West Indies won England’s first game and now has a 1-0 advantage. It is the first time the West Indies have played their first game of the series in England in 20 years. It also means England vs West Indies Wisden Trophy will only go to England if they can win the remaining two matches.
There’s very little change between matches, and this is where the two sides’ versatility will be checked. Can the West Indies find a way to out-perform England even if the odds against it remain stacked? England will welcome Joe Root back for this match and will likely make a few other changes to his bowling attack as well. Will that be enough?
Weather
The rain had severely affected the first two days of the Southampton Test match, but this may not be the case in Manchester. The weather forecast says the game’s first day will be rainy, but for the next four days, the players will be greeted with bright sunshine. The fans will be hoping the whole Test match would go uninterrupted.
Pitch
In Southampton, the ball did not swing much. It seemed off the deck right through the game, and also bounced from a length. While this often put the batsmen in pain, there was not much traditional swing on offer.
For the fast bowlers, the pitch at Old Trafford might give a little more than the one at the Rose Bowl did, and England could think about getting Stuart Broad back into the XI.
Broad might not be as fast as some of the other fast bowlers in England, but he is still skilful enough to use favourable pitches.
Probable Playing XIs
England
Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
West Indies
Jason Holder (c), Shane Dowrich (wk), Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Kraigg Braithwaite, John Campbell, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
England vs West Indies 2st Test Dream 11:
Ben Stokes (C), Shane Dowrich (wk), Joe Root, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Shannon Gabriel
Joe Root ‘s arrival will boost the England side and if Stuart Broad is also selected he will bring a lot of experience to the XI. The weather in Manchester would also benefit England, and while they go into the second test match trailing 0-1, they could be able to overcome West Indians at this time.
The expectation is that England will win the Test match and level the series by 1-1. Let’s create your cricket excitement on baji.live now!
