West Indies v England, Test series: Things to watch

England's pace attack, vacant spots and Phil Simmons' future – the talking points ahead of England's three-match Test series in the Caribbean

England's pace attack

Ahead of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, England caused stunned a nation by omitting both James Anderson and Stuart Broad for just the third time in 169 matches. Their squad announcement for the March’s tour of the Caribbean went one better – not an Anderson or Broad in sight.

For West Indies, it is a blessing. Not only do Anderson and Broad have a combined  1,177 Test wickets but they have also maintained their performances despite their advancing years. Since March 2017, Anderson has taken 173 wickets at 21.41 while Broad has collected 169 at 26.2 – only four players sit ahead of the pair during the same period.

The question is, how will England’s pace attack cope in their absence?

The good news is, England’s in-form quick, Mark Wood, is in the squad. The 32-year-old was their best bowler in Australia, collecting 17 wickets at 26.64, and made a triumphant return (illness) with the ball in England’s warm-up match last week, finding pace in an unhelpful pitch. He also picked up a five-for during his only previous Test outing in the Caribbean.

The bad news is, well, everything else. Ollie Robinson has been impressive with the ball since making his debut last June, picking up 39 wickets at 21.28 and causing chaos with both his height and consistent line and length. However, the back issues which restricted his Ashes involvement have resurfaced and after bowling just 9.3 overs in the warm-up game, he is out of the first Test.

Ben Stokes, too, may only have limited involvement with the ball as he returns from injury, depriving England of his services.

^{Chris Woakes has struggled with the ball away from home [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

Meanwhile, it’s no secret that Chris Woakes has a poor record on the road. He’s played 17 away Test matches, picking up 31 wickets at 52.38; in England, he has 94 wickets at 22.63 in 25 matches.

And then there’s Craig Overton, Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Fisher. The former has taken 17 wickets at 33.58 but has only featured sporadically for England since making his debut in 2017; the latter pair are uncapped in red-ball cricket.

Without Broad and Anderson, England’s pace attack looks vulnerable and inexperienced, and if the decision to leave them at home doesn’t pay off, fingers will once again be pointed at the ECB.

However, their absence is also an opportunity for someone to step up. Aged 35 and 39, they won’t be around forever and planning for the future has to begin at some point. Having been included in the 12-man squad for the first Test, Overton and Mahmood will get the first bite at the cherry but will they take their chance?

A sidenote to watch out for with England’s pace bowlers is the pesky front-foot no-ball which caused chaos during the Ashes. Remember Stokes to David Warner at the Gabba? Heart-breaking. It remains to be seen if they’ve rectified the issue.

Auditions for Paul Collingwood, Alex Lees, and Ben Foakes

There are currently three gaping holes in the England set-up – head coach, opening batter and wicketkeeper – and a candidate for each position in the Caribbean.

Speaking prior to the series, Paul Collingwood said he’d "never say never" about becoming England’s full-time head coach at some point during his career. He’s been involved in the England set-up since 2015, led the side on several occasions (most recently against West Indies in January) and what he doesn’t know about international cricket probably isn’t worth knowing.

Of course, a good showing in the Caribbean doesn’t guarantee a permanent contract – not only does he lack the coaching experience of, say, a Justin Langer, but it also isn’t clear whether England will stick with a single head coach or split the job by format – but if he can renew some optimism in Test cricket, get the players on side, and maybe capture a series win, he’ll do his chances of getting the job no harm at all.

^{Alex Lees [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

Alex Lees, meanwhile, is trying to tame the beast that is opening the batting for England. Openers have come and gone since first Andrew Strauss, and then Alastair Cook, retired with Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed the latest to be cast aside after both players struggled during the Ashes.

And now, England have turned to Lees. The Durham man has impressed since moving to the north-east, scoring 2,240 first-class runs at 36.72, including five centuries and 13 fifties, and looked promising in the warm-up game, scoring a half-century in the first innings. Now, he just needs to replicate that against the likes of Kemar Roach and Jason Holder (although to be fair, a series average above 20 will probably be enough to secure an extended run at the top of the order…)

Finally, there’s Ben Foakes, who has possibly his best chance to become England’s first-choice gloveman. Since his impressive debut against Sri Lanka in 2018, Foakes has been restricted to just eight Test appearances after being stuck behind Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and (briefly) Sam Billings in the pecking order.

However, with Buttler injured and performing poorly in red-ball cricket with both bat and gloves, Foakes has finally been given the nod. In the County Championship, he’s proven himself to be both solid behind the stumps and a calm and considered batter, and this is a golden opportunity to become a Test regular. Take heed though, Bairstow is waiting in the wings.

A crucial series for West Indies

As Machel Hewitt wrote in his Caribbean Cricket Column, Phil Simmons is under pressure as West Indies head coach.

Since returning to the job in October 2019, West Indies have won five of their 16 Tests, suffering series defeats against England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and have won only one of six Tests on home soil. They are eighth in the ICC Test rankings while only England sit below them in the World Test Championship standings.

He’s not been aided by player performances or selection decisions. Over the past two-and-a-half years, only Kraigg Brathwaite (925) and Jermaine Blackwood (915) have come close to scoring 1,000 international runs while only three players – Kemar Roach (38), Jason Holder (37) and Rahkeem Cornwall (31), who hasn’t been selected for this series -  have taken more than 30 wickets.

Given Cricket West Indies’ penchant for changing coaches, even a series win might not save Simmons and he will need Brathwaite, Blackwood, Roach and Holder to be at their very best to pull off a result.

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