ENG vs WI: 2nd Test Preview – England eye comeback with Root’s return

International cricket returned in style as West Indies cruised to a four-wicket win against England at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. Chasing 200 runs to win in the final innings, the Caribbean side was tottering at 27/3 but Jermaine Blackwood and the rest carried the team past the line. England will receive the injection of their ace batsman, Joe Root who will take the captaincy reign from Ben Stokes. In a three-match Test series, England cannot afford to go on the backfoot in this second Test. West Indies were clearly the better side in the first Test and Jason Holder’s men will hope to continue their streak.

Match Info

England vs West Indies: 2nd Test – 16th to 20th July

Old Trafford, Manchester (03:30 PM IST)

The track is expected to be suited for the seam bowlers. It is traditionally renowned for being a good batting track with some extra zip off the deck. In fact, Old Trafford is known as one of the fastest tracks in England. Rain is likely to interrupt play on 1st and 3rd day as per the weather forecast.

Head To Head:

Key Facts To Look Out For:

Team News

England:

The home team was without two of their best Test cricketers, Joe Root and Stuart Broad. While captain Root was spending time with his new-born, Broad was dropped to accommodate Mark Wood. The loss in the first Test will magnify England’s selection problems. The focus will be on three cricketers – Joe Denly, Jos Buttler and Mark Wood.

Root is expected to take place of Denly who failed to impress in the first Test. Broad, a bowler with 485 Test wickets, should take Wood’s spot unless England go with four seamers and drop Dominic Bess. James Anderson will be sitting out of this Test. One of Chris Woakes or Sam Curran is expected to play in his place.

West Indies:

The winners usually do not tinker with the winning combination and West Indies are likely to follow the same route. The batting department stood strong under pressure and chased down the target 200. While they ticked most of the boxes, there will be concerns around Shai Hope’s lack of runs.

The bowling department is West Indies’ strong suit. Their pacers put up an excellent show. However, in such a compact series, they may face problems with workload management. The Caribbean side also ignored Rahkeem Cornwall with Roston Chase being their only spin option. Cornwall’s inclusion will depend on pitch conditions.

Probable XI