It wasn't Cricket, Lovely Cricket, and the West Indies Won, at Lord's yesterday, but it was a step in the right direction.

Bravo has shining potential but he will look back at this match with little fondness

Yorkshireman shows shades of Pietersen before his brilliant run-out leaves West Indies staring inevitable defeat in the face

Even West Indies' limpet left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul had bleak prospects of blocking England's victory course in the first Investec Test.

England will almost certainly havea new batsman for the start of the international summer on Thursday. Both Jonathan Bairstow and James Taylor have sound reasons for expecting the invitation to become the country's 652nd Test player, with Bairstow perhaps the selectors' preferred option.

Andrew Strauss eased a little closer to finding form ahead of the Test series against West Indies, although his 49 for Middlesex against Worcestershire at Lord's was not without incident.

Warwickshire, pipped to the title by Lancashire on the last day of a dramatic 2011 County Championship, enjoyed a measure of revenge by inflicting a five-wicket defeat on the champions at a damp Liverpool yesterday.

Having already declared his decision to play in the Indian Premier League to be the right one for his England career, Kevin Pietersen came up with spectacular justification in Delhi yesterday. While his England captain, Andrew Strauss, endured a day of frustration watching a washout at Lord's, Pietersen smashed his maiden Twenty20 century to propel Delhi Daredevils to a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers.

Kevin Pietersen believes England's lack of interest in the Indian Premier League is down to jealousy.

Durham's captain is just one of many county pros playing the shortest form of game all over world. He talks to Jon Culley

The first part of England's cricketing winter went into meltdown with a 3-0 hammering by Pakistan, but the green shoots of springtime recovery arrived just in time yesterday when victory over Sri Lanka earned them a drawn series.

Sri Lanka 275 & 4-0 England 460: England victory in sight after masterful ton

England's miserable start to 2012 continued as they lost the first Test to Sri Lanka by 75 runs in Galle.

England have been dealt a blow ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka, with all-rounder Ravi Bopara suffering a side injury that is expected to prevent him from bowling.