England attack toil in vain

Andrew Strauss' tourists struck just twice on the opening day as Trinidadian duo Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath weighed in with big hundreds.

Simmons led the way with an unbeaten 171 while 18-year-old Barath hit 132 as the hosts closed on 343 for two, bad light snipping four overs off the day's 90-over allocation.

In what is effectively a bowl-off for first Test places in Jamaica next week, James Anderson's seventh-over morning success was the only wicket to fall in the opening two sessions.

Anderson set a trap for attacking opener Kieran Powell and was rewarded when a pull travelled straight to deep midwicket.

But Simmons, one of a handful of full West Indies internationals in the home side, took full advantage of the excellent batting pitch to reach his hundred from the first ball after tea. Barath followed his lead in spectacular fashion five overs later by lofting Paul Collingwood's medium pace for six.

Simmons, whose uncle Phil Simmons represented the Windies for a decade, was the more expansive of the second-wicket pair and, having launched a straight six off Graeme Swann during the morning session, peppered the stands once to three figures.

Off-spinner Swann was clouted for two sixes in one over and the same fate befell Collingwood soon afterwards.

Barath perished after surpassing his previous career-best 131 when he cut lazily to point in Kevin Pietersen's opening over.

England would have claimed a third wicket with the second new ball but wicketkeeper Matt Prior spurned a low chance off Anderson, offered when Simmons was on 159.