Jonny gets jumpy

The groan of disappointment that rose from Trent Bridge told its own story: while the wicket of Kevin Pietersen ten minutes into play on the third morning represented a superb start to the day from West Indies, it came as a bitter blow to those spectators who hoped to see a Pietersen masterclass. Pietersen, playing across a straight one from the admirable Ravi Rampaul, called for a review but it was more in hope than expectation.

Might the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow have uncovered a significant flaw in his game? While West Indies do not have the fearsome attack of the past, Roach still has the pace and class to trouble the best. He discomforted Bairstow a couple of times with well directed deliveries that struck the batsman on the chest and the glove and finally dismissed him with another ball, angled in to the body, that had a flustered Bairstow attempting to play off his hips and presenting a leading edge to mid-on. With a series to come against a South Africa side containing several good fast bowlers, Bairstow's dismissal will have been noted by England selectors.

It is rare that Aleem Dar makes an error. It is even more rare that he makes an error that can be overturned upon review. It was, therefore, a brave and astute decision from Darren Sammy to utilise the DRS when Ian Bell was struck on the pad by an inswinger from Kemar Roach. Sammy's instinct was vindicated when Dar's decision was overturned and Bell was given out lbw. It was an important wicket in the context of the game, too: the new ball was just four deliveries old and, if they were to fight their way back into the game, they needed quick wickets. Sammy proved it was no fluke, either, when he also used the DRS to overturn Asad Rauf's decision to reprieve Graeme Swann

Only in cricket could you have a situation where tea was delayed by 30 minutes for play to then be held up for repairs to be made to the bowlers' take-off area. As the preceding over - containing two reviews - has also taken eight minutes, it meant that spectators witnessed just six deliveries in 16 minutes. Ten deliveries later, West Indies took the final England wicket and the players departed for the tea break. At least it also coincided with the break between innings.

With West Indies top order lacking experience or, perhaps, the quality required to flourish at this level, the performances of Shivnarine Chanderpaul are always ways likely to prove key to their fortunes. So when the 37-year-old, uncharacteristically nervous throughout his 15-ball stay, top edged a hook - an odd shot in the circumstances - directly to the man on the fine-leg boundary, it hammered a nail into the coffin of the tourists' hopes.

The failure of both openers underlined a recurrent problem in West Indies cricket in recent years. Since the start of 2010, their opening partnerships in Test cricket averages just 19.58. That is more than 10 fewer than New Zealand (29.82) and 20 fewer than Bangladesh (39.91). England's in the same period is 38.64.