England and West Indies are scheduled to play the 1st test match of the 3-match series at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, England. This is the first international cricket match since mid-march because the COVID-19 had brought a screeching halt to the cricket proceedings all over the world during that period.
The anticipation of this test match is quite similar to the ICC Cricket World Cup Final levels because no international cricket is being played in months. The focus of both the teams is to get to the park and be amongst the action after such a long layoff. Expect the players to ease into action early on in the test match and slowly but surely the intensity will pick up.
Talking about the venue known as The Rose Bowl, it assists the fast bowlers early on in the test match. As the summer has been quite hot this year on the south coast, the pitch is going to assist the spin as the match goes on so the captains will most likely decide to bat first. You can avail the cricket betting tips free from Bhaiji to get the requisite information to bet on this test match.
England
England has won the last test series that they played in South Africa comprehensively by a 3-1(4) margin. They are placed at no. 4 in the ICC Test Rankings with 105 rating points.
Ben Stokes is all set to captain the English Cricket Team for the first time in his career with the permanent captain Joe Root gone for paternity leave. In this last few series, the top order of England batting has improved immensely with Rory Burns and Dom Sibley’s partnership. Bowling has been the strength of England, and they will rely on the experience of the veteran James Anderson and the enforcer Jofra Archer.
Players to watch out for England are Ben Stokes, Dom Sibley, Jofra Archer, and James Anderson.
England Squad: Ben Stokes ©, Jos Buttler (wk), Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zack Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Bess, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
West Indies
West Indies last played a test match against Afghanistan and defeated them comprehensively at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, India. They have 79 rating points in the ICC Test Rankings putting them at no. 8 in the list.
Captain Jason Holder is the most important player for the team not just for his playing skills but his leadership role. Alongside him, Kraigg Braithwaite and Roston Chase have been the top batsman for the West Indies. In terms of bowling, the leader of the pack has been Shannon Gabriel, and the introduction to test matches for the spinner Rahkeem Cornwall has strengthened the team further.
Players to watch out for West Indies are Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, and Rahkeem Cornwall.
West Indies Squad: Jason Holder ©, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Shai Hope, Alzaari Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach.
This test match is going to be a close competition amongst the top test team of England and the ever-improving test team of West Indies. You can get the latest information about the England vs West Indies Test Series with Bhaiji. Use the cricket betting tips from here to place the appropriate wager on the test match to have the best chance of earning a lot of cash from betting.