falling circa 4.30pm. The question then would be whether the outfield can dry in time for a 5.56pm start time that would allow a 20-over match. West Indies may be keen to start the birthday celebrations with Chris Gayle early ... although the Universe Boss is spending a chunk of his 38th having a scan on that twanged hamstring. Here’s hoping it’s not tour-ending...”

2.34pm BST

On the subject of Cricinfo, this piece from Mark Nicholas on who might be in England’s Ashes squad is so accomplished, knowledgeable and thought-provoking as to be almost thrilling.

2.24pm BST

According to Cricinfo legend Andrew McGlashan, the cut-off time for a 20-over match is 5.56pm. I think the rain wil have stopped by then, but I’m not sure the ground wil be playable.

2.06pm BST

Australia are in the malodorous stuff in Kolkata

.
Read all about it here.

Related: India v Australia: second one-day international – live!

2.05pm BST

“What are the views on playing international cricket in England until the end of September?” wonders Neil Taylor. “I stopped buying tickets for matches in September as I’m a delicate flower. Can’t imagine the Windies are loving this much.”

There’s no alternative, is there? In a better world we would do unto the schedule as Freddy Krueger did unto the residents of Elm Street. But that’s not going to happen in a cuture where more is less and even more is barely sufficient.

1.52pm BST

The forecast improves around 5pm,

just in time for me to do one and lump Nick Miller with the remaining 97.4 overs of the match
so we should get a reduced game, maybe 20 or 25 overs per side.

1.48pm BST

Case closed, Columbo

“Nice idea,” says Ian Black, carefully lining up the inevitable ‘but’, “but the playing regulation that allows free hits also allows for the circumstances where the no-ball is as a result of a fielding restriction breach. From the ICC ODI playing regulations:

24.2 Free Hit

In addition to the above, the delivery following a no ball called (all modes of no ball) shall be a free hit for whichever batsman is facing it. If the delivery for the free hit is not a legitimate delivery (any kind of no ball or a wide ball) then the next delivery will become a free hit for whichever batsman is facing it.

1.45pm BST

There is live cricket in Kolkata, where Australia are chasing 253 to beat India. You can follow that with Adam Collins.

Related: India v Australia: second one-day international – live!

1.33pm BST

The covers are still on. It’s going to be a while before we see any play.

1.30pm BST

Richard O’Hagan is the Umpire “Every umpire knows that sometimes you have to apply Law 43 - use your common sense. I would allow the fielding side to move the fielder closest to the striker’s end umpire in front of square.”

You can legally move the field if they rotate strike, can’t you? Though in theory the batting side could just swing for boundaries and not run.

1.17pm BST

You are the Umpire “A conundrum to ponder during the rain break,” writes our old friend Mike Selvey. “It came up over a few beers in Lahore last week (yes, the Pearl Continental does have a bar). In white-ball cricket, a no ball is called because 3 fielders behind square on the legside, which means a free hit. But the field cannot be changed for the free hit. And so the game goes on forever. Or does it?”

1.13pm BST

Play will not restart at 1.15pm, because it’s raining again. Great stuff.

1.02pm BST

The covers are coming off, a bit earlier than expected, and play wil restart at 1.15pm.

12.52pm BST

It’s raining in India as well. But if you just need one more hit of live cricket, Will Macpherson has some methadone for you.

Related: County cricket: Middlesex v Lancashire, Surrey v Somerset and more – live!

12.47pm BST

It’s the Ashes! Rain may have stopped play but it won’t cure Ashes fever, and it certainly won’t impinge upon gratuitous plugs. If anything, it’ll facilitate them. To wit: I’ve updated this history of the Ashes to include the 2015 series, and you can read it free if you have Kindle Unlimited! No, I haven’t got a clue what Kindle Unlimited is either!

12.43pm BST

2.2 overs: England 21-0 (Bairstow 9, Hales 10) After 14 balls, rain stops play. Nice one. It’s fairly heavy and it could be a while before the players return. We should get a reduced game, however, as the forecast is much better this evening.

12.40pm BST

Mind the Windows, Tino

Wish I had bowl at this one Hales bk then let's see u pulling at 90+ not 84mph lol would of enjoyed cracking that Nut hahah

I faced you in 2010 mate in your peak. You literally couldn't land it on the cut strip #90mphDross https://t.co/98QbdiygTp

12.40pm BST

2nd over: England 20-0 (Bairstow 8, Hales 10) Hales, who looks in devastating form at the moment, blasts consecutive off-side boundaries off Jerome Taylor. He’s not quite in the same class but the way he is bullying bowlers brings to mind the best of Matthew Hayden.

“Anderson was commentating during the first ODI,” says Kevin Wilson. “Is it a shoot-out for the one fast-bowling commentary spot when they both retire? For what it’s worth, someone really ought to suggest Anderson goes into coaching as he’s got so much expertise to share it would be wasted in the commentary box. Broad’s more extroverted and would be more of a natural fit with the Sky boys.”

12.35pm BST

1st over: England 10-0 (Bairstow 7, Hales 1) England’s last ODI here was the festival of record-breaking against Pakistan, when Alex Hales made 171 in a score of 444 for three. After the first over of today’s match, bowled by Jason Holder, their projected score is 500. Holder started with two leg-side wides, followed a by a leg-side non-wide that Bairstow clipped for four. Bairstow was lucky to survive the penultimate delivery when he and Hales took a ludicrous single to Kyle Hope at point. A direct hit at either end would have brought a wicket; Hope went for the striker’s end and missed.

12.15pm BST

Stuart Broad is part of the Sky team today. We already know his cricket brain is Mensa-level; early impressions are that he is very good at articulating his insights.

12.06pm BST

England are unchanged, West Indies are changed: Devendra Bishoo and Chris Gayle are replaced by Kyle Hope and Miguel Cummins. Gayle, 38 years cold today, has a hamstring injury.

England Bairstow, Hales, Root, Morgan (c), Stokes, Buttler (wk), Moeen, Willey, Woakes, Rashid, Plunkett.

12.02pm BST

That’s a straightforward decision given the weather forecast, even though the pitch looks a belter. Eoin Morgan says England would have done bowled as well.

11.59am BST

The weather forecast has improved in the last few hours, so there’s every chance we’ll start on time. The toss is imminent. Meantime, Australia have scrapped their way back into the game against India in Kolkata.

Related: India v Australia: second one-day international – live!

10.36am BST

England are a damn fine one-day team. Since the last World Cup they have the best win percentage (66) and run rate (6.23 per over) of any team in the world, and they’ve won 14 of their last 17 matches at home. They would be healthy favourites for the 2019 World Cup, to be staged in England, were it not for that confusing bloody defeat to Pakistan in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy.

We should try to ignore that match. The final at Lord’s four days later confirmed that it dosen’t matter whether you’re the hosts, the holders or the best team in the world. When the force is with Pakistan, it’s no longer your film. It’s not easy for England to forget that defeat, however. It’s there all the time,sat in the corner, smugly telling us that next time, there’ll be no next time.

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England beat West Indies by seven wickets in first ODI – as it happened

Jonny Bairstow’s high-class unbeaten 100, his maiden ODI century, guided England to an emphatic victory over West Indies at Old Trafford

8.19pm BST

That’s a mighty victory for England, who win with seven wickets and 67 deliveries to spare. The defeat by Pakistan in the Champions Trophy semi-finals was such a shock but it doesn’t seem to have done any medium-term damage. Jonny Bairstow gets a lovely reception from his team-mates as he walks off; there seems to be a huge amount of goodwill towards him.

So, England lead 1-0 with four to play and the West Indies will need to play in the qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Cup. The next match is on Thursday at Trent Bridge. See you then!

8.16pm BST

30.5 overs: England 210-3 (Bairstow 100, Stokes 23) Ben Stokes finishing the match in style, lifting Nurse for six to end on 23 not out from 10 balls.

8.15pm BST

Bairstow crunches Nurse through extra cover for three to reach his maiden hundred! It’s been a high-class innings, and he celebrates with a vigorous punch of the air. All the England team are on their feet applauding, including Jason Roy. Jonny be very, very good these days, and he has a great chance to establish himself at the top of the order.

8.12pm BST

30th over: England 199-3 (Bairstow 97, Stokes 15) Bairstow slices Williams through backward point for four before taking a slow single - there haven’t been many of those in his innings - to move to 96. Another single off the penultimate delivery of the over leaves him three away. Stokes then crashes the last ball down the ground for six!

8.08pm BST

29th over: England 186-3 (Bairstow 91, Stokes 8) Bairstow works Nurse for a single to move into the nineties. Another single takes him to within nine runs of a maiden ODI century, six years since that memorable cameo on debut against India.

8.05pm BST

28th over: England 183-3 (Bairstow 89, Stokes 7) Ben Stokes edges his first ball wide of the solitary slip for a single and then, off the final delivery, chips a slower, low full toss just over the head of Williams for four. England need 22 to win.

8.00pm BST

Eoin Morgan’s poor form continues. He pushed indecisively at a back-of-length delivery from Williams, unsure whether to defend or glide, and ended up thin-edging through to the keeper Shai Hope.

7.59pm BST

27th over: England 174-2 (Bairstow 88, Morgan 10) Nurse returns to the attack and beats Bairstow with a quicker one. He has been the pick of the West Indies bowlers by a fair way.

7.55pm BST

26th over: England 172-2 (Bairstow 86, Morgan 8) Bairstow cuffs Williams through extra cover for three, which makes this his highest ODI score. He could barely have wished for a more successful or comfortable start to his extended residence at the top of the order.

I forgot to plug this earlier, by the way - a fresh bit of spicy Beef.

Related: Ian Botham calls for transfer system after Durham lose Paul Coughlin

7.49pm BST

25th over: England 165-2 (Bairstow 82, Morgan 6) “Root’s accumulation reminds me of the story of a cricketer who sold his soul to the devil so as to have a steady professional career as a batsman,” says John Starbuck. “Not wanting to draw undue attention, he is guaranteed a 50 but no more each time, so he usually gets out in the mid-40s. After a long county career, he is selected for England, but ends up as one of the last two against Australia needing a very few runs. Everything he tries to do to get no 11 to score fails, so after being on 50 for a long time, he finally scores the winning run. He never scores a run again in any form of the game and all because Lucifer doesn’t understand the concept of the leg-bye.”

That sounds like the concept for a choose-your-own-adventure book by Vic Marks.

7.45pm BST

24th over: England 159-2 (Bairstow 82, Morgan 1) The new batsman is Eoin Morgan. He’s scored 12 runs in his last seven innings, all in T20 cricket.

7.42pm BST

In an unlikely development, we have a wicket. Root, cramped for room by a shortish delivery by the new bowler Williams, pings it down onto the stumps.

7.38pm BST

23rd over: England 152-1 (Bairstow 79, Root 52) Root pulls Taylor for two to reach a 49-ball half-century full of unobtrusive class. He is now also the leading runscorer since the last World Cup. England have 19 overs to score 53 runs; they are going to thrash West Indies.

7.29pm BST

22nd over: England 146-1 (Bairstow 79, Root 46) Too short from Bishoo, and Root cracks a pull through wide mid-on for four. This is a poor over from Bishoo, with Bairstow slapping consecutive short balls to the boundary. Fifteen from the over!

In an unrelated development, has anyone read the Chris Lewis book? Any good?

7.26pm BST

21st over: England 131-1 (Bairstow 71, Root 39) A miserable short ball from the returning Taylor is slapped over cover for four by Bairstow. That brings up a 98-ball hundred partnership, the video of which should be used as a coaching aid. The running in particular has been close to perfect.

7.21pm BST

20th over: England 126-1 (Bairstow 67, Root 38) Bairstow rocks back to pull Bishoo down the ground for four and steers thje next ball to the third-man boundary for good measure. His highest ODI score to date is that feelgood, series-winning 83 not out against New Zealand in 2015. He’ll kick himself, perhaps literally, if he doesn’t get a maiden ODI ton tonight.

7.18pm BST

19th over: England 114-1 (Bairstow 57, Root 36) Joe Root’s career average (in all positions, not just No3) is creeping towards 50. Only Jonathan Trott has a better record for England. It’ll never happen, and I don’t blame him one bit for keeping his thoughts to himself, but I would love to hear an honest, detailed explanation from Root about why he’s so reluctant to bat at No3 in the Test team. It’s a fascinating subject.

7.15pm BST

18th over: England 108-1 (Bairstow 56, Root 31) I suspect that Bairstow and Root’s intelligence and ability have made batting look much easier against the spinners than is actually the case, because the ball is turning a fair bit now. The moment I type that, Bairstow misses a monstrous heave at a big legspinner from Bishoo and survives a stumping referral.

7.13pm BST

17th over: England 106-1 (Bairstow 55, Root 30) On Sky, Mike Atherton is talking about how nice it is for Joe Root to take a break from the captaincy when he’s in the ODI side.

Ian Ward: “When you’re captain of England, how much of your energy goes into looking after other people and all the other things that go with the job?”

7.08pm BST

16th over: England 99-1 (Bairstow 51, Root 29) Bairstow works Bishoo to the third-man boundary to reach an accomplished, mature half-century from 52 balls. Well played indeed.

“I don’t think there is enough cricket,” sniffs Ian Copestake. “An aggressive all-year-round strategy should be pursued so we are not in thrall to the Premiership. Put a roof on Lord’s an all.”

7.05pm BST

15th over: England 94-1 (Bairstow 47, Root 28) Nurse is starting to get some fairly sharp turn, though England are so far ahead of the game that it’s unlikely to make much difference.

7.03pm BST

14th over: England 92-1 (Bairstow 46, Root 27) Bishoo continues. Root reaches a long way outside off to belt a sweep between midwicket and mid-on for four. That was a great shot. This looks so easy for England.

“Interesting that you mention Root being forever 21,” says Adam Roberts. “I was considering the other day how the older I get, the less perspective I have on the length of a sportsman’s career. So until recently I still thought of Rooney as the SFN (Spud Faced Nipper) and Justin Rose had just turned pro. And what a shock to see footage from 2012 of new Test players Bairstow and Roach. It’s the sporting equivalent of policemen looking younger.”

7.00pm BST

13th over: England 84-1 (Bairstow 43, Root 22) An excellent over from Nurse, who troubles Bairstow with a biggish offspinner and then beats him on the outside with a quicker one.

“Occasionball boundary?” says John Starbuck, highlighting the typo in the 11th over. “That’s quite good and worth using again, but it does indicate you are hosting the spirit of James Joyce.”

6.57pm BST

12th over: England 82-1 (Bairstow 42, Root 21) Devendra Bishoo comes into the attack, or rather the defence. There’s no sense that a wicket is imminent, never mind the nine they need to win this match. The fifty partnership comes up from 44 deliveries. Most of those runs have been scampered rather than biffed; it’s been a performance of low-key excellence.

“It will be interesting to see how the next generation of spinners get on,” says John Starbuck. “It’s long been a truism that a wrist spinner will get you more wickets, but also that they’ll cost more runs. If you aim to get control over batsmen rather than attack them, the choice is simple and down to (the captain’s) team temperament.”

6.52pm BST

11th over: England 76-1 (Bairstow 37, Root 20) England are killing West Indies softly, with single after single after single and just the occasionball boundary - like that from Root, reverse swept friskily off the bowling of Nurse.

6.49pm BST

10th over: England 69-1 (Bairstow 36, Root 14) Six singles from Williams’ second over. This has been a clinic in running between the wickets from Bairstow and Root. Nothing wrong with their dot-ball ratios! We should call them the milkmen.

6.44pm BST

9th over: England 63-1 (Bairstow 33, Root 11) The offspinner Ashley Nurse’s second ball is lashed through the covers for four by Bairstow, who is batting really well. Roy provided a short, sharp shock at the top of the order; Bairstow has the look of somebody who wants to bat 40 overs and make 140.

6.41pm BST

8th over: England 56-1 (Bairstow 26, Root 10) Kesrick Williams replaces Jason Holder. He was impressive in the T20 on Saturday, though he’s currently nursing an ODI bowling average of 138. Make that 147 after an expensive first over that includes a tickle to the fine-leg boundary from Bairstow.

6.36pm BST

7th over: England 47-1 (Bairstow 19, Root 9) Jonny Bairstow is 28 next week. When did that happen? He does look ready to go to the next level, certainly as a Test batsman and maybe in ODIs too. Meanwhile Joe Root, who will forever be 21 years old, pulls Taylor just over the head of short fine leg for four. England are cruising and need 158 from 35 overs.

6.32pm BST

6th over: England 38-1 (Bairstow 15, Root 4) Root survives a dodgy drop-and-run, with the bowler Holder’s throw missing the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Root and Bairstow are generally brilliant between the wickets, so it’s no surprise that there’s a single from every delivery in that over.

“Would Rashid have been picked if it had been a hotter summer like, say, 1976?” asks Matthew Doherty.

6.28pm BST

5th over: England 32-1 (Bairstow 12, Root 1) The new batsman is Joe Root. He may not want to bat No3 in Tests but in ODIs the role fits him like a bespoke glove. In the history of the game, only the astonishing Virat Kohli has a higher average among those who have played at least 20 innings at No3. There are some serious names on this list.

6.24pm BST

Hales goes, slapping a short ball from Taylor to backward point. He looked in spectacular touch, racing to 19 from 14 balls, and will be pretty disappointed to get out like that.

6.22pm BST

4th over: England 27-0 (Bairstow 12, Hales 15) Bairstow drags Holder over wide mid-on for four, one hand coming off the bat in the process. England have picked up where they left off before that numbing semi-final defeat to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. The future is less secure, though. Before the Pakistan game they had two shots at glory, the Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup. Not anymore. Next time, there’ll be no next time.

6.17pm BST

3rd over: England 21-0 (Bairstow 7, Hales 14) A short ball from Taylor is monstered over midwicket for a one-bounce four by Hales. A big series here will probably get him on the Ashes tour - whether it should is another matter - and he looks in glorious touch.

“Re Rashid at Lord’s, I think England were worried about Moeen going round the park (as he does from time to time) and then Rashid doing the same thing in the very first innings of the series (a prolonged Slatering),” says Gary Naylor. “637-2 is scarring that lasts. Leaving Rashid out may have been unfair, but it wasn’t irrational.”

6.12pm BST

2nd over: England 15-0 (Bairstow 7, Hales 8) There will be plenty of scrutiny on Jonny Bairstow, England’s newish ODI opener. He certainly has the game to succeed, though he isn’t yet as naturally explosive as Roy. You’d expect him to get a decent run now. He gets his first boundary today with a businesslike slap through the covers off Jason Holder.

6.09pm BST

1st over: England 9-0 (Bairstow 1, Hales 8) Alex Hales makes a pretty slow start, using up one dot ball before clouting Jerome Taylor over the leg side for four. The next ball is clipped through midwicket for four more, aided by a comedy misfield from Mohammed. He picked the ball up on the run just inside the boundary, tried to throw it behind him - and then watched it go straight over the rope.

6.05pm BST

The players are back out on the field. England need 205 from 42 overs. Let us flay.

5.52pm BST

“On the Adil Rashid subject,” begins James Thompson. “Whenever you watch Sky and they discuss him, they say that Joe Root will have been around him and there must be something that he didn’t like which is why he hasn’t been picked this summer. Surely Root doesn’t have that kind of influence on the selectors?”

I think he does, particularly for what was his first match as captain. Gary Ballance was certainly a Root pick. There are obvious reservations about Rashid as a Test player. I just think he did more than enough in the winter to get another chance. Morgan has captained him beautifully in white-ball cricket; he’s never had the same faith in the Test team.

5.40pm BST

“That’s one weird picture,” says Andrew Benton. Look, we all have to do a byline picture, it’s just the way newspaper wor- oh, I see. “Is Stokes wearing a big skin-coloured gauntlet that extends halfway up his forearm? And what’s he doing to Woakes’ belly?”

5.35pm BST

So, England need 205 to win in 42 overs. File under should. See you in a wee while for their run-chase.

5.34pm BST

42nd over: West Indies 204-9 (Holder 41, Williams 0) Holder chips the last ball of the innings lazily down the ground for two to complete a fine last over for the West Indies - 15 from it. Holder top scores with a useful 41 not out. Stokes bowled him two beamers earlier in the over, both of which slipped out of the hand. Only the pitiful will make anything of it. Stokes actually had one of his better ODIs with the ball before that last over, and finishes with three for 43.

5.33pm BST

After two accidental beamers in a chaotic last over from Stokes, Jerome Taylor hits a slower ball straight up in the air to give Jos Buttler a simple catch. There’s one ball remaining in the innings.

5.28pm BST

41st over: West Indies 189-8 (Holder 29, Taylor 1) Holder cuffed Willey down the ground before the dismissal of Bishoo, only the third boundary in the last ten overs. Willey ends with figures of 6-0-39-1.

5.26pm BST

Bishoo tries to ramp Willey, misses, and loses both his wicket and a soupçon of dignity. Eight balls remain in the innings.

5.21pm BST

40th over: West Indies 181-7 (Holder 23, Bishoo 4) An excellent over of death bowling from Stokes includes wide yorkers, slower balls ... everything we wish he’d bowled to Carlos Brathwaite, basically. Three runs from the over.

“To be fair, Rob…” says Gary Naylor, pasting the text commentary of Dawson’s dismissal of Hashim Amla.

5.17pm BST

39th over: West Indies 178-7 (Holder 22, Bishoo 3) Liam Plunkett returns to the attack, and a flurry of ones and twos take West Indies past their score of 176 for nine in the T20 game on Saturday.

5.12pm BST

38th over: West Indies 169-7 (Holder 16, Bishoo 1) Holder snicks Stokes for four. Good stuff from Nasser Hussain on Sky; he suggests West Indies have had a block-or-thwack approach to this innings and then backs it up with a statgasm: their dot-ball percentage today is 60, which is huge.

5.08pm BST

37th over: West Indies 161-7 (Holder 10, Bishoo 0) Rashid ends his spell with fine figures of 9-0-31-2. Why oh why oh flipping effing why didn’t England pick him ahead of Liam Dawson for that Lord’s Test against South Africa?

5.06pm BST

Another one for the excellent Rashid. Nurse goes inside out over extra cover but doesn’t get enough on it and Root takes a good running catch on the boundary.

5.03pm BST

36th over: West Indies 159-6 (Holder 8, Nurse 1) Ben Stokes returns to the attack. His first spell was superb and his second starts prrrrretty well with just a single from the over. West Indies are going nowhere. Not even sure they’re doing it fast. They have six overs to do something about it.

5.00pm BST

35th over: West Indies 158-6 (Holder 7, Nurse 1) Adil Rashid has taken 68 wickets since the 2015 World Cup, more than anyone else in the world. How great, by the way, that three of the top four on that list are legspinners. There is no prospect of a 69th wicket for Rashid in that over, with West Indies taking no risks whatsoever.

4.58pm BST

34th over: West Indies 155-6 (Holder 5, Nurse 0) Holder edges Woakes wide of slip for four.

“Over the next two years you have to accept that a turnover rate of about half would be, if not expected, at least a figure to plan for,” says John Starbuck. “Injuries and form obviously play a part but the trick lies, as usual, in spotting the new talent and how they perform under pressure. The actual placings in batting order or bowling unit can be disregarded for now. If I were a betting man (which I’m not) I’d look at how the younger county players at Test grounds are panning out. Unfair, but Test status does seem to be a factor.”

4.53pm BST

West Indies are going quietly. Powell tries to work Woakes to leg and inadvertently loops the ball towards mid-on, where Willey takes a comfortable running catch.

4.52pm BST

33rd over: West Indies 150-5 (Powell 23, Holder 0) Terrific stuff from Rashid. We’ll probably die wondering about his Test career; there is some consolation in the fact that he is bowling better than ever in white-ball cricket.

4.49pm BST

England have an even tighter grip on the game now. Mohammed slog sweeps Rashid towards deep midwicket, where Hales takes a simple catch. Actually it almost slipped out of his Hales’ hands, which would have been mildly embarrassing. But it didn’t, so what’s your point? Another wicket for Rashid, who has become one of England’s most important players in this format.

4.47pm BST

32nd over: West Indies 149-4 (Mohammed 18, Powell 22) I wonder how many of this England XI will be in the World Cup squad in two years’ time. David Willey is probably under the most threat, though an in-form Willey has the lovely ability to take early wickets. Liam Plunkett will be 34, though I’m sure you’ll concur that he’s a splendid specimen of masculinity.

While I’m busy worrying about 2019, Woakes hurries through an over that costs just two. England have a grip on this game at the moment.

4.43pm BST

31st over: West Indies 147-4 (Mohammed 17, Powell 22) Adil Rashid replaces Liam Plunkett, and Jason Mohammed says hello with a vigorous slap over midwicket for six. They need a few more such blows after those ponderous innings by Shai Hope and particularly Marlon Samuels.

4.38pm BST

30th over: West Indies 138-4 (Mohammed 9, Powell 21). There is a bowling change, but it’s broadly like for like, Woakes for Stokes. It yields a single to Mohammed before Powell edges for four through the vacant slip region. Jimmy Anderson, in his commentary box debut, points out that Powell’s strike rate is way better against seamers than spinners, but he’s not faced any yet. A wide from a bouncer and a sharper, more accurate short ball round off the over.

Right, that’s my stint done. Rob Smyth will now take you by the hand and guide you gently through the rest of the action. Stay with him.

4.34pm BST

29th over: West Indies 132-4 (Mohammed 8, Powell 17). Mohammed drives Plunkett square on the offside for one before Powell unfurls an exquisite straight drive for SIX, all timing and technique. The best of the day. Three quick singles follow. Time for the spinners again?

4.30pm BST

28th over: West Indies 123-4 (Mohammed 6, Powell 10). Drop! Mohammed pulls Stokes round the corner – it’s high and reachable for Chris Woakes but he’s slow to make his ground and spills it after getting his fingertips to it low down. And then, finally, a boundary, Powell’s high on-drive having enough momentum to trickle to the ropes when it lands. Another over-cooked bouncer is punished with a wide signal before a hastily scurried two rounds off a much better over for the tourists.

4.26pm BST

27th over: West Indies 113-4 (Mohammed 4, Powell 3). Mohammed straight drives Plunkett for one, but the boundaries continue to be elusive. Plunkett then concedes a wide with a bouncer so high it’s at least twice Powell’s height as it passes over him. He duly gets off the mark with another of those lofty on-drives that gets stuck in the outfield, bringing two. Another couple of singles follow.

England’s Test wicketkeeper, earlier:

WICKET! Gingers combine as @benstokes28 delivers and @jbairstow21 takes a fantastic catch!

WI 103/3 #ENGvWIhttps://t.co/30js6zz0Fu pic.twitter.com/vJhc2aAi23

4.21pm BST

26th over: West Indies 107-4 (Mohammed 2, Powell 0). Stokes’s offside strategy misfires with a fairly blatant wide at Samuels, and it’s followed by what initially looks to be one down the legside – but Stokes appeals for a catch behind. Morgan opts for a review, and it pays off. Not a wide, but a wicket, ultra-edge confirms. Samuels is a goner. England are on top now.

4.19pm BST

Wide or wicket? Stokes slants one down legside, which Samuels looks to have glanced to the keeper. Umpire Robinson initially calls wide, but England review, and Stokes is vindicated - there was contact, and he’s snared Samuels!

4.15pm BST

25th over: West Indies 106-3 (Samuels 17, Mohammed 2). Plunkett sends down four straight dot balls at Mohammed, then takes a bit of a tumble on the edge of the wicket - not sure you can pin that on the state of the surface – before Mohammed nudges through the covers for one. Samuels rounds off the over with an upper cut to third man, but he still can’t find the boundary. He has 17 from 44 balls.

4.11pm BST

24th over: West Indies 104-3 (Samuels 16, Mohammed 1). Hope’s promising innings comes to an end when he connects cleanly to pull a back of a length Stokes ball but sends it into Jonny Bairstow’s hands. He took it well, leaping and taking expertly. The pressure pays off. Mohammed is off the mark with a push on the offside.

4.08pm BST

Stokes gets the wicket he deserves, Hope pulling cleanly to deep square leg where Jonny Bairstow takes a fine catch.

4.06pm BST

23rd over: West Indies 103-2 (S Hope 35, Samuels 16). Hope cuts Plunkett square for a single to bring up a low-key but nonetheless useful 50 partnership. Plunkett also opts, wisely, to bang it in at Samuels and beats him with two consecutive short sharp’uns. And the batsman can’t work away the fuller ones either, and looks a little frustrated.

4.00pm BST

22nd over: West Indies 102-2 (S Hope 34, Samuels 16). A Stokes outthinks Hope with a wide slower ball out of the back of the hand that Hope hacks at and misses, a foible he repeats next ball before adding a rather more elegant clipped single. Another slower ball bamboozles Samuels before Stokes digs one in at his bat handle. An excellent over. And that’s drinks.

3.56pm BST

21st over: West Indies 101-2 (S Hope 33, Samuels 16). A change of ends for Plunkett, who replaces Rashid at the Jimmy Anderson end. It’s a more controlled and accurate over than those he sent down at the other end, though a crack past mid-on brings Samuels a single to take West Indies into three figures. Another leg-bye follows. Though England have reined West Indies back in after their earlier excesses, this stand’s beginning to look more and more useful. At the halfway stage in the innings, this one’s still delicately poised.

3.52pm BST

20th over: West Indies 98-2 (S Hope 32, Samuels 15). And here it is: Stokes is into the attack, Hope cutting his first ball square for a single to put his old mucker Marlon on strike. Stokes greets him with a slightly shorter ball that is worked easily down to third man for one. Hope adds one more to enable the pouting and glaring to resume as Samuels steps out of the way to halt Strokes in his delivery stride. The response is a bouncer that Samuels evades easily enough and it’s followed by a nice full slower ball that the batsman misses completely.

3.47pm BST

19th over: West Indies 94-2 (S Hope 30, Samuels 14). Rashid continues, conceding three consecutive singles before two low full tosses yield dot balls thanks to smart fielding at mid-on. Dropped catch aside, England have looked pretty focused in the field so far today.

3.45pm BST

18th over: West Indies 91-2 (S Hope 28, Samuels 13). Samuels nudges Plunkett off his legs for one as the ‘middle-overs meander’ vibe continues. Well at least until Hope produces another confidently executed pull shot for four. What an accomplished cricketer this man now looks, in all forms. Plunkett’s bowling at pace but not quite got his lengths right yet.

Here’s that Root catch from earlier by the way:

WICKET! @root66 with a brilliant catch to remove Gayle off @chriswoakes!

WI 53/2 #ENGvWI

More clips: https://t.co/30js6zz0Fu pic.twitter.com/LdtRtX1apr

3.41pm BST

17th over: West Indies 85-2 (S Hope 23, Samuels 13). Samuels drives Rashid through extra cover for two before the bowler appeals excitedly for a leg-before after a wrong’un strikes the advancing Samuels on the pad, but it’s almost certainly outside the line in the opinion of everyone else. Nonetheless, Rashid is bowling really well here. A wicket might be nice though.

3.38pm BST

16th over: West Indies 82-2 (S Hope 23, Samuels 10). Sooner or later one of these bowling changes will grant us a glimpse of Stokes v Samuels won’t it? Maybe but not yet. Plunkett’s the new bowler at the Statham End, and Hope cracks his first ball away nicely for a single. A bit of sloppiness in the field from Stokes brings another before Hope connects beautifully to send a perfectly timed pull-shot to the long-on boundary for four. West Indies’ most productive over in a while.

3.34pm BST

15th over: West Indies 74-2 (S Hope 17, Samuels 8). A glimpse of Bad Adil as he sends a full-toss at Samuels, but he can only pick up two with his push through the covers. The rest of the over’s pretty decent though, aided by sharp energetic work in the field as Hales cuts off a sweep slog that might have been four but ends up being one.

3.31pm BST

14th over: West Indies 70-2 (S Hope 15, Samuels 6). Samuels square-drives Willey uppishly for two but generally can’t clear the well-placed infield with his cover drives as Willey varies his pace nicely. Another single rounds off a frugal over.

3.27pm BST

13th over: West Indies 67-2 (S Hope 15, Samuels 3). Hope removes the shackles and launches Rashid over long-on for not so much a one-bounce four as a one-trickle four, such is the spongey turf. Rashid’s following his shots nicely though, generally tucking him up and bowling on a good length. I still wouldn’t rule him out for Tests in the future, but it seems those that make the decisions would.

3.24pm BST

12th over: West Indies 63-2 (S Hope 11, Samuels 3). Hope and Samuels not taking any risks at the moment, and aren’t really being given the opportunity to, Willey foxing Hope with a scrambled-seam inswinger that he plays outside, but a more expansive stroke does bring four, kind of by accident, skimming off the outside edge along the ground to the third-man boundary.

3.21pm BST

11th over: West Indies 57-2 (S Hope 6, Samuels 2). A spin for spin replacement, leg for off, as Rashid replaces Moeen. He keeps it tidy and accurate, conceding no room and only a single apiece to Hope and Samuels.

“Martin Matthews is soft,” bellows Bob O’Hara, slamming down his pint and summoning all-comers. “I hear Joe Root will still be playing cricket in December & January. Although not, I hope, with these idiots

3.18pm BST

10th over: West Indies 55-2 (S Hope 5, Samuels 1). Powerplay two sees Willey back from the Statham End and Samuels is off the mark with a flick to midwicket. Willey’s still finding some movement in the air, and makes Hope play and miss at one he doesn’t properly read. It’s another economical over, and West Indies need to reboot here.

“In response to George Davidson’s impassioned crie de coeur,” writes Brian Withington, “can I suggest in defence of the ECB that they might have reckoned on one of those (West) Indian Summers of yore to justify scheduling 5 ODIs in late September. I think Thomas Hardy called it “Martinmas” in Mayor of Casterbridge (O-level English Lit set text 1976 - now that was a summer and a half). Funny how some words stick in the memory, like a Proustian smell of madeleine ...” Proof, also, that every single conversation about West Indies cricket will always at one point invokes the summer of 1976. It’s cricket’s equivalent of Mornington Crescent, or something.

3.13pm BST

9th over: West Indies 53-2 (S Hope 4, Samuels 0). Woakes pitches a tad too full and wide to give Gayle a chance to swing again, but this aerial drive is another that plugs in the outfield and gives him just two. Morgan pushes his fielders to the edge of the circle, exploiting Gayle’s clear discomfort at running ones and twos. It works, as Gayle is “forced” to go over the top, and doesn’t quite nail another straight drive that Root takes brilliantly. So momentum is with England now at the end of the first powerplay.

3.11pm BST

England have their man. Unable to run freely, Gayle goes inevitably for the drive over the top but doesn’t quite get hold of it and Root, running back, takes an excellent catch on the run at long-off.

3.07pm BST

8th over: West Indies 51-1 (Gayle 35, S Hope 4). A Hope single off Moeen brings the 50 up before Gayle pretty much walks for another one. But the flow of runs has been stemmed for now, as Moeen tucks up Hope for the rest of a tidy over, that yields only two.

“Who’s complaining about cricket in September?” fifth-Yorkshiremans Martin Matthews from, er, north London. “At Highgate CC we play until the 8th of October (against Stage CC since you asked).”

3.04pm BST

7th over: West Indies 49-1 (Gayle 34, S Hope 3). Woakes cuts Hope in half with a beauty that thwacks the edge of the pad and dobs down to first slip. His subsequent single returns Gayle to the strike, whereupon his frankly contemptuous approach to running between the wickets is almost punished as he almost forgets to run for his dab down to backward point, but the throw at the stumps is nowhere near accurate enough. Bumble thinks Gayle’s been picked up on the stump mic complaining of a hamstring pull. He’s certainly not running easily. He might have to get ‘em in fours and sixes, which he mostly does anyway.

2.59pm BST

6th over: West Indies 46-1 (Gayle 33, S Hope 1). An early airing of spin, though no an altogether surprising one, as Moeen replaces Willey. This could go either way, though it begins with a couple of sleepy singles, before vindication arrives swiftly as Lewis hoiks one straight to Hales at square leg. The much-praised Shai Hope is the new man in, and begins cautiously, getting off the mark with a nudge round the corner for one to deprive Gayle of the strike.

2.57pm BST

The change of bowling works, Moeen is pulled fiercely to square leg by Lewis, and Hales takes a sharp catch.

2.54pm BST

5th over: West Indies 43-0 (Gayle 32, Lewis 10). Lewis gets his first four with a classical Proper Cricket shot, driving Woakes off the back foot through the gaps on the offside for four. He squirts another single down to third man to put Gayle on strike, and two slips pushed further out, and Woakes sends a lovely delivery past the left-hander’s outside-edge. A better over for England.

An email, less a quip than a serious Letter to the Editor, from George Davidson:

Sir,

The authorities who are supposed to protect cricket continue to do their best to damage it.

2.51pm BST

4th over: West Indies 38-0 (Gayle 32, Lewis 5). The onslaught continues. Willey fancies an lbw shout against Lewis after rapping him high on the pad, but no one else does: it’s clearly going over. Lewis lives dangerously again, miscuing a pivoted pull shot that falls just short of Hales at deep square leg. Willey’s making the ball do more than Woakes is but can’t legislate for Gayle’s unerring ability to pick up a length ball and effortlessly swing it straight down the ground for SIX, which he does off the fourth delivery of the over, which is prolonged by a wide before Willey finds a low outside-edge off Gayle that doesn’t carry to second slip. Gayle’s comeback shot is, you guessed, another easy SIX down the ground, the biggest of the lot, punishing Willey for over-pitching. Whatever you think of him, he’s a cricketing phenomenon.

2.45pm BST

3rd over: West Indies 24-0 (Gayle 20, Lewis 4). The onslaught starts? More chance-offering from West Indies as Lewis’s square slash off Woakes just eludes Morgan at backward point and brings two. He adds a single before Gayle gets his first boundary with a crunching aerial straight drive that takes one bounce. The next one doesn’t take any – it’s walloped over long-on and several rows back for SIX, and Gayle pulls the next ball across the line towards the same area for four more for good measure. England are attacking hard here, with three slips in, but these openers can give it back.

2.39pm BST

2nd over: West Indies 7-0 (Gayle 6, Lewis 1). David Willey opens up at the other end, and gets extravagant swing straight away, and Gayle lets it pass. A languid drive into the covers followed by an aerial clip to deep square leg then bring him two and one respectively, and Lewis gets underway by digging out an attempted yorker to mid-on for a single. Gayle’s first attempt to go large, a chip over mid-off, plugs in the much-fretted-over turf and doesn’t make the boundary. It’s two.

“Typical of Manchester to have under-soil rain,” regional-stereotypes Ian Copestake.

2.35pm BST

1st over: West Indies 1-0 (Gayle 1, Lewis 0). So Chris Woakes has the new ball as we enter the first nine-over powerplay. Chris Gayle’s first ODI shot in more than two years is a limp play and miss as Woakes skilfully pushes one past his outside edge. And his third shot is DROPPED, a sharp slash outside off stump to second slip, where Joe Root snatches at it and spills it. How many more times will England slip fielders do that this season? Gayle gets underway with a flick to square leg for a single and Woakes rounds off a fine first over with a steepling bouncer at the left-handed Lewis.

2.28pm BST

The players are on their way out. Old Trafford looks all lovely and sunny. As it has for the past couple of hours.

2.21pm BST

Before we start:

Our thoughts and prayers with our brothers and sisters in the path of Hurricane Maria. A message below from Prime Minister of Dominica. pic.twitter.com/hfTrKcXrmG

2.16pm BST

Both sides go with two spinners, to no great surprise:

England: Hales, Bairstow, Root, Morgan, Stokes, Buttler, Moeen, Woakes, Rashid, Plunkett, Willey

2.11pm BST

Jason Holder calls right and opts for first use, backing his top order and spinners.

2.04pm BST

Umpire Tim Robinson says “it’s still not great but dried a little bit”, and we have ourselves a game - 42 overs a side.

1.57pm BST

“Why don’t they move the boundary to exclude the wet areas for this match?” ponders Andrew Benton, thinking right outside that box. “As long as it stays there for both innings, I can’t see a problem.” Given that the damp areas include patches well within the circle, it would make for some crazily easy sixes and overthrows. Worth a go, I guess. Bums on seats and all that.

1.49pm BST

Bumble is out there prodding at some parts of the outfield on which players had been doing some practice, and they do look quite churned. “It’s a bit damp,” he concedes, urging the non-shooting of messengers. Part of the problem, he says, is that Old Trafford has staged two big concerts here this summer, in aid of the Manchester bomb victims, which no one should begrudge, but it’s added to the strain on the surface.

John Starbuck weighs in with his first email of the day: “I blame the Old Trafford management,” he thunders. “You can understand them wanting to sweat their assets, as that’s what people are told to do these days, but there’s a category error here: you can’t mix international cricket and rock concerts at the same venue because the quality of the playing surface is all-important. High traffic areas are all very well for a rugby game, because the players expect to be slipping and sliding around - it’s part of the appeal. Not so for the Greatest Game.”

1.43pm BST

“Cricket speaks with forked tongue,” hisses Mike Hill: “ECB campaigns to ‘get the game on’ and at the same time says player safety is paramount. End result: glorious sunny day, wicket and square dry, bit of a damp outfield and no play. people wonder why cricket is dying sport.”

Though I suspect a fixture such as this, scheduled as it is, is something of a preacher to the converted. Won’t be many young fans at this one. Still, a decent crowd is in to spend money in the bars...

1.31pm BST

For want of anything better to do, Gary Weightman emails in and waxes nostalgic: “Being somewhat long in the tooth the sight of umpires parading around the outfield poking at damp patches is marvellously old school, the days before supersoppers, the days of hessian mats and sawdust.”

On the other hand, Andrew Benton rails at the future: “Cricket needs industrial-sized vacuum cleaners to suck up the water - someone must have thought to invented one, surely?” It’s a really poor show from The Boffins, that - we don’t need any more iPhones. We need monster-rain-vacuumers. And jetpacks, obviously.

1.16pm BST

This is perfectly tedious. Not ready to start yet - perhaps some miraculous transformation will have blessed us in 45 minutes.

1.14pm BST

Still no definite decision. The areas of concern on the pitch appear to be square-ish of the wicket - around backward point - some patches on the boundary, and along the bowlers’ run-ups. Player safety is an understandable concern. This isn’t looking particularly hopeful, and nor does it reflect well on the schedule - who’d have thought it might be touch and go to get a game of cricket on in the autumn?

1.06pm BST

The umpires are on the outfield, stomping around on the suspect bits, then milling and chatting to the captains, and looking somewhat anxious and contemplative, it must be said. The pitch itself “looks absolutely fantastic”, with a decent amount of early carry and plenty in it for spinners later on, according to Jimmy Anderson and David Lloyd on Sky duties. If we’re deprived cricket on it, there’ll be some very unhappy punters.

12.53pm BST

“Can’t help feeling as I did at 7.30pm on Easter Sunday after a surfeit of choccy - I’ve had too much of a good thing,” sighs a phlegmatic Gary Naylor. “Ho hum.” Helpfully, courtesy of Gary, you can pass some time by reading his own county cricket talking points here:

Related: County cricket talking points: Essex win title as former champions fight relegation

12.49pm BST

Ian Ward on Sky reminds us that West Indies need to win this series 4-0 or 5-0 to guarantee qualification for the World Cup - going through the qualification tournament is their likely fate – which reminds me to be angry anew about the mean and stupid decision to cut the number of competing teams in the finals to 10, and in a tedious single-group format. The people who run cricket and football’s world cups need to swap places.

12.38pm BST

The between-innings break has been reduced to 15 minutes, and latest indications are that if the match can start by 1.30 they’ll play the whole 50 overs each; any more and we’ll start losing some.

12.33pm BST

Some succinct early thoughts from you the public:

The fact that this is being played in September is a disgrace.

12.06pm BST

It isn’t raining, but the outfield is deemed too damp and soft in important areas to start at the moment, and groundstaff “have concerns”, Saturday’s slip-sliding at Durham perhaps particularly prominent in their mind. They’ll look again at 1pm, though given that there’s no wind and it’s not exactly tropical, you have to wonder how much dryer it can get.

11.57am BST

Some pre-match reading for you. The Spin is in – and if you don’t subscribe, for extra choice tidbits, you really should. Anyway, Andy Bull pays tribute to stalwart county wicketkeepers and international nearly men Chris Read and Jamie Foster in this week’s edition:

Related: The gloves are off: Chris Read bows out and is James Foster set to follow? | The Spin

4.36pm BST

Morning/afternoon everyone. Time was when the entire season would be done and dusted by this point in September. Tests, ODIs, all the county honours, the works. But here we are, at the start of an ODI series, the final international stanza of this quart-into-a-pint-pot of an English season. It’s too easy to scoff at this summer’s schedule of course, but what with England hosting showpiece 50-over tournaments in the men’s and women’s game, an eagerly anticipated marquee series against South Africa - which actually turned out to be a dampish squib - and a Test series against West Indies to crowbar in too, it’s hard to see when else this series, if it were to be held at all, could be slotted in.

As it happens, the unexpectedly watchable nature of the West Indies Test series has kept the pot boiling a little. That involved a very different touring squad, of course, but the return of big guns such as sexism’s Chris Gayle and banter’s Marlon Samuels for the limited-overs stuff adds spice to this final chapter of the international summer.

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