West Indies vs England 1st Test Preview – Experts’ Predictions and Analysis
Our writers have a go at calling the series...
On the verge of the most anticipated series of cricket between the West Indies and England which is set to bowl off tomorrow, our Caribbean Cricket analysts have put in their major predictions ahead of the first test, with a West Indian spin on things.
Our analysts, Machel St. Patrick Hewitt, Santokie Nagulendran and Nikhil Uttamchandani predicted some of the Windies’ major talking points in this series.
Predicted Starting XI for 1st Test
There has been tons of controversy leading up to the first test on whether the men in maroon will go with the historic 4-prong pace attack or if resident off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, fresh off of a 10-121 will get the nod.
All 3 guys selected the same XI…
Machel:
Braithwaite
Campbell
Brooks
Hope
Blackwood
Chase
Dowrich
Holder
Joseph
Roach
Gabriel
Nikhil:
Braithwaite
Campbell
Brooks
Hope
Blackwood
Chase
Dowrich
Holder
Joseph
Roach
Gabriel
Santokie
Braithwaite
Campbell
Brooks
Hope
Blackwood
Chase
Dowrich
Holder
Joseph
Roach
Gabriel
Player to Watch
With several new faces coming into the squad as well as players with a point to prove, there will be several players to watch.
Here is who the analysts selected…
Machel: Jermaine Blackwood
Coming off the back of a fantastic domestic season. Blackwood has a point to prove. Arguably he should never have been dropped from the West Indies when he was, especially as others who have replaced him have failed for longer than he ever did. He's back now and eager to make up for lost time.
Santokie: Jason Holder
Currently the number 1 ranked all-rounder in the world, since 2018 Holder currently has 53 wickets at 14.22 and averages a remarkable 42.50 with the bat. Providing control to a pacy West Indies bowling attack, he will also be relied on to score runs lower down the order and galvanise the side. A big task ahead; but he has proven time and time again he can stand up on the big occasion.
Nikhil: Kraigg Brathwaite
It is no secret that the veteran West Indies opener has had a torrid couple of years on the red-ball circuit but I am expecting him to come up trumps for the Windies. Playing in England where he has scored 283 runs in 3 tests at an average of 47.17, I fully expect Kraigg to dominate the England seamers while doing his crucial job of seeing off the new ball and batting through the innings.
Breakthrough Star
Machel: Rahkeem Cornwall
Lots of people will pretend like they've been following his career properly for the last 5 years but that's a lie.
Rahkeem has been tearing it up at home for ages and finally got his debut in 2019. When he plays, he takes wickets and lots of them.
Santokie: Alzarri Joseph
Injuries have hampered him so far in his career, but Joseph, if he can stay fit for the whole series, will cause serious damage to the England batting line-up with his pace. We’ve already seen what he can do in England with the white ball, so I am expecting big things from him in these Tests.
Nikhil: Joshua Da Silva
The West Indies’ new golden boy has definitely showed prowess and potential so far on the tour amassing a total of 203 runs in the 2 matches.
He has had a strong first-class season where he registered 507 runs in 8 matches at an average of 50.70.
Josh adds a completely new dimension to the squad as I believe he is extremely versatile at the top of the order. If the top order woes for the West Indies continue, he is able to slot in at the number 4 position or at the top of the order where he scored the majority of his runs.
Leading Wicket Taker
Machel: Kemar Roach
If he stays fit, he is the West Indies most skillful bowler. He works a batsman out and his body of work over his career has been very underrated.
Santokie: Alzarri Joseph
Building on what i said earlier: I believe this will be a defining tour for Joseph
Nikhil: Kemar Roach
I agree with Machel. Roach with his added experience will be a huge asset to that West Indian attack and with his ability to swing the ball, he will get several wickets in favourable English conditions. Let’s not forget the havoc he caused when England last came to the West Indies. CC: Moen Alli
Leading Run Scorer
Machel: Shai Hope/Kraigg Brathwaite
It better be Shai Hope or Kraigg Braithwaite as both should be dropped if they don't have a good series.
No matter how good anyone is on paper if they aren't contributing they must be dropped.
Santokie: Shamarh Brooks
A composed batsman with vast domestic experience. Having scored 111 in the last Test West Indies played (vs Afghanistan in November), he will be confident in himself to put runs up on his first tour to England.
Nikhil: Shai Hope
Shai Hope has also struggled of past in the red ball format. However, we know the immense ability he has and let us not forget Headingley 2017. I think the fact that he has attended St. Bede’s as well as played cricket for Northamptonshire allows him to acclimatize to English conditions well. He is the key man in the lineup and the batting lineup will bat around Shai once he does well.
Here comes the runs fest!!
Series Score
Machel: 2-1 Defeat
Santokie: 2-1 Defeat
Nikhil: 1-1 Draw
There you have heard it from our experts, it is time to see how spot on they really are when the first ball bowls off at the Rose Bowl. This promises to be a historic series.