England captain Andrew Strauss has praised Alastair Cook and Ian Bell for the batting contribution that the pair made during his side's five-wicket win over the West Indies earlier today.

Bell joined Cook at the crease with England struggling on 57-4 and chasing a victory target of 191.

However, both made half-centuries to help England claim victory in what was their first Test match of the summer.

"I think we felt the wicket was pretty slow and flat and that we had a very good chance of chasing it down, but you never know with cricket," Strauss told Sky Sports News. "The beauty of the game is that the unexpected can sometimes happen and we put ourselves in a bit of a tricky position by losing a couple last night.

"By the time we got to 40-odd for four it looked a little bit dicey, but I still felt the wicket would only get flatter.

"I thought Alastair Cook and Ian Bell went about it in a civilised and professional manner and thankfully they got us over the line. Civilised stroke play, very sensible batting. It's been a tough Test match. We've had to work very hard for this."

The second Test gets underway at Trent Bridge on Friday morning.