In the first of his weekly blogs for thewisdencricketer.com the former West Indies captain Richie Richardson reviews their start to the tour

We obviously prefer the sunshine in the Caribbean so coming to play a Test match so early in the season in England is not easy. I remember that most times I played here at Lord’s it was cold and damp – the cold would have an effect on the team and maybe that’s why so many catches were dropped by the West Indies. It takes a lot of adjusting and a lot of the current players don’t have much experience in English conditions.

Yesterday’s collapse was unfortunate. When it’s damp and the ball is moving around it is difficult, but that’s cricket. They have to get their heads down and try and bat and bat and bat and salvage this Test match, and then they can take confidence from that. As a player you know what’s ahead of you and have to try your best to adjust and adapt to new conditions.

For some reason they didn’t seem as if they are quite ready, or maybe they haven’t woken up yet. Their approach yesterday morning wasn’t one of a team who has taken seven wickets. But Fidel Edwards is looking good. I still think that Jerome Taylor is a better bowler, but Fidel has a lot more pace and he is improving. He has changed his action to give himself a bit more control – he is a little bit higher and his jump is different. He was wayward in the past, but he still has that pace and will trouble a lot of batsmen.

Lionel Baker has potential, he is still relatively young and he has the ability to bowl fast. But the most important thing is for him is to be as accurate as possible, and to be able to get some movement. If bowling faster means that he would give up the control, then I would prefer him to focus on being accurate and looking to work batsmen out.

Chris Gayle can get the guys to rally around him. He is very calm, very easy-going, and though he gives the impression that he is sometimes not in control the players have high regard for him. They seem to always go and do it for him and that is important. He is a good captain – he does things his way, his style and if he can continue to get them to work and believe in themselves we will see the West Indies improving.

As far as his late arrival for the tour it would have been ideal if they had arrived together but I don’t see a major problem with him arriving a few days before a series and going straight into the Tests. Fidel has arrived late and is looking impressive, Ravi Bopara has arrived late and scored an excellent century.

I haven’t seen much of Bopara but he looks positive, he’s not afraid to play his shots and he is pretty solid as well. From batting three throughout my career I know that it carries a lot of responsibility, and for him to produce there shows that he’s mature and can score runs in that position. At first-down you have to have a good technique and be very sound – a lot depends on you there. You have to be calm, establish yourself and then take command of the game and set the stage, demoralise the bowlers and set the foundation for a large total.

Richie Richardson is writing weekly for thewisdencricketer.com for the duration of the West Indies tour of England in association with the Antigua Tourist Board