England v West Indies 3rd Test Preview: The RaiseTheBat series goes to the decider

England will take on West Indies in the final Test of the series in a bid to determine the winner of the first series post the interruption in international cricket due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The series is currently level at 1-1 after some exciting cricket in the UK.

West Indies prevailed in the first Test, courtesy of some great performances from Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, and Jermaine Blackwood. In the second Test, however, Ben Stokes led a superb comeback against the visitors to give England a comfortable 113-run victory. The all-rounder finished the second Test with three wickets and over 250 runs, rightfully being adjudged the man of the match.

So, now, it all comes down the third Test.

The last time West Indies won a Test series in England was in 1988. To understand how far back that was, only two West Indies players from the current squad were alive back then: Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach.

West Indies would be banging their head about how they let a draw slip away from their hands in the rain-affected second Test match. With an entire day being washed out on account of rain, England changed gears to a T20 mode to set up a competitive target of 312 runs for West Indies on the final day to force a result and keep their hopes of winning the series alive.

The hosts sent the visitors' top order packing early on to set the win in motion as the scorecard read 37/4. Shamarh Brooks and Jermaine Blackwood scored half-centuries to put up a fight, but the hosts, inspired by Ben Stokes, stopped them in their tracks to level the series.

Ben Stokes - The man in form

Ben Stokes gave an exquisite all-round performance to take England to victory in the second Test

In the third and final Test, the onus to perform and lead his side to glory will once again fall on the shoulders of Ben Stokes. The English all-rounder seems to be in the form of his life. He has come a long way since failing to defend an imposing target of 19 runs in the final over against West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup final.

The last 15 months have, arguably, been Ben Stokes’ best career spell. He played the leading role in England’s first ever ODI World Cup win and then went on to a crucial role for his side in the Ashes, which England managed to draw against a rejuvenated Australia.

Stokes has picked up where he left off before the COVID-19 crisis halted cricket. He is the single-most difficult mountain to trek in West Indies’ quest to the peak of glory.

However, it is not impossible – after they also have some Sherpas of their own. Jason Holder has been leading his side with great diligence while Shannon Gabriel showed that he is in good form, although he wasn’t able to trouble the Englishmen in the second Test.

Jermaine Blackwood is another gem that finally looks polished. He played the match-winning innings in the first Test and almost did the same in the second Test.

He scored 55 in the second innings of the second Test and could play a huge role in the final Test.

Pitch to Expect

The decider will take place at the Old Trafford. The pitch at the Old Trafford is perhaps the quickest in the country. As a result, this will almost certainly be a match whose outcome will be determined by the performance of the pacers.

In this regard, both England and West Indies are well-balanced as they have some of the best quicks in the longest format of the game right now. England, however, will be boosted by the return of Jofra Archer, who was suspended from the second Test due to breaching biosecure protocols.

James Anderson, too, is likely to return to the fold in this Test after being rested in the second. He would definitely be a menacing figure to face on this pitch.

For the Windies, all eyes will be on Shannon Gabriel. He might have only just returned to full fitness prior to this series, but he managed to take 9 wickets in the opening Test match. Needless to say, he could have a field day on the pitch at the Old Trafford.

It must also be noted that the pitch tends to favour the spinners on the final day of the Test. This is where both sides might want to put a bit of focus as this could end up being the x-factor by the end of the match.

It promises to be an exciting end to a series much-welcomed by cricket fans around the world. All eyes will be at Old Trafford when the final Test begins on 24th July.

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