England vs West Indies, 1st Test
England and West Indies kick off their three-test series with a match at the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire, which takes place from July 8 to July 12. The live action is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 local time each day as test cricket makes it belated return, albeit without spectators.
England are without captain Joe Root, who had to withdraw from the bio-secure environment in order to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Ben Stokes will lead the team, with England looking to build on a return to form in the five-day format after they beat South Africa 3-1 in the winter.
West Indies, meanwhile, have not played test cricket since a one-off win against Afghanistan. They are big underdogs for this match but Jason Holder and Roston Chase will remember fondly the fact they have upset the odds against England before.
ENG vs WI, 1st Test Live streaming
TV channels: Sky Sports Cricket, Sports Max, Flow Sports, ESPN, Sony ESPN, Sony TEN 1, PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Fox Sports, SuperSport, Willow TV, ATN Cricket Plus, Astro Cricket HD, OSN Sports Cricket Gazi TV, Star Cricket
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Toss Prediction
Overcast conditions on the first two days could tempt England to bowl first. Ben Stokes will be looking to win the toss in his first game as captain.
Weather Report
The first two days are set to be overcast, with a small chance of showers – though nothing sustained – before clearer conditions later in the week.
Pitch Condition
The Ageas Bowl is normally a good batting wicket and the test summer could start with a few runs.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for England vs West Indies, 1st Test.
England Team News & Playing 11
ENG Team News
With Joe Root absent, Ben Stokes will lead the team. Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have already been confirmed as missing out – Dom Bess will play ahead of Ali and Jack Leach as the frontline spinner. The key selection decision will be which three of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes will join Ben Stokes in the bowling attack. Anderson and Archer bowled well in the warm-up game and offer variation from each other.
ENG Key Players
- Ben Stokes: After an incredible 2019, including heroics in the Ashes and the World Cup, the all-rounder captains the test team for the first time. In England’s last series, against South Africa, he put in some big performances with the bat.
- James Anderson: A frustrating, injury-hit 2019 is behind him now, and England’s return to action gives the iconic swing bowler the chance to close in on 600 test wickets.
- Ollie Pope: Caught the eye with the bat in South Africa, with comparisons to Ian Bell extending beyond just looks and into his stroke play too.
ENG Team Form
England return to action having got back to winning ways in test cricket at the turn of the year. They came from behind to beat South Africa 3-1, with Ben Stokes in excellent batting form and some key performances from the likes of Dom Sibley, Mark Wood and Ollie Pope along the way too.
England Predicted Playing 11
Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Dom Bess, Jofra Archer, James Anderson
West Indies Team News & Playing 11
WI Team News
Shannon Gabriel has been added to the West Indian test squad after his performances in the warm-up matches and the tourists could therefore opt for the same pace attack that beat England in the West Indies in 2019. The squad includes potential debutants Nkrumah Bonner and Chemar Holder. The latter was in good domestic form with Barbados.
WI Key Players
- Jason Holder: The captain helped West Indies to the Wisden Trophy last time these two teams met in test cricket, with his all-round contributions including a double-century with the bat.
- Kemar Roach: Claimed 18 wickets when these teams last met and is now seven away from 200 in test cricket for the West Indies.
- Roston Chase: A key all-rounder, and while he is better known for his batting – and five test centuries – England will not have forgotten his eight-wicket haul last year.
WI Team Form
West Indies lost to India in their most recent matches in the ICC World Test Championship, suffering two heavy defeats after being bowled out for 222, 100, 117 and 210 in their four innings. They did beat Afghanistan in a one-off test most recently, however – Rahkeem Cornwall’s seven-wicket haul in the first innings was central to their success, while Shamarh Brooks hit a century. West Indies eventually won by nine wickets.
West Indies Predicted Playing 11
Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Jermaine Blackwood, Shai Hope, Sharmarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
England vs West Indies Head to Head
West Indies currently hold the Wisden Trophy after beating England 2-1 at home in January 2019. England won the most recent test between them, but not before Kemar Roach’s 5-17 had bowled England out for 77 in their first innings of the series before Jason Holder’s 202* and Roston Chase’s 8-60 sealed a big win for the hosts. England were not much better next up, folding for 187 and 132 on their way to a ten-wicket loss, but Joe Root’s century and Mark Wood’s five-wicket haul saw them hit back most recently.
END vs WI Head to Head Stats
| Matches Played |
ENG Won |
WI Won |
Tie |
No Result |
| 157 |
49 |
57 |
0 |
51 |
England vs West Indies Betting Odds
England are favourites to win their first test of the summer.
ENG Bet365 Odds
- ENG to win the match: England are 1.30 favourites with Bet365 to beat West Indies, who are even offering as much as 6.50 for the draw.
- ENG Top batsman: Openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley can be backed at 4.50 and 5.00 respectively with Bet365 to start the series by being England’s top first innings batsman. Zak Crawley is also 5.00 and Joe Denly is a generous 6.50 despite being expected to complete the top four. After good form in South Africa and in the warm-up game, Ollie Pope could be worth backing at 6.00 with Bet365, while captain Ben Stokes is 5.50 and also in fine form in South Africa.
- END Top Bowler: The full make-up of England’s bowling attack has not yet been finalised but Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Jofra Archer are all listed at 3.75 with Bet365 to be England’s top first innings bowler. Dom Bess is 6.50 but he did claim a five-wicket haul in South Africa. If he plays, Mark Wood has previous in this fixture and bowled well in South Africa too – he is 4.33 with Bet365.
WI Bet365 Odds
- WI to win the match: West Indies are 7.50 outsiders to win with Bet365, showing the magnitude of the task before them on English soil.
- WI Top batsman: Despite not showing his test form since his pair of hundreds against England, Shai Hope is 4.33 to be the tourists’ top team batsman with Bet365. Kraigg Brathwaite is 4.50 at the top of the order and opening partner John Campbell is 5.50. Shamarh Brooks hit a century against Afghanistan and he is 6.50 with Bet365.
- WI Top Bowler: Kemar Roach is 3.25 favourite with Bet365 to be West Indies’ top team bowler. Jason Holder is 4.00, while Shannon Gabriel – in good form in the warm-up match – is 4.33 with Bet365. Alzarri Joseph is 5.00 with Bet365, while spinner Roston Chase is 7.00.
ENG Betway Odds
- ENG to win the match: England are 1.30 favourites with Betway to win the first test too.
- ENG top batsman: Dom Sibley and Rory Burns with Betway to be England’s top first innings batsman. Both of the opening batsmen can be backed at 4.75 with Betway, whereas Ben Stokes, Joe Denly and Ollie Pope are all 5.00. Zak Crawley is 5.50.
- ENG top bowler: James Anderson is 3.25 favourite to be England’s top team bowler in the first innings, while Jofra Archer is 3.60. Stuart Broad is 3.75 with Betway, while you can back Chris Woakes and Mark Wood at 4.00 apiece.
WI Betway Odds
- WI to win the match: Betway are offering 7.00 on West Indies winning the first test, and as much as 6.00 on the draw.
- WI top batsman: Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope are both 4.50 favourites with Betway to be West Indies’ top first innings batsman, while John Campbell, Roston Chase and Shamarh Brooks can all be backed at 5.00. Jermaine Blackwood and Jason Holder are both interesting at 7.50 with Betway.
- WI top bowler: Kemar Roach is 3.60 favourite to be West Indies’ top first innings bowler with Betway, while Jason Holder can be backed at 4.00. Shannon Gabriel is 4.33 and Alzarri Joesph is 4.50. Beyond the pace quartet, Roston Chase is as high as 10.00 to be their top first innings bowler. That could bite Betway if he rips through the England batting again.
🏆 England vs West Indies Prediction
England are out for revenge after their Test defeat to West Indies last year, and they can get this series off to a winning start on home soil.
Jul 08 - Jul 12, 2020
15:30 IST / 10:00 GMT
The Rose Bowl - Southampton, England
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