England have played without James Anderson and Stuart Broad before, but this was supposed to be different.

This was supposed to be a line drawn in the Caribbean sand, a chance for new heroes, without the suffocating presence of England’s two leading Test wicket-takers. Ashes cobwebs blown away, and hopefully, with it, West Indies too. Instead, at lunch, the hosts had 44 runs in 10 overs. Kraigg Brathwaite, the man with the lowest strike-rate of any Test batter in the 21st century*, was smashing England to all parts. Soon enough, West Indies had their highest opening stand since July 2018 – and their highest against someone other than Bangladesh since June 2014. The bowling was both loose and unthreatening. Only a few West Indies favours have kept England in the hunt.

There is some mitigation. This was a pitch that has never held too many dangers, despite England’s top-order capitulation yesterday, and it has flattened out more since then. Ollie Robinson’s absence is a blow, if, by now, a predictable one. And it’s not as if Anderson and Broad have never bowled a poor, unthreatening, floaty opening spell. On day three a new ball will come, and given the squad England have chosen for the series, everyone in the side should yet get another chance or two.

Mark Wood is a strike bowler, but not yet an attack leader. Given his Test renaissance is raw in terms of matches played, if not actual time, it was always unrealistic to expect his Ashes excellence to immediately translate into consistent, all-conditions success. Having recovered from a stomach bug which kept him out of some of the warm-up, his pace was slightly down, but he still located an extra yard to induce a misjudgement from Brathwaite. He’s clearly not the problem, but he’s also not all of the solution.

It’s the two who kept the new ball away from him who have the most cause for concern. This is a huge game and a huge tour for Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, for not too dissimilar reasons. For the former, this is a chance to show that, out of the shadow of Broaderson, with a new Dukes ball in hand, he can lead England’s line overseas. For the latter, an opportunity to show he can be incisive, rather than just serviceable. Both were lacklustre.

Ever since his debut almost 10 years ago, Woakes has been compared to Anderson, both sharing immaculate actions and jawlines, capable of generating gorgeous, arcing swing when conditions suit. Woakes has a record at home to outdo both Broad and Anderson. But about the best you could say about his second day efforts is that at least he didn’t harm his away bowling average too much. There was eventual reward courtesy of a good ball to dismiss Jermaine Blackwood, but it felt more like relief and respite than revival.

Woakes has now bowled in 32 Test innings away from home. He averages 52.43 runs per wicket when doing so. Among England bowlers to have bowled in 30 or more innings on the road, only Paul Collingwood has a worse record. There is still the feeling that Woakes can be better than this, that an economy rate of 4.50 runs per over shows this to be an aberration, some ring rust during a tough winter perhaps. And he did contribute handily with the bat. But that often feels like the only thing keeping him in the side: hope, and the need for a No.8. Given his age and his overall track record, he needs to turn things around, fast, or else risk more than just his away Test career ending.

Overton was slightly better, though only slightly. That extra yard is still hard to spot, and the skill and accuracy seemingly not quite enough to make up for it. His wicket came via an effort ball, and a wild shot from opener John Campbell. This is still not a vintage West Indies side, and the series could well turn into a flawed epic.

But England need more than thrills and spills; they desperately need a win, something to cling to. From the looks of today’s showing, the two players who stand the best chance of giving them one are sat at home watching on BT Sport.

*minimum 3,000 runs