Before last weekend England had not lost a Test to West Indies for more than eight years but defeats by South Africa and India in their last two series had sent the hosts into the match at Sabina Park as favourites for both that Test and the series. Now, the only William Hill customer prepared to gamble as much as £50 on England winning the second Test in Antigua is an internet client based in Baghdad.

England seek to draw level in a Test series that they were favoured to win when they face West Indies in the second Test, starting on Friday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground. England were upset in the opening Test at Kingston, where they were bowled out for 51 in their second innings and crashed to an innings and 23-run defeat inside four days to hand West Indies a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.

The West Indies have called up batsmen Ryan Hinds and Lendl Simmons for the second Test against England in Antigua, leaving out Xavier Marshall and Amit Jaggernauth in their 13-man squad.

For three days and more the first Test had sputtered along like a slow fuse looking for something to ignite. Then, either side of the lunch interval on Saturday, it found a powder keg called Jerome Taylor. His bowling, five wickets for 11 runs, was beyond inspirational. One day he might even find it depressing to think that perhaps his finest performance has already come and gone. With each wicket that fell, the inevitability of it all just increased, as the England batting retreated.

That was not a 51 all out pitch and that was not a 51 all out batting line-up. Something fundamental is missing from the England side at the moment and you have to wonder whether it's team spirit. Are they gelling together properly? Are they thinking as a group? To have five blokes bowled on a pitch like that suggests not. But the only way they can answer those questions is by making runs in the second Test in Antigua starting on Friday.

A superb spell of fast bowling from Jerome Taylor inspired the West Indies to thrash England by an innings and 23 runs on day four of the first Test in Jamaica. England were bowled out for 51, the third lowest score in their Test history with Taylor and Sulieman Benn sharing nine of the wickets to fall.

Captain Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan hit unbeaten half-centuries as West Indies racked 160-1 in reply to England's 318 by the close of the second day of the opening cricket Test. Left-hander Gayle smacked 71 not out while Sarwan was fluent in compiling an undefeated 74. The experienced pair added 142 unbroken in three and a half hours at Sabina Park on Thursday.

Centuries from Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan as well as useful knocks from Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin earnt the West Indies a first innings lead over England on day three of the first Test in Jamaica. The home side closed on 352 for seven, 34 runs ahead with Nash unbeaten on 47 alongside Sulieman Benn on ten.

Ramnaresh Sarwan said last night that he was not a supporter of the experimental referral system which dominated the second day's play in Jamaica despite winning a reprieve when he was just seven on his way to an unbeaten 74. The West Indies batsman put on an unbroken 142 for the second wicket with Chris Gayle to to leave the hosts in a strong position, but only after he survived via the umpire review system when England thought he had been trapped lbw by Steve Harmison.

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan scored unbeaten half-centuries to help West Indies more than halve their deficit to England on day two of the first Test in Jamaica. England were bowled out for 318 and the home side closed on 160 for one, 158 runs behind, with Gayle on 71 and Sarwan on 74 having overcome the early loss of Devon Smith for 6. Smith was deceived by an Andrew Flintoff yorker and although the initial decision from the umpire on the leg before shout was not out, England challenged successfully.