The English side will be eager to continue their dominance in the longest format of the game once they meet the lowly ranked West Indies in the opening encounter at Edgbaston starting Thursday.
This will also be the very first time a day-night Test will be played on the English soil. The Englishmen were ruthless in their approach during the Test series against South Africa and after a stutter at the Trent Bridge, they regrouped brilliantly and won back to back matches to clinch the series by a 2-1 margin.
Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were the star performers for the English side while newly appointed captain Joe Root’s brilliant 190 in the opening Test set the series up perfectly. Alastair Cook’s opening partner is an area of concern for the English camp, as Keaton Jennings failed miserably in the series, as he was unable to cope with the swing and lateral movement which were on offer on the English pitches.
Despite West Indies being a relatively easier opposition, the England side won’t be complacent, as the Windies camp have some promising cricketers. Roston Chase has emerged as a solid all-rounder for them in the longest format while Jermaine Blackwood in the middle order is also emerging as an emerging prospect.
Kraigg Brathwaite has been a reliable opener for the Windies and has the sense of composure which we generally associate with a Test batsman.
Team News
England is yet to find a reliable opener to partner Cook and hence their search for a perfect partner has been on. Following Keaton Jenning’s ouster from the squad after a string of poor performances against South Africa, Mark Stoneman has been called in as Cook’s replacement and is expected to make his debut in the 1st Test.
Stoneman played a terrific brand of cricket during his stint for Surrey in the County Championship, scoring 828 runs at a healthy average of 59.14. If he manages to perform well in his debut series, he might well confirm his ticket to Down Under during the Ashes later in the year. The hosts will definitely hope that Stoneman can solve their problem.
Likely XI (Confirmed)
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Joe Root (c), Tom Westley, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Windies
The visitors haven’t been the strongest Test side but they definitely have some promising players in their ranks who can come in handy in the short series. The 25-year-old Roston Chase is slowly becoming the mainstay in the Windies team. He had a solid start to his career and is already averaging 48 in the Test circuit.
The bowling department will be spearheaded by Shanon Gabriel while youngster Alzarri Joseph is also a prospect to watch out for. There will be a tussle between Kemar Roach and Miguel Cummins for the 3rd seamer spot and the former might just win due to his experience.
Likely XI:
Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jason Holder (c), Kemar Roach, Alzzari Joseph, Shanon Gabriel