Leicestershire v West Indians, Grace Road, 1st day

Edwards' miserable run continues

Lunch West Indians 82 for 2 (Barath 33*, Bravo 27*) v Leicestershire

When Kirk Edwards arrived in the UK for this tour he was seen as a key part of West Indies' future. He had, after all, a Test average in excess of 50 and two Test centuries to his name, including one on debut against India. He was even elevated to the vice-captaincy.

Now, barely a month later, Edwards' international career is in jeopardy. With English conditions - and English bowlers - exposing some obvious technical flaws, Edwards currently looks bereft of form and confidence. His third-ball duck against Leicestershire meant that he had scored just 20 runs in eight innings and begged the question as to whether he was enduing the most miserable tour of England in history by a specialist batsman. The Maharaja of Porbandar - who scored only two first-class runs on the All-India side's 1932 tour of England - has strong claims to that title but, as he was selected more due to his wealth and perceived social standing than any ability with the bat, it is probably unfair to consider him a specialist batsman.

Edwards can take comfort of sorts from the fact that the game against Leicestershire does not have first-class status. A two-day affair with every possibility that the second day might be ruined by rain, West Indies took the opportunity upon winning the toss to provide their top-order with some much-needed practice. They also provided Assad Fudadin and Narsingh Deonarine with an opportunity to apply pressure on an under-performing top-order.

There was no place for Sunil Narine, however. The spinner has still to arrive in the UK and, while it is just about possible that Leicestershire may allow him to be substituted into the game on the second day, he appears to have little chance of making his Test debut next week. Bearing in mind that he has little or no experience of bowling with a Dukes ball, his selection for the third Test - starting at Edgbaston on Thursday - would be an enormous gamble.

There was no place for Ramnaresh Sarwan in the Leicestershire team, either. The 31-year-old Guyanese has resisted the temptation to make a point against the team for which he might be playing and instead took the opportunity to rest. It is an understandable decision bearing in mind that Leicestershire are in the middle of an 11-day unbroken stint of cricket.

There was some encouragement for the tourists from the morning session. Adrian Barath again looked a well-organised player, left well on line and length and showed, on this occasion, the concentration to capitalise on those strengths. He also timed the ball sweetly on either side of the wicket. Darren Bravo also produced some eye-catching strokes, though he was fortunate to survive a couple of impatient swipes.

It was a familiar story for Edwards and Kieran Powell, however. Powell - who has scored 47 in four Test innings on this tour - was drawn into an edge as he pushed at one he might have left before Edwards, with the footwork of a statue, was bamboozled by swing. Both wickets were claimed by Nadeem Malik who, aged 29 and nine years into his first-class career, will be out of contract at the end of the season.