Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour has become something of an iconic stop for English tourists to the region and they were there in great numbers the day before the Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Falmouth Harbour completes the slightly strange ‘Englishness’ of the place – strange because of every part of England’s history and legacy in the region is inextricably linked to the slave trade and also because the island is now far more closely linked to America in its culture and lifestyle.
 

Antigua attracts billionaires like fruit flies to overripe bananas. There were no less than eight ‘superyachts’ moored in the harbour and restaurants were full of people wearing expensive deck shoes or floral dresses. To be fair, millionaires can be much easier to spot in a crowd than billionaires. When your boat costs $45million you’re unlikely to be worried about the brand name on your shorts.

The pitch looked greener than expected – at least, than was expected before the Barbados result. But with the West Indies 1-0 it may well be that they will back their fast bowlers against England’s batsmen on a fast and bouncy surface. If they throw caution to the wind and risk defeat in pursuit of a series-winning victory, we could be in for a hell of a Test match.