The first Test between the two sides starts on Wednesday and ahead of the start of the series The Cricketer has put together an XI of the best players either side has to offer...
Brathwaite had something of a mild 2018. He was only able to score 391 runs at an average of 24.43, but he did manage to score two centuries, and it is his ability to score centuries which gets him in this team
In what has been something of a barren period for the West Indies, Brathwaite has emerged as one of the better openers playing Test cricket currently.
He fully cemented that status when he became the first opener in the history of Test cricket to carry his bat in both innings of a Test match, as he guided the Windies to victory over Pakistan in Sharjah, in 2016. It was their first victory away from home in almost a decade.
This was certainly the more difficult of the two positions to fill, and this selection is by no means an endorsement, however, England's tour of Sri Lanka was, without question, a huge success for Jennings.
He finished the tour as England third-highest run-scorer, and scored his first Test century since his debut in 2016. It was also the first time he had got past 50 in two years.
To put his performance during that tour in which he averaged 46.60 into context - he averaged 28.33 during 2018. England will be desperate that this is a turning point for Jennings, but it would be foolish to expect it to be.
The return of Bravo to Test cricket is, without question, a good thing for both the West Indies and cricket more generally. He is probably the best West Indian batsman in terms of ability, and it will be interesting to see how he performs after two years away from the Test arena.
The match against Pakistan when Brathwaite carried his bat in both innings was the last time that Bravo pulled on the whites for the West Indies, and despite the emergence of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, the West Indies have looked weaker without him.
Some would argue that Hope and Hetmyer might be more deserving of a place in this team, but Bravo is helped by the fact that he will be the only player other than Joe Root in the first Test with a Test average above 40 (plus he actually bats at No.3).
Kraigg Brathwaite, Keaton Jennings, Darren Bravo
The England captain is definitely the best batsman in both teams, and his decision to move back from No.4 to No.3 during England's series against India was fully justified by his brilliant hundred in the second innings of their second Test against Sri Lanka.
If Root was to improve in one area, it would be his conversion rate. He has 15 centuries and 41 half-centuries, which is a rate of 26.7 per cent. When compared with Steve Smith's rate of 48.94 per cent, Virat Kohli's 55.6 per cent and Kane Williamson's 39.58 per cent.
England need him to produce more match-winning innings, and if he can start doing that, then he will begin to be considered in the same bracket as the other three batsmen mentioned.
One of the few players in this combined XI who might get in any team in world cricket. There are few other cricketers playing the game that have the ability to turn games on their heads in a moment like Stokes
His 4-40 in the second innings of England's first Test against India at Edgbaston was more proof of that ability. He takes games by the scruff of the neck and has often proved the difference for England when it matters most.
With the Bristol incident now behind him, England fans will be hoping he can continue producing those sorts of performances on a more consistent basis.
England will be more than satisfied if 2019 goes as well for Buttler as 2018 did. He finished the calendar year as England's second-highest run-scorer, and brought up his maiden Test century against India at Nottingham.
In an ideal world, England would like for Buttler to come to the crease with 300 runs on the board so he could take it to the opposition bowlers, but he showed throughout 2018 that he had the ability to turn up for England when it mattered most.
Buttler doesn't need to change much about he's been doing, he just needs the rest of the team to perform so he has the freedom to do what he does best - attack.
Fans of Surrey, and Essex before that, have been banging on about how good Ben Foakes is for a good long while. With a player as good as Jonny Bairstow there were fears that Foakes would never get the chance. Then Bairstow got injured, and Foakes got that chance.
Picked primarily for his ability with the gloves, Foakes had something of a dream debut in the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. Having scored an innings-saving century, he then took a catch off the second ball of his first Test innings behind the stump. He also took a stumping which was good.
He finished the series as the outright leading run-scorer, and if he can continue in that vein, then Bairstow might have a hard time winning the gloves back.
Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Foakes
All three of England's spinner - Ali, Jack Leach and Adil Rashid - performed fantastically during their series against Sri Lanka. While the addition of Leach seemed to make the biggest difference, it is still too early in his career to be picking him ahead of Ali.
The pair both took 18 wickets in the spin-friendly conditions of Sri Lanka, and the control that Leach was able to bring to long spells was refreshing, but Ali is still their best spinner.
Leach is definitely hot on Ali's heels, and there could come a time in the near future when the Somerset bowler takes his place as their lead spinner but that time has yet to come.
Some might say it's controversial to not pick either Sam Curran or Stuart Broad in this side, particularly after the start to life as a Test cricketer that Curran has enjoyed, but Holder had an absolutely ridiculous 2018.
There was much talk about the early twentieth-century figures that Pakistan's Mohammad Abbas managed to get during 2018 as he took 38 wickets at an average of 13.76, but spare a thought for the West Indies captain.
Last year, the 27-year-old took 33 wickets at an average of 12.39. The fact that he is an allrounder means this team still retains that same depth that have made England such tricky opposition.
Over the past two years, Shannon Gabriel has become one of the finest fast bowlers in Test cricket. He is arguably the best bowler to play for the West Indies in quite a long time.
His performances in the Caribbean have been particularly remarkable. Over the past two years, he has taken 48 wickets at an average of 19.79, and has at times looked unplayable.
Stuart Broad is still a player of immense quality, but his performances recently have been below what has been expected of him, while Gabriel has been raising the bar over and over again.
We should be in the twilight of James Anderson's career. The man is 36 years old! Most would have expected him to have retired from Test cricket by this point, but he just seems to be bowling as well as ever.
England's batting line-up simply do not deserve to have a player like Anderson playing with them. The performances that he puts in should be for a side with batsmen of the quality in the early 00s Australia side.
This could well be the last year of Anderson's career, hopefully it isn't, but if it is, we should savour every last moment of it.
James Anderson, Moeen Ali, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel
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