England put faith in Chris Woakes and Craig Overton as Ollie Robinson misses first West Indies Test

GEORGE DOBELL IN ANTIGUA: Alex Lees is poised to make his debut, Dan Lawrence has seen off competition from Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes takes the gloves ahead of Jonny Bairstow

A few weeks ago, as England’s Ashes campaign stuttered to a halt in Hobart, you would have been given long odds on the chances of Chris Woakes and Craig Overton sharing the new ball in the first Test of this series in the Caribbean.

Woakes had endured a grim series, after all. His six wickets came at an average cost of 55.33 and saw him unable to correct that long-standing issue he has had taking wickets away from home; an away average of 52.38 contrasts sharply with a home one of 22.63. Overton had failed to gain selection for any of the Tests.

But here we are. With James Anderson and Stuart Broad sidelined, at least for now, and Ollie Robinson seemingly out of contention with a sore back. Robinson, having left the pitch during the warm-up game, did not bowl at training on Sunday (March 6).

As a result, it seems probable England will field a four-man attack including Woakes, Overton and Mark Wood with Jack Leach likely to gain the final spot ahead of Saqib Mahmood.

Ben Stokes, who bowled with decent pace in training, is expected to be given only light duties with the ball during the match as he builds up his fitness after sustaining a side injury during the Ashes.

With Wood operating best in short spells, the other three main bowlers are going to have to do much of the heavy lifting.

^{Robinson limped out of the practice game with a back issue (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

With the pitch looking drier than was anticipated – it is understood CWI requested lively tracks with plenty of live grass; the curator here appears not to have received the memo – Leach’s role as a holding bowler might be crucial.

It also means a huge amount of faith has been placed in Woakes. Which, given his away record, is perhaps a little surprising. He’s 33 now, after all. And has played 17 overseas Tests. It’s not a small sample size.

But there really are reasons why things could be different this time. For a start, Woakes has never previously played a Test in the Caribbean. And in the Caribbean, at present anyway, they use a Dukes ball in Test cricket. So Woakes will, for the first time in his career, have things his own way.

It's probably worth clarifying that it’s not quite the same Dukes ball that is used in England. It is made to a slightly different specification and is generally thought not to offer bowlers quite as much assistance.

"I’m excited for the challenge ahead and doing everything I can to put in some strong performances.”

But it still offers more than a kookaburra or the SG ball and it is still more to the liking of bowlers of Woakes’ style.

Woakes will also be taking the ball when it is new. For years he has operated in the shadow of Anderson and Broad and, as a consequence, has gone into an overseas Test as a new ball bowler only six times. As a result, there are some reasonable grounds for optimism for Woakes.

Still, he admits he feared for his place after the Ashes and accepts this is a huge – and perhaps final – opportunity.

“Yes, I definitely feared for my place,” Woakes said as England completed training in Antigua on Sunday.

“Pretty much everyone would have been [equally worried] bar maybe a few. It would have been silly not to be. So, I’m delighted to be here, to be backed and have another opportunity to have a crack at it.

“It's clear my away record isn't as good as my home record. I'd have liked Australia to go better but obviously, it didn't. But I've never played a Test in the Caribbean so I'm excited about the challenge of that. It is a Dukes ball here, too, so I'm hoping it might suit me a little better. 

Alex Lees is set to open the batting (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“It is a Dukes ball but it feels like a second grade Dukes, maybe a level down from the one we use in England. I don’t know if that is a manufacturing thing or done on purpose.

"Generally, they don’t buff as much as they do in England. Some have bigger seams than others and some have flat seams so you need to make sure you pick a good one.

“But I've always strived to get better in my career be it home or away and I'm continuing to try and do that. This certainly gives me a great opportunity. I’m looking at it that way. I’m excited for the challenge ahead and doing everything I can to put in some strong performances.”

With Stokes unable, in this game at least, unable to balance the side with his bowling, there might have been a temptation to hand the gloves back to Jonny Bairstow.

That would have allowed England to play a fifth bowler. But there is no sign of that at this stage. Indeed, Bairstow didn’t practice his keeping on Sunday.

As a consequence, Ben Foakes’ return looks secure. But you can see how he could be squeezed as the tour goes on. England really do rely on Stokes in many ways.

Now they’re relying on Woakes, too. And if he can harness the Dukes ball as he does at home, it will go some way towards filling the chasm left by the absence of Anderson, Broad and Robinson. 

England squad: Root*, Bairstow, Crawley, Foakes +, Lawrence Leach, Lees, Mahmood, Overton, Stokes, Woakes, Wood