England [Images] exposed the West Indies' [Images] bowlers lack of match practice on Thursday by coasting to 85 without loss at lunch after being asked to bat on the first day of the first test at Lord's.

Andrew Strauss [Images], captaining England in the absence of the perennially injured Michael Vaughan [Images], was on 31 while Alastair Cook had scored 47.

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff [Images], who was suffering from pain in the left ankle which has already required two operations, was omitted from the England XI giving Middlesex batsman Owais Shah his second cap and his first test in England.

West Indies have not played a test match this year and only their top-order batsmen were given any time in the middle when rain washed out most of their sole practice game.

Their pace bowlers also had to contend with the vagaries of the slope on the Lord's pitch after captain Ramnaresh Sarwan had won the toss and elected to field once play started 30 minutes late because of rain.

Sarwan's decision to ask England to bat was influenced by the rain which has fallen on the Lord's pitch for the past week but his bowlers were understandably unable to find a consistent line.

Daren Powell passed the bat three times in his opening over from the Pavilion End and the batsmen were content to nudge singles until Jerome Taylor's third over when Strauss took consecutive fours through mid-wicket.

Corey Collymore, West Indies' most reliable bowler, took over from Taylor but he too had trouble with his direction and Cook struck boundaries through point and mid-off.

The 50 partnership came up from 74 balls and the pair batted serenely through the remainder of the morning session with the exception of a false stroke by Strauss which sped past second slip to the boundary and another which dropped just short of the slips.