A battle of two seam atttacks and the heroes of Headingley... The key battles as England face West Indies

NICK FRIEND looks ahead to some of the key battles that could impact and decide the Test series between England and West Indies

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The heroes of Headingley…

It has been three years now since Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite made history at Headingley. Hope became the first man in a first-class fixture to record hundreds in both innings at the venue. Brathwaite came within five runs of matching him; either way, a successful chase of 322 sent nostalgic minds into overdrive – were these two about to revive West Indian Test fortunes?

Well, the answer has been resounding. Hope is one of 86 men to have achieved that single-match feat, but one of few never to have recorded a century elsewhere.

In the last two years, the duo’s Test returns have faltered; Hope’s runs coming at an average of just 20.08 and Brathwaite’s at 21.3. In 2019 alone, Hope made 158 runs in nine innings, Brathwaite 185 in 12.

And with neither Shimron Hetmyer nor Darren Bravo available – both have made the perfectly reasonable decision not to travel, the emphasis is on the Headingley heroes to regain some of that form. For a competitive series, the visitors will need more from the pair, as well as from John Campbell, the enterprising, hugely talented Jamaican left-hander.

There is little doubt that West Indies would be a stronger unit for the collective presence of those left behind. Bravo, for one, is a proven occupier of the crease with a Test average of 37.69. He reaffirmed his skillful resilience when these sides last met a year ago, making exactly 50 off 216 deliveries on a spicy surface in Antigua. He was the last man out, having batted for almost 80 overs, allowing others to make their runs around him and clinching a series triumph in the process.

Jason Holder is the world’s top-ranked allrounder and has a Test double-hundred against England to show for it, but he has been short of time at the crease since entering the bio-secure bubble at Emirates Old Trafford. He could find himself batting as low as No.8, depending on the make-up of his side, and his runs will be invaluable.

For Brathwaite and Hope, though, there may be no time like the present to recapture those former glories.

A pair of fully charged batteries…

James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Chemar Holder, Raymon Reifer, Alzarri Joseph.

Pick an attack out of that bunch – an armada of seamers: a range of speeds, sizes, styles, records. It is hard to stare down that list and convince yourself that this series is likely to be dominated by bat over ball.

Two top orders, each finding their way at the top level, will face a harsh challenge. For England, it will come in barrage form from Gabriel, fit again and seemingly on a mission; he took eight wickets across two intra-squad games.

In Roach and Jason Holder, it will come in guile as much as anything else. If the former came onto the scene initially as a rasping tearaway, he has mellowed with age and misfortune. Injuries and a nasty 2014 car accident could have derailed a promising career, but instead he has developed into a terrific operator. It is a surprise in a sense that his average in England is as high 31.68.

Noticeably, however, his overall figure is on a downward trajectory: since 2017, he has averaged 25.48, 22.31 and 18.07. With 193 Test wickets, he is ninth on West Indies’ all-time list, creeping up on a pantheon of hall of famers. It is entirely conceivable that he will pass Andy Roberts’ 202 at some stage in the next month. It would represent deserved reward for a skilful reinvention.

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Kemar Roach has developed into a fine bowler

The hosts have a dilemma on their hands. So many options, so few spaces. Rotation appears to be the order of the day but in what order, no one is yet certain.

Anderson is closing in on the extraordinary landmark of 600 Test scalps, Broad has not missed a home Test since the summer of 2012 and he too is nearing his own phenomenal milestone – 15 away from 500.

Archer as well, Zak Crawley confirmed last week having faced him in practice, is in equally good nick. He located some steep bounce in the warmup game at the Ageas Bowl.

Wood is bowling as quickly as ever, by all accounts. It leaves England in a quandary of sorts; his record abroad far outweighs his numbers on home soil. With away series coming up in the not-too-distant future in the subcontinent and, further down the line, the golden jackpot of an Ashes series, there is equal temptation to go easy on the Durham slingshot’s previously fragile body. But at the same time, his performances in South Africa were massively eye-catching, while he tore through West Indies in St Lucia a year ago with one of the most fearsome spells in recent memory from any England seamer. With a new lengthened run-up to boot, he insists he is ready and raring to go.

It was Woakes, however, who seemed to find the greatest sideways movement in that match. These next five days will see the sport’s first saliva-free Test, the effects of which nobody can truly be certain. Yet another unknown as the game enters a unique month.

Silence of the fans

And onto another. James Bracey, who made 85 in the first innings of the warmup match, admitted that some of the players had found the atmosphere eerily hushed.

“Some of the lads have been trying to think of a couple of ideas that might liven it up a little bit,” he said.

“It was very, very quiet obviously and strange for all of us. There were a couple of suggestions: getting crowd noise in like the football, maybe getting music in between overs.

“That might be more associated with one-day cricket but at this time it might be useful for those of us who are in the ground. Hopefully the ECB and Cricket West Indies at some point can come up with something that might help the cause.”

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Dominic Bess has been selected as England's spinner for the first Test

It seems as though they will have to do without. The Cricketer understands that a PA announcer will be in operation, while music will be played in the build-up to the start. However, none is planned for between overs, as had been mooted.

The county cricket jokes and comparisons have long since begun, but this is different. The silence will be more conspicuous than ever, without the subtle hum that comes even with a slight crowd.

Stuart Broad confessed that he has sought advice on how best to pump himself up. Who deals best with it may well find themselves in the driving seat come mid-July.

Dominic’s coming

England can’t have entered many summers with a raft of spin options, all with legitimate arguments behind their possible selection. Ultimately, they have plumped for Dom Bess, the Somerset off-spinner whose batting prowess gives Chris Silverwood greater freedom in the choosing of his seamers. He will fill the role often recently held by Sam Curran or Chris Woakes, allowing – say – England to go all out with Broad, Anderson and Archer.

That, however, is to trivialise Bess’ skillset. A much-improved operator from the youngster that first arrived on the scene against Pakistan two years ago, he is the man in possession to an extent, having picked up five wickets in an innings at Port Elizabeth in January and impressing over the winter.

He outbowled Somerset teammate Jack Leach last week at the Ageas Bowl, even if the attraction of Leach turning the ball away from West Indies’ queue of right-handers must have weighed heavily on the mind of Ed Smith. In short, Bess – from that perspective, at least – is a positive selection, picked for the right reasons.

Moeen Ali’s credentials need no introduction, but he was generally unthreatening last week and finds himself with work to do to retain his place after his self-imposed absence from Test cricket. Meanwhile, fellow finger-spinner Amar Virdi was left out of the warmup match but remains highly thought of. Matt Parkinson, a great mate of Bess, bowled nicely for large parts of the intra-squad exercise and held his nerve to have Ben Stokes stumped. His main use this summer, you sense, will come in the white-ball series.

For Bess, then, this represents a real opportunity to establish himself, especially with a trip to India coming over the horizon.

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