England and West Indies are gearing for the first Test match of the series which begins from 10th of July. The match will be played at Lords.
Team preview:
Both of the nations will be playing a three-match Test series and it’s part of the ongoing ICC Test Championship. And to qualify for the finals both of the sides will have to win all the games to have some hope.
But the Lord Test will be special. It will be the last Test match of the veteran pacer, James Anderson. The right-arm pacer made his debut in 2002 and since then he has featured for England in 187 Test matches, picking up 700 wickets.
If the pacer manages to pick nine more in his final game, Anderson would break the record of legendary Shane Warne and become the second-leading wicket-taker in Test cricket history.
England have announced their lineup for the match and it marks the comeback of Chris Woakes as he lastly played in last year’s Ashes.
It will be the debut for Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith while Shoaib Bashir will play his first game on the home soil.
Jamie Smith is currently Surrey’s top-scorer with 677 Championship runs at 56.41 with a strike rate of 76.67. While Bashir impressed everyone with his performance against India.
The batting of England looks solid. The rise of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett has been nothing short of amazing. And all the eyes will be on Smith as he looks promising and is making headlines in the County Championship as well.
Talking about West Indies, the team is new, young, and inexperienced but they will take confidence from the Gabba Test victory earlier this year when they defied all odds and vanquished the mighty Australians.
Led by Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies side will look forward to making history as when the sides met the last time, West Indies stood victorious.
From the batting department, all the eyes will be on the skipper, Alick Athanaze and Joshua De Silva. And the hopes will be on the newcomers, Kavem Hodge and Mikyle Louis. In bowling department, the team will be relying on Gabba’s hero, Shamar Joseph. And as Kemar Roach will miss the first Test due to injury, Shamar and Alazari Joseph will have to step-up.
Pitch and weather report:
The Lord favours the bowlers as overcast and humid conditions favours the pacers with early swing. There has to be a mention of the slope which assists the bowlers in lateral movement. As the match progresses spinners may become effective in the later part of the innings.
Head-to-head:
Both of the sides have faced each other in 163 games. England won 51 while West Indies stood victorious in 59 games.
Predictions:
West Indies are a strong opponent but given the team is new and young, England are favourites to win the Lord’s Test. And it will be a befitting farewell to the elite servant of the game, James Anderson.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: SonyLiv
US: Willow TV
Windies: Sports Max/Flow Sports
Uk:Sky sports
Australia: Foxtel
Ireland: BT sport
Others: Crichd.tv (Live Streaming)
