Pope plunders century as tourists drop the ball

Surrey batter makes timely ton to help free-scoring but skittish England to 416

- Ali Martin

It was a day of queues at Trent Bridge.

There were queues for Brian Lara's autograph during a book signing session at lunch, queues for the icecream vans at tea, queues for the bars throughout pretty standard at an English Test match, admittedly-and batters positively lining up to have a go out in the middle.

Although not all of them fancied it. There was bright sunshine over Nottingham, a pitch that looked well rolled, and an outfield as green as Robin Hood's tights that had been mown to offer an almost frictionless path for the ball. But Kraigg Brathwaite, West Indies' captain and an opener with 12 Test centuries, won the toss and decided to bowl.

Ben Stokes did the same against New Zealand here two years ago, the match where Jonny Bairstow vaporised a fourth innings target of 299 and Bazball was arguably born. But, even factoring in that remarkable last Test on Trentside, it felt a slightly passive move and one that could have spiralled fully out of control. England, bowled out for 416 to bring stumps after Ollie Pope's 121 from 167 balls, were just about kept in check.

All the same, 4.7 runs an over made it a fast-scoring day and not least by Ben Duckett first thing. After the loss of Zak Crawley third ball, the left-hander responded with a flurry of boundaries-four in four off Jayden Seales's first over - and had a shot at Gilbert Jessop's cobwebbed record for the fastest Test century by an Englishman (76 balls in 1902). That was until he drove Shamar Joseph to slip and mooched off with 71 from 59.