England v West Indies: Series and first Test preview, analysis, free tips

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for the England v West Indies Test series, starting on Wednesday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Cricket, 11am Wednesday

Best bets

Ollie Pope top England series runscorer
2pts 4-1 general
Ollie Pope top England first-innings runscorer in first Test
2pts 9-2 Betfred
Shai Hope to score a first-innings fifty in first Test
1pt 2-1 Betfred

Team news

England
Ben Stokes will captain the team in place of Joe Root, who is awaiting the birth of his second child. Spinner Dom Bess has been chosen ahead of Jack Leach and Moeen Ali.

West Indies
Windies skipper Jason Holder is expected to shake off an ankle injury. Paceman Shannon Gabriel has been added to the Test squad after taking eight wickets in the tourists' intra-squad friendly.

Preview

Elite-level cricket returns for the first time since March in Southampton on Wednesday as England and the West Indies face off in the first of three Tests but, as with many sports across the globe, there will be a different feel to the cricketing summer for now.

Cricketing terminology can be confusing at the best of times but over the next few weeks phrases such as bio-bubble will be mentioned in the same breath as silly mid-on and backward square leg.

No fans will be in attendance at the Rose Bowl and each set of players have taken over separate floors of the on-site hotel in accordance with the bio-security measures in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the domestic season delayed until August, the Test sides have been forced to rely on intra-squad matches to dust off the cobwebs after such a long hiatus from competitive cricket.

It could take time for many of the batsmen, in particular, to get back into the groove but in Surrey youngster Ollie Pope, England have a player who appears to take most challenges in his stride.

Pope was thrust into England's Test side as a 20-year-old two years ago against India but had to wait another 15 months before pulling on his England sweater again on last winter's tours of New Zealand and South Africa.

Long touted as a future England star, Pope demonstrated on those tours the poise and technique that has seen him average over 60 in first-class cricket, compiling his first Test century in the third Test against South Africa and a further three fifties in five appearances.

Pope looks sure to be a fixture in England's middle-order for the foreseeable future and with captain Joe Root missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child and questions hanging over the hosts' top three, he could play a starring role against the Windies.

The 22-year-old made a half-century in England's warm-up fixture and he looks a nice price to underpin the hosts' first innings in Hampshire and top the hosts' series runscoring charts.

If punters are placing their faith in Pope, then they should also hope that a stylish West Indian performs to his peak on these shores once again.

Both of Shai Hope's Test match centuries came in the Windies' sensational second Test victory at Headingley on their last tour of England three years ago and the Bajan appears to relish playing against the Three Lions.

Hope averages 42.33 against England compared with 27.23 overall and enjoyed his return to English conditions last week as he hit a fluent 83 in the tourists' intra-squad warm-up at Old Trafford, which will host the second and third Tests.

At 2-1 he looks a value wager to notch a third Test match fifty in Southampton.

And according to bookmakers Hope will need to be on song if the West Indies are to end 20 years of toil on English soil.

The Windies' win at Headingley three years ago is their sole success in 20 Tests in England in a barren run which has included 16 defeats and they are 9-1 to win the series and retain the Wisden Trophy they won in the Caribbean last year.

England's record wicket-taker James Anderson has predictably been the Windies' tormentor-in-chief in that time, claiming 46 wickets in ten home Tests.

The veteran paceman is 11-4 joint-favourite alongside Jofra Archer to take the most West Indies wickets in the opener, although any punters expecting another Anderson masterclass must remember that he has played only three times and bowled just 74 overs in Tests over the last 12 months.

Key stat

England have won 16 of their last 20 home Tests against the West Indies.

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