England tour to West Indies 2019 [Preview]

England is all set to tour West Indies in the month of January to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and three T20I games. The visitors will start their tour with three warm-up games. Skipper Joe Root will be hoping that his side can continue their good form in this series.

On the other hand, West Indies will be looking to start their home season on a good note when they take on England in three-match Test series. Skipper Jason Holder will be available for the series and should be clear the fitness Test ahead of big clash against England.

In the batting department, the home side will be depending on the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope and Roston Chase to do the bulk of the scoring. Brathwaite had a torrid run with the bat and averaged 24.43 in Test cricket last season. West Indies will be hoping that opener can turn things around with the bat and do well against England in three-match Test series.

Shai Hope would also be looking to find form with the bat in red-ball cricket this season. Wicket-keeper batsman Shane Dowrich topped the batting charts for West Indies last season with 474 runs in 9 matches at an average of 36.46.

In 2018, Captain Jason Holder had a great year with the bat and scored 336 runs in 6 matches at an average of 37.33. The side has promising players like Shimron Hetmyer and Kieran Powell will be looking to do well in this big series against England.

In the bowling department, Shannon Gabriel proved to be premier bowler for West Indies over past couple of years. In 2018, he picked up 37 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.54.

Jason Holder also had a splendid year with the ball last season and picked up 33 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 12.39. Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo and Jomel Warrican are bowling options for the home side for the three-match Test series.

On the other hand, England will be confident of doing well in the Caribbean after completing a historic whitewash in Sri Lanka. Skipper Joe Root will be hoping that his side can continue their winning streak in this series.

Rory Burns and Keaton Jennings played well in the three-match series in Sri Lanka and have managed to retain their place in the XI. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes are aggressive players in the middle-order for England.

Wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes proved his worth with the bat in Sri Lanka and scored 277 runs in 3 matches at an average of 69.25. Jos Buttler produced a remarkable run of form last year and scored heavily in red-ball cricket.

Last year, James Anderson was standout bowler for England in Test cricket. He picked up 43 wickets at an average of 22.51. The spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid bowled well in Sri Lanka and picked up crucial wickets for the side.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Jack Leach proved to valuable addition to the XI. He bowled exceedingly well and picked up 18 wickets in Sri Lanka.

England will take on West Indies in a three-match Test series that will begin from 23^rd January. The opening game of the series will be played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown. The second and third game of the series will be played in North Sound and Gros Islet.

The conclusion of Test series will see England then play five-match one-day series against West Indies. The first two games of the series will be played on 20^th and 22^th February at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

The third and fourth game of the one-day series will be played on 25^th and 27^th February at National Cricket Stadium, Grenada. The fifth and final game of the series will be played on 2^nd March at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet.

The visitors will conclude the tour by playing three-match T20I series against West Indies. The first game of the series will be played on 5^th March at Gros Islet. The second and third game will be played on 8^th and 10^th March at Warner Park, Basseterre.