It was here at Edgbaston, in 1984, that England were exposed to West Indies at their best.
Here where Andy Lloyd, a local favourite and England's top-scorer in two of the three ODIs that preceded the series, saw his Test career ended less than an hour after it started as he was struck a horrible blow just above the right eye by a Malcolm Marshall delivery.
Here where England, stunned by the ferocity of an attack that also included Michael Holding and Joel Garner, succumbed to defeat by an innings and 180 runs. The decisive first blow in the "blackwash" series that ended 5-0.
Maybe Test cricket has featured better sides, more fearsome bowlers and a stronger top order - Gordon Greenidge, Des Haynes and Viv Richards in the top four pretty much amounted to bullying - but it is not immediately obvious when. The word "awesome" is overused, but it seems apt to describe that West Indies. England felt their full force that summer.
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