"West Indies are not the side they were but in home conditions they will give England a test."
Saturday 19 January 2019 12:38, UK
Michael Atherton says England's major selection dilemma ahead of the first Test against Windies is how many spinners to pick.
Joe Root deployed three in Sri Lanka in November as his side earned a 3-0 whitewash, with off-spinner Moeen Ali (18), left-armer Jack Leach (18) and leg-spinner Adil Rashid (12) snaring 48 wickets between them.
The pitches are likely to be more suited to pace bowling in the Caribbean and Atherton feels England could go in with four seamers and Ali as the sole front-line slow bowler as they hunt a first series win in the West Indies since 2004 and just a second since 1968.
"One issue is the balance of England's side - the seamers will get more joy here than they did in Sri Lanka," said former England skipper Atherton ahead of the first Test in Barbados, which is live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 1pm on Wednesday.
"So will it be four seamers and one spinner? Will they try and get a second spinner in there - and if they do will it be the finger-spinner Leach or the wrist-spinner Rashid?
"There are a few little questions to answer and I would like to look at the pitch as the game is determined by conditions.
"There was a Test match recently in Barbados against Sri Lanka where the ball really flew through and it looked good for quick bowlers, so in that instance one spinner may suffice.
"But if it's like some of the pitches in the Caribbean of late - slow and low - then the more variety you have got [the better] so it very much depends on the type of pitch the groundsman produces."
Jonny Bairstow, Rory Burns, Joe Root and Ben Stokes scored half-centuries across England's two warm-up matches against a CWI President's XI - Bairstow hitting 98 in the second fixture - while Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes picked up six and five wickets respectively.
Batsman Jermaine Blackwood and seamer Alzarri Joseph were among the home players on show with Test experience and Atherton says England enjoyed a decent run out, save for opener Keaton Jennings, who scored only 32 runs across three innings.
"It's good to get any competitive cricket outside and West Indies have, at least on paper, put out a strong-ish side," said Atherton. "They have done England a favour in that regard.
"England outclassed them in the middle and most of the players have got something out of the four days.
"Jennings, I suppose, is the one who has not and his form will be under scrutiny in the build-up to and during the first Test."
"The way this England side goes about things is to be dynamic and aggressive - they have players who are generally happier being on the front foot.”
Windies are eighth in the Test rankings and have won just two of their previous 15 series but Atherton feels England will have to work hard for victory.
"West Indies are not the side they were but in home conditions they will give England a test," he said.
"They have a fairly lively pace attack - Shannon Gabriel is one of the world's quickest - one or two top-class batsmen and a decent record at home."
Watch England's tour of the Caribbean live on Sky Sports this winter, starting with the first Test in Barbados from 1pm on Wednesday.
