England take on Cricket’s West Indies President’s XI in a four-day practice match starting Tuesday; it’s his first red ball game since the Ashes 4-0 in Australia; England begin three-Test tour of the West Indies on March 8
Dan Lawrence is in pole position to bat at four in England’s first test against the West Indies after being selected ahead of Ollie Pope for the only tourists warm-up in Antigua this week.
With captain Joe Root moving up to the first drop in a bid to add some ballast to an unconvincing top order, Lawrence arrives to fill the vacant No. 4 spot against Cricket’s West Indies Chairman’s XI.
Unused during England’s turbulent Ashes campaign, Lawrence has been deployed in three, five, six and seven in an on-and-off trial run consisting of just eight games, but now has a chance to claim his place.
The Essex batsman was given the go-ahead for the four-day practice match at Coolidge Cricket Ground which starts on Tuesday ahead of Pope, who is named among the substitutes after averaging a measly 20.36 in his last 10 Tests.
This marks England’s first red-ball start since a thrashing in Australia, with Zak Crawley joined by Alex Lees uncapped at the top of the order, while Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have five and six cards respectively.
Ben Foakes, as anticipated, takes the gloves, while Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson will be the fast bowlers on show, with spinner Jack Leach rounding out the 12-strong lineup in an encounter that will not it is first class. .
That means Saqib Mahmood, Matt Fisher and Matt Parkinson, all of whom are awaiting their first test cap, join Pope on the bench, with England opting for the more experienced players in their bowling department.
England (12): Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Joe Root, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach.
XI of the president of the CWI (12): Shane Dowrich (c), Raymon Reifer (vc), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Bryan Charles, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Devon Thomas.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who have taken a combined 1,177 Test wickets, have controversially stayed home as part of England’s much-hyped red ball ‘reset’.
While Mark Wood is sympathetic to the pair, and “has no doubt” they will return to England service sometime in the summer, the fast express is optimistic about the three-test tour of the West Indies which begins on March 8.
One of the only players to burnish his reputation Down Under, having taken 17 wickets at 26.64 apiece, the 32-year-old is set to step into a leadership role to make up for the absences of Anderson and Broad.
“I have to, yeah, which is kind of weird,” Wood said. sky sports. “Being one of the veterans myself, I could get up and speak more in the team meetings and try to pass on a little bit of my experience.
“Ultimately I haven’t broadcast too much cricket stuff, I’ve just tried to be a good teammate and offer something not only to the cricket side but to the dressing room in general and bring a lot of energy and focus.”
Wood, however, is reluctant to become the figurehead of England’s bowling attack, believing that the duty must be collective.
“I don’t see it that way, if I’m honest,” he said. “It’s more of a group thing. It’s everyone’s responsibility when you play for England – the responsibility is there to take it on and try to win that game.”
“Maybe it’s a bit more on my shoulders, Woakes shoulders to help the younger guys a bit, but they’re eager as mustard to break through and play for England. They haven’t been shy in meetings, which is great. “. “
Wood admitted he was “hurt, depressed and deflated” after England’s 4-0 thrashing in Australia, but compared the reaction to the way Eoin Morgan’s white-ball team turned their World Cup fortunes from 2015 to 2019.
Wood, a key part of the team that gave England their first World Cup over-50, added: “Hopefully we implement a slightly different way of playing and do our best to win here.
“We had some good meetings and some honest discussions. It feels a bit, in a way, similar to the cue ball stuff when I first got to that side where we had some fresh ideas and new ways of thinking.
“It’s been more individual and how you can do your best to help the team win.”
