Vaughan leads from the front

Jamaica 25 for 2 trail England XII 320 (Vaughan 105, Hussain 65, Read 61) by 295 runs
Scorecard

England's confident morning was followed by afternoon and evening wobbles as they were bowled out for 320 shortly before the close on the first day at Sabina Park. At lunch they were 154 for 2, but thereafter they lost eight wickets for 166 and the day ended with a feeling that an opportunity had been squandered against an enthusiastic but young Jamaica side.

Michael Vaughan had predicted that chin music would accompany England's opening fixture of their tour of the Caribbean, but on the first day it was Vaughan himself who played the disc jockey. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, he zoomed to an effortless century. He faced only 89 balls, slamming 19 fours and a six, before he was out shortly after lunch for 105, bowled by Jermaine Lawson who was returning to action after remedial work on his bowling action.

Nasser Hussain also took advantage of his chance, stroking a positive 65 which did include a sumptuous straight six off offspinner Bevon Brown - although Brown later had him leg-before, one of three wickets for him. Chris Read did much to dampen criticism with a feisty 61, while the late order offered him scant support, and Graham Thorpe caressed a breezy 34.

But there were also lows. Marcus Trescothick - looking very out of sorts - was bowled off his pads by one from Evon McInnis that kept a little low for 7, and Mark Butcher slapped a loose cut off a Dwight Mais long-hop straight to Brown at point. Andy Flintoff was as plumb leg-before as it is possible to be to McInnis for a single, and Rikki Clarke and Ashley Giles also failed to impress.

There was late success for England when Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment, their splendidly-named captain, caught by Read for 0 in Matthew Hoggard's second over, and then Donovon Pagon, the nightwatchman, caught and bowled by Hoggard for 6 in the final over of the day. Hoggard, who ran in with real purpose and aggression, should have had three wickets - his first ball struck the boot of a creasebound Shawn Findlay, but the umpire dismissed the confident appeal.

It was all very different to England's last appearance at Sabina Park, all of six years ago. Back then, their match lasted for just 61 deliveries - the pitch on that occasion was as undulating as a piece of corrugated iron, and with Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose steaming in on the first morning of the Test series, there was the very real danger of a serious injury. Today, by contrast, could hardly have been more sedate. Instead of rolling out their big guns, Jamaica chose to rest several of their leading players, and the ardour was further dampened when England requested to use a squad of 12, thereby depriving the game of first-class status.

What is more, the pitch could hardly have been further removed from the Sabina minefield of old. Jonathan Agnew, commentating on BBC Radio, remarked that the track - two down from the strip that has been earmarked for the first Test - looked as though "a blind goat had been let loose on it", and it was as slow and low as anything that England encountered on their recent tour of Sri Lanka.