There has been a number of debates surrounding the highly-anticipated Test series between host England and the West Indies which begins today at Southampton.
Much has been said of West Indies’ impressive seam bowling attack while a number of daunting opinions have been shared of the Caribbean side’s batting line up.
The narrative surrounding England’s emerging and inexperienced batting line up has been similar to that of West Indies’ especially in the absence of regular skipper Joe Root who has been granted a leave of absence for the birth of his second child.
Interestingly, England’s bowling seems to be in good stead heading into today’s match.
The West Indies should be full of confidence having defeated England 2-1 in their most recent test series in the Caribbean. They will also have at the back of their minds their decades-long winless streak in England.
However, today’s encounter is fascinating for a number of reasons. For starters, it marks the return of international cricket which was suspended in March due to the prevailing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the three-match test series will be played in bio secured facilities without the jubilation of fans, the Barmy Army in particular. Another consequence of the pandemic is that players will be barred from using saliva – a traditional method of shining the ball while teams will be allowed to replace players displaying symptoms of COVID-19 during a Test match.
But one shouldn’t be too preoccupied with those interim regulations. Test cricket is back and it promises to be a cracking contest. West Indies will now have to match much of the talk with action. The bowling department from all indications seems up for the task. Their attack will be spearheaded by Kemar Roach who is seven wickets shy of becoming only the ninth West Indian fast bowler to take 200 test wickets. He is likely to have support from Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, skipper Jason Holder, and off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall – depending on the combinations.
The batting on the other hand is a bit suspect and will require a high degree of steely resolve to fare off England’s Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Barbadian born Jofra Archer, and Chris Woakes in seam friendly conditions. Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope are the main cogs in the West Indies’ engine room comprising Holder, Shane Dowrich, and Roston Chase. All will need to elevate their game to counter England’s skill.
Meanwhile, England’s batting also seems undercooked. The imposing figure of Rory Burns who injured his ankle during the December 2019 tour of South Africa, is set to return to England’s top order. He will be joined by a number of young players in Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence, and Ollie Pope while the imposing figures of stand-in skipper Ben Stokes and his deputy Jos Butler can be match-winners on their day.
The match is expected to begin at 6:am this morning and by the time a number of you get around to reading this, the morning session will be well poised to give an early indication of where the match could possibly lead. Broad could be in the middle of one of those magical spells or Windies’ top order may very well be in a defiant mood.
Possible playing XI.
West Indies: John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jason Holder (Capt), Shane Dowrich (wkt), Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, and Shannon Gabriel
