England won the toss and decided to bat. Half an hour into the opening session, debutant opening batsman Andy Lloyd was hit on the head by a short-pitched ball bowled by Malcolm Marshall. Lloyd left the field and spent several days in hospital; he did not play cricket again in 1984 and never played another Test Match. England were soon in trouble on 89–5, but Ian Botham hit 64 and England reached a total of 191, with Joel Garner taking 4–53.