St Kitts v England

I don't quite get it.

I was watching the live stream of the St Kitts and Nevis v England tour match last night and I can't quite understand what anyone gets from a match like this.

Firstly the England team. As fans we hear a lot about the importance of time in the middle for both batsmen and bowlers. I get that. A match situation will always be better preparation (especially mentally) than constant drills in the nets. But the home team have been so unbelievably poor. I watched James Tredwell take 3 wickets in the second innings in the space of 3 overs. With every respect to James Tredwell (I'm actually a big fan of him) he shouldn't be completely unplayable. He doesn't turn and rip it. He doesn't exactly bamboozle many batsmen with flight and guile. He's steady and clever. But yesterday the batsmen made him look like Murali. The majority of the home team didn't have any first class experience. One of them was only 16. I can't imagine the the England players can learn much about their form against a moderate standard club team. Apart from a very superficial ego boost maybe. They can bowl out a 16 year old. Big deal. The batsman had to defend the straight balls and just wait for the inevitable 1-2 bad balls an over. For the bowlers, a good/average ball can look like a Jaffa. Does this simulate the challenges they will face over the next 17 months in Test cricket? As George Dobell wrote yesterday - it's like preparing to face a lion by stroking a kitten. I don't quite get it.

But they can only face what's put in front of them. They are playing again today, but with mixed teams. Quite farcical. This brings me onto the St Kitts team. What are they getting out of it? First class cricket in the West Indies has seemingly been on the decline for some time. There are no major sponsors. No one watches it. But I would think that for a tiny island team with minimal resources, their top players would jump at the chance to play against a top test side looking for a challenge. But they all stay away. They have a rest and send a second/third string team in to get slaughtered. I don't quite get it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not singling out St Kitts and Nevis. There has been a growing trend of pointless warm up games at the beginning of tours. English counties are just as bad. Every touring team over here has to play a county second team. Surely they would get more out of a good old fashioned game of pairs cricket amongst themselves! It seems these matches are just opportunities for the players to get injured. I've just heard that Stuart Broad has limped off whilst bowling to Gary Ballance in a St Kitts shirt. Broad is pivotal to England's hopes this summer. And now he's at risk. It reminds me of the very unfair demise of Mark Boucher, the South African stalwart keeper. His career was ended by a bail hitting him in the eye after Somerset second teamer Gemaal Hussain was bowled by Imran Tahir at an empty Taunton. Seems rather a waste.

I get that time in the middle on a foreign pitch is needed. But can fans like me be blamed for thinking - I don't quite get it.

(I've still been watching a grainy, soundless live stream for the past 2 days though...)