West Indies continued to feel the chill on their tour of England, when Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara hit hundreds to lead the hosts to 302 for two in their first innings.

"It was a tough day, a very flat wicket, and the England batsmen batted very, very well," Dyson, speaking after the end of the first day, said.

"I think our bowlers stuck to the task reasonably well all day. We bowled, perhaps, just a little wide, and, perhaps, just a little short but we stuck at the job. It's just that the wicket is very flat and the England batsmen batted very well."

West Indies bowled far steadier than they had in the opening Test at Lord's, but they could not deny the two England batsmen - who both play for Essex in the English County Championship - from reaching their milestones.

Cook was undefeated on 126 and Bopara was dismissed for 108 in a second-wicket stand of 213, but Dyson felt the work his side put in over the last few days have paid off.

"There are not that many days off between the games," he said. "We've been in the nets on both days, and extended the time in the nets for the batsmen, so unfortunately a few of the other guys that have been on the tour did not get a bat over the last few days.

sharpen up our game

"We've also spent a little more time with our fielding and changed the drills that we've done just to add some variety and try and sharpen up our game."

Dyson added: "We look at each game as they come up, and what we have been doing before them, and there are set things that we simply should do.

"We try to provide variety, and ensure that we cover the skills that we need to cover for whatever situation we find ourselves."

"We just have to keep going," he said. "We're trying to bowl the right areas and hope one of the few that was played and missed at that they might nick.

"It was a terrific ball that Lionel Baker bowled Ravi with late [on Thursday]. Maybe, if we get one or two of those [early], we can grab a couple of wickets and make things a bit more uncomfortable."

Regarding the comments from Chris Gayle in a British newspaper about a lack of interest in Test cricket, and stepping down from the post of captain, Dyson was not-committal.

"I've not had a chance to talk to Chris about what was reported in the papers," he said. "All we're focussed on in the dressing room is this match."