Over-by-over: afternoon session

England 570-6 declared; West Indies 66-2

Andy will be back for the afternoon session once he's gathered some cress to keep his eggs company between the brown malted. England are 498 for six, with KP on 189 not out. Click here to read about the morning session.

Afternoon then. I've no idea what the weather is like where you are in the world, but in London, it is grey, overcast and freezing. Shame then, that my OBO duties are keeping me from appearing for my own team - the Timelords (I didn't chose the name) - in their opeing fixture in the annual series against the hapless Butterphats. Given that they'll have to do without my own floated half-volleys and daisy cutters and my no10 batting, it'll be a minor miracle if they retain win the cup for the third year in succession. I expect they're all shivering under the scant shelter of the pavilion in Regent's Park as I type.

113th over: England 499-6 (Pietersen 190 Plunkett 9) So where were we, waiting on a double-ton and a declaration I believe. With so much time due to be taken out of this match by bad weather, England will have to press on if they want to avoid being robbed of another winning opportunity. Jonny Martin weighs in with a couple more pence worth of selection chat: "I'd have thought it obvious that a five man attack is required against the top teams to keep the pressure up, and therefore Flintoff has to bat at 6 (prior seems tidy but not experienced enough). The bowlers should be Hoggard and Monty, plus Harmison (gotta give him a few more chances) and another. Broad or Onions I think. this means dropping a batsman, and I'm it has to be Strauss. We shouldn't be afraid to drop guys who aren't playing well. we should take it as a positive sign that we have six players averaging over 40 competing for 5 slots, not a negative. that'd be a winning team I think. Vaughan can open the batting again. that's where he was best anyway." Looks like you'll be in the running for the new Head of Selectors job then Jonny, who knew it was all so easy?

114th over: England 504-6 (Pietersen 191 Plunkett 13) Ganga turns to Gayle in an effort to trick KP out of his 200 with some tempting off-spin. The rivalry between these two has lit up this series so far, with Gayle, don't forget, having KP stumped for 21 off a no ball in the first innings. Here a loosener gifts the batsman one, and then Plunkett strikes a back foot cover drive past a limp fielding effort at extra cover from Devon Smith and away to the rope for four.

115th over: England 504-6 (Pietersen 191 Plunkett 13) Owen Wilson was wondering how I thought the Indian series might shape up later this summer, so I might just mention that they've racked up 610-3 dec (with centuries from all of the top four, including Dravid and Tendulkar) and currently have Bangladesh struggling on 58-5. The ineresting thing for me is their callow, but still dangerous, pace attack, where the two twenty-something Singhs (RP and VRV) are battling it out with 18-year-old Ishant Sharma to keep Zaheer Kahn company with the new ball. I imagine that good as their batting is, they'll really struggle to adjust to English conditions if they come over with that attack.

116th over: England 509-6 (Pietersen 193 Plunkett 15) Back in the here and now at Headingley, Plunkett has moved on to 15, and Chris Gayle is still whirring away withut actually making the ball turn at all.

117th over: England 514-6 (Pietersen 193 Plunkett 21) Plunkett plunders more easy runs with a good-looking cut shot that speeds past point and out to the ropes for four. In his eight Tests his top score is a pathetic 28, so he, like KP, has a good chance here to top his best efforts yet. He flicks a slow ball away to leg to creep one closer to that target. Powell bounces Pietersen, and has him ducking and swaying, and the two exchange stares from a short distance, before KP retorts with something that could be "I say, well bowled" but somehow I doubt it was that polite.

118th over: England 522-6 (Pietersen 201 Plunkett 21) Dennis Johns, I kind of know what you mean when you say: "don't you feel slightly disappointed that he's not longer the erratically raging tempest of his first matches, and now a consistently excellent performer in the manner of a Sampras or a Schumacher? I feel a little sad to have lost the mercurial element, even if he is clearly a better player for it." He's edged one short of slip here, and then, with a tuck towards leg, he gets the two runs he needs to bring up his 200 - off just 250 balls - and his helmet is off and his bat is raised, semingly in acknowledgment rather than joyous celebration. More evidence there perhaps that he is a rather more calculated player these days, one who clearly expected himself to get to that mark.

119th over: England 527-6 (Pietersen 202 Plunkett 26) Sunil provides notice of an interesting quirk, the kind that makes you say "oh" and then sit on in stoney silence: "Due to the two retired hurt batsmen (both the openers went down with cramp), India's 1st Wicket partnership actually comprised four different century stands." Oh. Plunkett drives a neat four from a juicy slow full toss and then pulls a bouncer away for one down to backward square. A pair of shots there that hint at what we've long been told - he actually can bat.

120th over: England 542-6 (Pietersen 209 Plunkett 33) Time to thrash wildly I'd suggest, and speed the way to the end of the innings. A superfluous sip of water provided by the 12th man, along with a whisper in the ear, only reinforces that idea. As does KP's next shot, a large six struck over long-off. A single allows Plunkett to slip two away to leg and move on to his new Test best, a fact he celebrates with a rather glorious four with a large stride and a mighty drive that whistles the ball past long-off.

121st over: England 550-6 (Pietersen 212 Plunkett 38) Pietersen slices a drive short of deep cover. Dropped him! What an absolute shocker by Corey Collymore! Really dire fielding. Plunkett hoiked a pull high up to backward square where Collymore, with an abundance of time and space available, got underneath it, caught it, dropped it caught it again dropped it again and then kicked it out over the rope. The three stooges do play cricket after all.

122nd over: England 565-6 (Pietersen 222 Plunkett 38) As the innings drifts, Ranil Dissanayake goes along with it: "a little off-topic, but do any of your learned readers know what's happened to Sri Sreesanth, the young Indian fast bowler? I've only seen him a couple of times, but he looked a real prospect. I'd love to see him against England. Plus he made Nel look like an arse, which can only be a good thing." Hmmm, he was last seen as a non-playing member of the World Cup team I think, Ranil. The impression was that while his batting had progressed enough for him to be a good pinch-hitter at no3, his bowling regressed to medium-paced dobber standards. KP has hauled us back to the present though, by dropping onto one knee and lofting Gayle over mid-wicket for six with a mighty slog sweep, he then follows it up with a cut that beats deep point across the rope for four more.

WICKET! Pietersen 226 c Taylor b Bravo (123rd over: England 566-7) Plunkett grins broadly, clearly having a great time of it. KP snaps his partner out of his reverie with a sharp single that Plunkett only survives because the throw at the stumps is wayward. Kevin wants the strike. And rightly so. He makes Collymore look like even more of a clown with a desperate dive that fails to cut off a flick to fine leg that runs underneath him for four. The next ball ends it though, as Pietersen miscues a slogged drive up into the air towards deep cover and is caught out. And that is it. England have declared, leaving Plunkett on 41 not out. Thank goodness Vaughan has the nous to spare us a pointless stint of tail-end batting of the kind we were treated to at Lord's.

So, England declare on 566, and for the Windies, one senses, it's all about to get a lot tougher still.

1st over: West Indies 1-0 (Gayle 1 Ganga 0) Well blow me! Ryan Sidebottom, possibly the unlikeliest call-up since Ronnie Iranilast made the Ashes squad, has been given the new ball. Can he write himself into the pub-quiz trivia books along side Ed Giddins (5-15 v Zimbabwe) and Richard Johnson (6-22 v erm, Zimbabwe) by being an unlikely early-season superstar who's international career disappears after a single phenomenal performance? Well, it looks like yes, maybe he can: he's certainly found some swing early on. Gayle pushes him down the ground for one, and oh, what a joy to see those long ginger locks flowing over the top of an England jersey once again. As Dan Jones observes: "Why have they selected Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as replacement for Hoggard, Jones, et al? Are things really that desperate?" Yes. Yes they are. It's good stuff this, coming in wide on the crease and pitching the ball outside off, shaping it back in with nip and verve.

2nd over: West Indies 6-0 (Gayle 2 Ganga 3) And now, Steve 'blame it on the slope' Harmison opens with a no ball. Areas Steve. Thankfully for England's premier fast bowler, Headingley also has a slope, albeit one that runs down the ground rather than across it, so, if it does all go turnip-shaped he'll still have an excuse to hand. Gayle rides his third ball down to fine leg for one. Ganga pushes away a simple on-drive that brings him three runs. Abishek Arun has quite politely pointed out that back in over 122 I was actually talking about Irfan Pathan, and nothing I said had anything to do with S Sreesanth, who is, he continues "currently injured. You're referring to Irfan Pathan who has indeed totally lost his bowling ability. ,a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=NPUxA7OLQ_4">Sreesanth of course is responsible for one of the funniest scenes on a cricket pitch in recent time." More good work from Bull then.

3rd over: West Indies 6-0 (Gayle 3 Ganga 3) I take a quick break from the ongoing wonderment that is watching this long-haired swinger ply his trade to discuss the relative newsworthiness of David Beckham being recalled to the England squad. I mention that simply to invite you to draw a comparison between the two career resuscitations - that of Sidebottom, and that of Beckham. Amusing isn't it.

4th over: West Indies 9-0 (Gayle 3 Ganga 5) So Harmison is looking much better so far, what with his not having bunged any disgusting wides down the leg side. He spears a typical Harmison ball up into Gayle's ribs, and the single that results provides palpable relief for the batsman. I wonder if we'll see Ganga really rise to the occasion this afternoon? I suspect he maybe the kind of chap who would be motivated to do well by the captaincy.

WICKET! Gayle 11 lbw Sidebottom (5th over: West Indies 17-1) Gayle is beginning to tuck into Sidebottom, and takes him for eight off two balls. The first was straight-driven through long-off, the next clipped to square leg and both were equally disturbing for the bowler given the grace, power and ease with which they were played. OH AND HE'S DONE IT! He is the new Ed Giddins! He is the next Richard Johnson! Martin Saggers eat your heart out! Congratulations Ryan Sidebottom! Great stuff! The ball pitches on Gayle's off stump and slides on to hit his pads in front of middle, and as Sidebottom swivels and screams at the umpire, that finger just creeps up ever so slowly and the bowler explodes with joy. He's ecstatic.

6th over: West Indies 21-1 (Ganga 5 Smith 2) Harmison, clearly not as inspired by what just transpired as I was, serves up another no ball. Sidebottom is off signing autographs for a couple of little kids on the long leg boundary, what a hero! Smith gets off zero with a punch for two down to long-off.

WICKET! Ganga 5 lbw Sidebottom (7th over: West Indies 23-2) AND ANOTHER ONE! BRILLIANT! I'm absolutely loving this! Classic stuff! Remember this performance because it could be one of the great journeyman's hurrahs. So much for Ganga's captain's innings: he shouldered his bat to a ball that landed on off and swung back in to his pads, trapping plumb in front and feeling like a fool. Sylvester Joseph is in, and he gets a peach of a ball first up. Brilliant stuff.

8th over: West Indies 29-2 (Smith 8 Joseph 0) Sidebottom is being mobbed by clamouring kids on the boundary, waving minature bats and pieces of paper at him. In the middle, Harmison has served up a short, wide ball that Smith has spanked for four with a glorious cut shot. Ian Bell, by the way, is off the field - we haven't been told why - and a substitute has been stuck under the helmet at short leg. This is my favourite email of the day by a distance, and it comes from Katherine Newbould: "What kind of boyfriend, I ask you, leaves his girlfriend alone, studying hard for her exams, while he entertains himself on a boys-only jolly to Headingley, all of them dressed as KP nuts? The same kind, it seems, that managed to fall asleep in the toilet of our local curry-house only last night. Despite this, he assures me that imbibing vast quantities of lager is essential to a KP nut's health. Pity the poor folk in the West Stand sitting near a 6 foot 2 peanut called Simon who's knocking back the Stella - he may fall asleep at any moment. Let's just hope his trousers are done up when it happens." I'm guessing it's the kind of boyfriend you've decided to go out with Katherine, yes?

9th over: West Indies 31-2 (Smith 12 Joseph 0) Vaughan does some hobbling at mid-off as Smith clips a drive past Sidebottom's left-hand-led dive and the batsmen take one. Otherwise it's an uneventful over.

10th over: West Indies 36-2 (Smith 13 Joseph 1) Plunkett replaces Harmison, who, though he's bowled quite well, just seemed to be succumbing to that crumpled brow and moody pout that indicates his unhapiness with the state of the game. Plunkett's line is still depressingly wayward, and his first three balls all fade away down the leg side, one of them is a no ball as well. Joseph dabs a run down to leg to move off of zero, and Plunkett chucks in another no ball. Couls the contrast between the bowlers who have been coached by England and the one who hasn't (Sidebottom) be any starker?

11th over: West Indies 44-2 (Smith 17 Joseph 1) Sidebottom bowls a couple of tidy away-swingers and then attempts the straighter, fuller, wicket-taking ball but just pushes it a touch too much to leg, and the Windies reap four leg byes as a result. Too much width this time, and Smith unleashes that delicious cut shot of his again. You only need to see the ball leave the bat to know that it is a four.

12th over: West Indies 45-2 (Smith 17 Joseph 1) Hellishly, someone in GU Towers has decided to test the fire alarm or something equally gruesome. You know, sometimes I really wonder about the people who run this place. Maybe one day they'll open up the canteen, provide some staff and stop testing the fire alarm on Saturdays. But then again, maybe not. After all, nothing newsworthy ever happens on the weekend does it? Sod me. A rank wide from Plunkett.

13th over: West Indies 55-2 (Smith 21 Joseph 2) The man in the flat cap behind me, who I believe is Richard Jones, mutters into his ale: "Happen Plunkett can bat a bit but 'e can't bloody bowl". Harmison replaces Sidebottom, and gets a few words of advice from him on how to bowl in a straight line too. Joseph steals the very cheekiest of short runs, and his partner, Smith, sneaks in just ahead of Steve Harmison's throw. Then, one more bung down leg, which pops off Smith's pads and runs away for four. There are now 15 extras in this total. Smith adds four rather prettier runs with a sublime off-drive that creeps all the way up the slope to the rope.

14th over: West Indies 60-2 (Smith 22 Joseph 7) Plunkett skims the ball past Joseph's outside edge with one of those absolutle peaches that he's prone to sending down every now and again. Joseph chips out a yorker up and over mid-wicket and away to the ropes for his first four. Plunkett makes some sort of traffic directing gestures with his hands after chucking, guess what, some wide filth down the off side.

15th over: West Indies 65-2 (Smith 22 Joseph 12) Joseph swats Harmison's latest effort down to fine leg for four.

16th over: West Indies 66-2 (Smith 22 Joseph 13) "When would you bring Monty on?" asks John Starbuck. To which my answer would be, now, for one over before lunch. My main reason for saying that would be that it is exactly what Vaughan has just done, presumably in hope that he can replicate that wonderful dismissal of Devon Smith from Lord's, done in similar circumstance. A single puts Smith on strike and... there he goes again, propping forward, bat behind pad. But he does survive, and tea is taken.