England v West Indies: Test Match Cricket

The summer is well and truly upon us, which can mean only one thing.
England Test cricket is back!

This summer, England will be hosting the West Indies and then Sri Lanka, in what many are regarding as a transitional period for the England squad.

With squad stalwarts moving to the side and exciting young prospects making their debut, there’s plenty to look out for this summer in what is set to be an action-packed, swash-buckling summer of fantastic test matches.

England Players to Watch

While the England team certainly aren’t taking their eye off the ball this summer, the squad they have named for the upcoming home series would suggest there is certainly one eye on the future, most notably next winter’s Ashes series in Australia.

James Anderson
Can you really do a list of England players to watch in this series without mentioning the greatest England bowler of all time?

The first Test against the West Indies was confirmed as James Anderson’s last, and with over 700 Test wickets and 189 Test appearances to his name, it’s safe to say that Jimmy Anderson has been the one consistent element in the England Test Team in the past 20 years.

Not only has he been consistent, but he has also been incredibly successful, and will leave the game as one of the most successful Test bowler of all time, currently almost 100 ahead of the next fast bowler on the list.

All eyes will be on Anderson during his final Test. Hopefully, the emotions will not overcome him, and he can give the England fans one final special performance.

Gus Atkinson
One of the players vying to replace Jimmy as leader of the England bowling attack is paceman Gus Atkinson.

Capable of bowling at speeds well over 90mph, Atkinson is an exciting prospect who has already dipped his toe in international cricket with T20 and 50-over matches.

This series will mark his Test debut, and he has certainly come charging out of the blocks – with 7 wickets on Day 1 alone! With selectors keen to see how he performs with a red ball in his hand, can he add that extra pace that’s needed when playing on the bouncier pitches in Australia?Another Surrey debutant,

Jamie Smith
Another Surrey debutant, Jamie Smith, has been chosen to fill the role of keeping in this series after much debate about who will be selected.
Arguments were made for the aggressive batting style of Bairstow, or the incredible keeping of Foakes, but it seems England have decided that Smith is their man, with an incredibly impressive batting average, aggressive style, and handy keeping skills.

Dillon Pennington & Mathew Potts
While neither are playing in the first Test match of the summer, it is widely expected that one of these two men will be asked to fill the rather large shoes that are left when Anderson retires.

Potts has had some previous Test experience with some solid performances, while Pennington has taken to life at Nottinghamshire like a duck to water.

Both bring their own skill sets to the table, so don’t be surprised if you see both players getting a chance to claim the position as their own.

Ben Stokes
At this point, Ben Stokes is essentially a walking highlights reel. Whether it’s his audacious big-hitting or unique captaining style, Stokes is always entertaining to watch.
Now that he is fully fit and available to bowl expect to see him running in hard, swinging the ball both ways and influencing the game even more.

West Indies Players to Watch Out For

Of course, England isn’t the only team with exciting players to watch during this Test match series! Here are some of the more exciting players from the West Indies team to keep an eye on.

Shemar Joseph
It wasn’t that many years ago that Shemar Joseph was helping his father chop down trees in Baracara, a small community in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana.

Now, after a match-winning performance in Australia, he is widely regarded as one of the most exciting fast-bowling prospects in the world.

Capable of swinging the ball at a rapid pace, an on-song Joseph could be a real handful this summer, and he could certainly turn a few more heads with his aggressive bowling and likeable character.

Kraigg Brathwaite
While no one can argue that Brathwaite is the most expansive batsman, he certainly has the right mentality to perform well in UK conditions. With a robust defence and a traditional approach to batting, Brathwaite could cause England a few headaches if he manages to get through the dangerous new ball period.

West Indies will be counting on just that, with an extremely inexperienced middle order, with the players scheduled to bat 2, 3, 4, and 5, having fewer than 10 caps between them.

Jason Holder
Finally, keep an eye out for how Jason Holder performs on this tour of England. Back in the Test arena for the first time in a fair while, the former West Indies captain is a cunning operator, capable of taking plenty of wickets with the swinging ball and scoring some very important middle-order runs.

With a double hundred against England in Test cricket (albeit in different batting conditions), Holder is certainly a big match player, so expect him to have a big say in the result of the series.

There’s still time to secure your place at England v West Indies at Edgbaston Stadium this summer, find out more about our VIP Experiences on offer here.