Eng vs WI: England opts to bat against West Indies

NORTH SOUND: On the first day of the three-match series in Antigua on Tuesday, England captain Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat first against the West Indies.

West Indies headed into the match with left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul playing his first home test in seven years in support of a four-man seam attack lead by Kemar Roach, looking for a good start to preserve their long Test domination over the visitors in the Caribbean.

Kyle Mayers, a batsman, and Anderson Phillip, an uncapped bowler, were left out of the 13-man roster selected a week ago.

England omitted seamer Saqib Mahmood in favour of specialist spinner Jack Leach in their final 11 from the 12-man squad named two days earlier, as expected, especially given the appearance of a dry pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium that is expected to offer increasing assistance for slow bowlers as the match progresses.

With Alex Lees making his Test debut at the top of the batting order alongside Zak Crawley, it’s a lineup that’s changed six times since the final match of their dreadful Ashes series in Australia.

Teams

West Indies

Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), John Campbell, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva (wicketkeeper), Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Veerasammy Permaul.

England

Joe Root (capt), Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Jack Leach.

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