England must have played against worse teams than this St Kitts Invitational XI but , after a day that descended into near farce , it is difficult to think of any . Warm-up games can be low-key affairs but there can not have been many times when an international side have been pitched against a team as bad as this . St Kitts were simply shambolic , so bad that Chigwell Cricket Club could give them a decent game , and an almost tragic example of the steep decline of Caribbean cricket . They were simply not fit for purpose . Jos Buttler appeals for a stumping as England dominated the second day of a farcical match in St Kitts . Mark Wood looked lively in his early spell after he was brought in for his first bowl for England . The statistics will say that England , having bowled St Kitts out for 59 on the first day of their opening two-day tour match , rattled up 379 for six declared with both Alastair Cook and Ian Bell retiring out . Then St Kitts , given just one session to hang on , capitulated again and finished on 76 for seven , narrowly avoiding handing England a hollow victory . The match was drawn , just about , and it should also have been hung and quartered . The modern fixture madness that will see England play 17 Tests in the next 10 months makes proper warm-ups almost impossible and is one of the main reasons why home teams nearly always win Test series these days . But when they are as meaningless as this it is questionable why it is even worth bothering . England may have spent time in the middle but they may as well have just turned up in Antigua next week to play the first of three Tests . Wood celebrates his first England wicket , but he is probably still a way off getting a first Test cap . Alastair Cook acknowledges the crowd after making a century , shortly before being retired out . Jos Battler had a short go at attacking the home bowlers before England declared with a mammoth 320 lead . For what it is worth , Bell and Joe Root made untroubled half-centuries yesterday after Cook had moved to his first century for England since the Ashes warm-up in Hobart 18 months ago and promptly retired . Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler then had a bit of a bash before England declared at the fall of Stokes just before tea , the small matter of 320 ahead . Then , in a move which further devalued the authenticity of the ‘ contest , ’ England brought Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood into the match for a work out . Wood , the Durham fast bowler , looked lively in his first bowl for England off his minimalist run-up and earned his first wicket when he bowled Shane Jeffers but it is unlikely to be enough to earn him a first Test cap just yet . Gary Ballance looked out of touch , the only real problem for England in a very comfortable match . Liam Plunkett charges in as England reduced their hosts to 24 for six in farcical circumstances . When St Kitts plummeted to 24 for six and almost had a batsman timed out before he emerged just in time with the Velcro on his pads barely fastened , the home side ’ s embarrassment was almost complete . Yet at least they regained a semblance of pride by holding on as England gave their two spinners a decent bowl , Akeem Saunders and Leon Clarke doing most to keep England at bay . The only place in England ’ s first Test team yet to be decided , it seems , is between Adil Rashid and James Tredwell for the sole spinner ’ s slot and Tredwell was the clear winner here , taking three wickets to Rashid ’ s one . The Yorkshireman will need to have a very good second match to edge out Tredwell . James Tredwell ( left ) outperformed Adil Rashid in the contest to be England 's Test spinner next week . Buttler makes an unconventional stop as England came close to winning the game in just two days . The only concern for England will be the form of Gary Ballance who looked out of touch before falling for 16 , the legacy perhaps of a World Cup where he somehow became a symbol of England ’ s unimaginative one-day thinking . England ’ s desperate attempt to get as much as they can from the second of these two warm-ups will tomorrow see them bowl 90 overs at St Kitts whatever happens and then bat for 90 overs on Thursday . The first cricket score of 225 for 25 could be recorded at Warner Park tomorrow and the once proud reputation of Caribbean cricket will most likely take another hit . Truly , it is a sad state of affairs .
England reduce Invitational XI to 24 for six after amassing lead of 320 . Hosts hold out for a draw , but the game had descended into a farce . England will learn little from glorified net against woeful opposition . James Tredwell out-bowls Adil Rashid in contest to be Test spinner .