Factors which could decide the outcome of the Windies-England Test series

Considering the decline of West Indies cricket in recent decades, you would expect England to be the favorites going into a Test series against them, even in their own backyard. However, for some reason, West Indies managed to rally themselves in the last two series in which they hosted the Three Lions – in 2009 and 2015 – to win the former and draw the latter.

So, this contest may not be as easy to predict as many would imagine. Apart from their smashing victory over the home side in 2004, West Indies has been one of the most difficult places for England to visit. They used to routinely get beaten during the great era of Windies cricket in the last quarter of the previous century and haven’t been able to register too many victories since their historic triumph under Michael Vaughan.

Having registered a whitewash over Sri Lanka in their own backyard, England are buoyant and looking to turn the tide of history. West Indies, though, suffered a whitewash themselves in their previous series – against Bangladesh in Bangladesh.

So, what is likely to be the course of events in this contest? What are the chances of the two teams heading into the series? And who are going to be the key players? Let’s explore these questions through a quick preview.

Will Spin Dominate Again?

Moeen Ali (R) and Jack Leach had a great outing in Sri Lanka

In spite of the reputation of the West Indies as a country in love with fast bowling, it is spin that has become the most preferred art of bowling in recent years in the region. This is why pitches in the Caribbean have become slow and low and traditionally help slower bowlers.

It would be interesting to see how the pitches in this series behave considering that England seem to have a very potent spin attack that bowled them to victory in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, West Indies have picked just one spinner in their attack – Jomel Warrican. So, the nature of the pitches would be interesting to observe.

Return of Darren Bravo

Darren Bravo's return would give a much-needed boost to Windies batting

The batting troubles of West Indies are well known. However, there would be a big boost to the batting strength of the side with the comeback of Darren Bravo into the team.

Out of the team since the tour of UAE in 2016 following another one of the disputes between players and the WICB, he has finally made a return. He would solidify the middle order with his batting ability and experience.

Bravo has always been the best player of spin in the West Indies team and that would be a big asset in countering the English spinners who are on a high after their great efforts in Sri Lanka.

Hope from Hope

Shai Hope would take inspiration from his performance against England in the 2017 series

Most people would look towards another batsman to make a mark – Shai Hope. It was in the last Test series between the two teams – in England in 2017 – that he grabbed the attention of the world with hundreds in each innings of the Headingley Test to lead his team to victory.

Hope has not lived up to the expectations since that historic performance. However, towards the end of 2018, there came a flurry of brilliant ODI knocks from his bat that has rekindled the hopes of him achieving greatness in future. This series is pivotal for Hope to prove that his exploits at Leeds were not a fluke.

A New Exciting Talent

Shimron Hetmyer is a very exciting player to watch

The one batsman everyone is excited to see is Shimron Hetmyer. The typical West Indian flair that he possesses makes him a delight to watch when in full flow. He played an extraordinary knock in Bangladesh where he incessantly hit the spin bowlers for sixes over midwicket until falling tantalizingly short of a century. Alongside Hope, he is the other great hope of Windies in the batting department.

Other Key Batsmen in Windies Line-up

Roston Chase would be expected to score runs in the Windies middle order

Kraigg Braithwaite, who was also a star in that famous Test win of 2017, had a horrid time on turning tracks of Asia. He too has to redeem his form. Roston Chase scored a great hundred in India last year so he would be expected to contribute some runs as will. Shane Dowrich will also be expected to do the same. He played a leading role with the bat in West Indies’ home season last year.

So, the core of the batting would be Bravo, Hope, and Chase. Braithwaite, Hetmyer, and Dowrich would be expected to contribute substantially alongside them. Jason Holder too may play a key role with the bat. In the 2015 series, it was he who saved the first Test for his team with a brilliant unbeaten hundred.

Home Side’s Bowling Strength

Jason Holder's performance with the ball last year was very impressive

Last year, there were two West Indian bowlers who impressed everyone in the home season with their performances and are now seen as their strike bowlers – Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel.

The West Indian captain had been under pressure for not getting enough wickets as a leading bowler in the team. Last season, he finally rose to the occasion and had a successful outing against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A five-wicket haul later that year on an Indian pitch further proved how far he had come as a bowler.

What made Holder effective was his ability to swing the ball. He bowled a fuller length and got the ball to move in the air. On the other hand, Gabriel used his pace and ability to hit the deck hard to trouble the visiting batsmen in home series. Together, these two could cause some problems to the English batsmen.

Will Bairstow Hold on to the No. 3 Spot?

Jonny Bairstow would be looking to make the no. 3 spot his own

Unlike West Indies, England don’t have a massive batting problem, but they do have issues to settle and that too, serious ones. To begin with, the order in which the batsmen are going to bat is undecided.

The search for a regular no. 3 continues with various batsmen having tried and failed to book the spot for themselves. The experiment with Moeen Ali at that position failed miserably and Jonny Bairstow was given that spot in the final Test in Sri Lanka. The Yorkshireman responded with a brilliant hundred which has made that spot his for the time being. Whether he will remain consistent in that position is the thing to watch out for in this series

The Opening Conundrum

Keaton Jennings and Rory Burns would be the opening combination for England

Meanwhile, the search for a stable opening pair continues. While Keaton Jennings repaid the faith that the selectors kept in him by scoring a hundred in the first Test of Sri Lanka series, his low scores in the following matches have raised concerns about technical flaws in his game again.

Rory Burns showed promise in his debut series and though he didn’t get a big score in the three matches, there was enough grit and tenacity in his batting to give England hope that he would become a consistent performer in the future.

The performance of both these batsmen will be closely watched. If both of them fail, it would be a major setback for England in an Ashes year. Hence, this is the biggest problem that England seek a solution to.

Prognosis

England are the favorites to win the series but it won't be easy

England are clearly the favorites to win the series and they will unless the West Indies batsmen mentioned above play up to their potential in a collective effort, not lone vigils as has been too often the case.

If, however, West Indies do manage to hold England at bay once more, we are certain to see some very heartening progress from the Windies team and encouraging performances from their batsmen.