Against a backdrop of sparsely-populated stands, England gained the upper hand on West Indies after the first two sessions of today's second npower Test, despite losing captain Andrew Strauss to his opposite number Chris Gayle.

Strauss fell to Windies skipper Gayle's part-time off-spin but Alastair Cook and Test rookie Ravi Bopara — who scored a ton in England's 10-wicket win at Lord's last week — shared an impressive unbroken stand of 115 to see England through to 184 for one at tea.

Gayle's removal of Strauss, after the pair's disagreement about the future of cricket, provided the talking point of the morning session but Strauss will have been the happier captain at the interval after watching the two Essex batsmen make serene progress to their fifties.

Bopara rode his luck a little, surviving two potential catches before the second interval.
With little more than 5,000 tickets sold last night for the first day, this was not a passage of play to capture the imagination of prospective Test match fans. On a slow, flat pitch, only 27 runs were scored from 12 overs during
the first hour after England won the toss.

Contrast that with today's match between Chennai Super Kings and Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League. In the first 12 overs of that match, Chennai had reached 93 for two, with Matthew Hayden clubbing 53 from 34 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes.

These statistics show exactly why Test cricket is coming under threat from Twenty20.
While the England and Wales Cricket Board have struggled to generate interest in this match, more than 80 per cent of the tickets for next month's World Twenty20 in this country have already been sold. But despite the empty seats, there were still plenty of the subtleties which mean Test cricket continues to be cherished by its followers, including Strauss.

Strauss and Cook had some scary moments before the first wicket fell. There appeared little danger when Gayle sent the ball down the leg side but Strauss mistimed his sweep shot and paid the untimate price.

But if the West Indies hoped that breakthrough would spark a collapse, they were mistaken as Bopara continued to show the fluent form he displayed at Lord's last week, where he scored a vital 143 in the first innings.England's new No3 demonstrated his class with a marvellous straight drive off fast bowler Fidel Edwards. Worryingly for his team, the bowler left the field shortly after lunch to get his ankle strapped before returning to the fray.

Bopara's luck was in when, with 30 to his name, he chipped an innocuous ball from Lionel Baker towards mid-wicket, where it fell just short of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Then, on 51, Ramdin could not hold on to a sharp chance down the leg side off Baker. While he never looked completely at ease, Cook ended the second session 18 runs short his ninth Test century. He played one glorious straight drive off Jerome Taylor for four but experienced some good fortune.

One inside edge from a quicker delivery by Baker flew over Cook's leg stump and went for four to fine-leg before the opener almost gave Gayle his second wicket when he edged just short of Devon Smith at slip.

After saying he would not be sorry if Test cricket were to die, Gayle could have been forgiven for wearing a wry smile when he looked out across the rows of empty seats — even though he may ultimately lose his job as West Indies skipper for his outburst about the merits of Test cricket.

Strauss continues to believe that the longer form of the game remains its prize asset but knows that make-or-break time is approaching as England look ahead to the Ashes this summer.

He insists the team share his view — although Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, England's star men, needed no persuasion to accept six-figure contracts to play in the IPL earlier this year.

Strauss said: “I believe very strongly that Test cricket should continue to be the number one format of the game. It's the only game that really tests your temperament, technique, hunger and your bravery.”

While Strauss's priority is to regain the Wisden Trophy from Gayle's team after their 1-0 defeat in the Caribbean earlier this year, he also knows the importance of the Ashes.

An Ashes series to match the thriller in 2005 would be the perfect way to reignite interest in Test cricket yet whatever happens in this match, it will always be remembered for Gayle's withering words.