Not A Happy Hunting Ground
The West Indies have not won in England since 1988, and they are massive underdogs at 13/2 to win the first match of the series.
The King Of Swing
All eyes in this series will be on Jimmy Anderson, who will play his final test match at Lords. He’s had an outstanding career for England, and he’ll be very much looking to end it on a high.
The conditions look favourable for him as there could be a lot of cloud clover for him to get the ball swinging. It’s been more like winter than summer in England over the past week, and we will be lucky if we don’t get any rain across the five-days.
Anderson is currently 9/4 to be England’s top wicket-taker in the first innings and I can see him getting off to a fast start in the opening test.
A New Look England
England are also introducing two test debutantes with Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith. Atkinson will join the bowling attack while Smith will be wearing the gloves behind the stumps.
I think Smith will be an interesting addition to England’s batting line-up. He played in the Lions squad in Sri Lanka last year and set a record for the quickest century, reaching the milestone off 71 balls. He’s aggressive and has a bit of flare in his batting. The 23-year-old is currently 7/1 to be England’s top run scorer in the first innings and I wouldn’t be surprised if he achieved a big knock.
Though I mentioned that the West Indies are the underdogs, they do merit some respect. In their last test match, they managed to beat Australia in Brisbane, where the Baggy Greens had only lost one test since 1988.
Shamar The Shining Light
A big part of why the West Indies won that test was due to the bowling performance of Shamar Joseph. He took figures of 7-68, and was a real nightmare for the Australian batters. That was only his second ever test match, and you would think there would be more to come. England will need to be on their guard, so see off Joseph.
Overall, England should have enough quality to get the job done, and I’d expect them to lead the series 1-0 when they go to Trent Bridge next week.
England v West Indies 1st Test Tips
Jimmy Anderson To Be England’s Top Wicket Taker In 1st Innings (9/4)
Jamie Smith To Be England’s Top Batsman In 1st Innings (7/1)
Shamar Joseph To Be West Indies Top Wicket Taker In 1st Innings (3/1)