West Indies vs. England: 1st Test, Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

West Indies and England begin their three-match Test series with the first Test starting in Antigua on Monday. 

Date: Mon. Apr. 13 - Fri. Apr 17

Time: Start of play: 10 a.m (local) / 2 p.m GMT

Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

Weather: According to WorldWeatherOnline.com, the forecast is dubious at best. Rain is forecast for almost every day of the Test. It's unlikely to be a complete washout, but there is a high chance of points of frustration. 

TV Info and Live Stream:  SkySports 2 (UK), Star Sports (India), Ten Sports (Pakistan), Willow TV (USA), SuperSport (South Africa)

Overview

After months of woe, England’s opportunity to turn over a new leaf begins here. Nothing less than a series win will do for Alastair Cook and his men.  On paper, it should be a fairly easy challenge for England. The West Indies side they are up against is a largely inexperienced one who will have their own point to prove, but England are definitely expected to win this one.

For Cook and Co this is an opportunity to test out their depth ahead of a challenging summer.  The batting line-up will mostly pick itself with the likes of Jonathan Trott, Gary Ballance, Jos Buttler  and Ben Stokes all having a chance to prove their worth. The bowling is where things get really interesting for England, though. With Moeen Ali out injured, England have to decide on either the tried-and-tested James Tredwell or the slightly riskier option of Adil Rashid. With so much talk about ushering a new era of English cricket, Rashid could very well squeeze himself into the starting line-up.

The Windies, meanwhile, have an interesting medley of players with a mix of experienced campaigners and rookies to choose from. Most notably, 29-year-old leg spinner Devendra Bishoo has earned a recall for the first time in three years while two uncapped players in Shai Hope and Carlos Brathwaite have also earned a place in the squad.

The series has all the potential to be an interesting one, but England are by far the team that has the most at stake.

Key players

West Indies

Marlon Samuels had a good tour against South Africa earlier in the year. He showed that he is a tenacious batsman who has zero regard for spinners. As one of the more senior players, he will need to keep a cool head and play an anchoring role, even if the temptation exists to go on the charge.

England

Joe Root is the golden boy of English cricket and he has played some phenomenal innings in his career to date. Root now needs to get himself into good form ahead of the tough English summer which awaits.

Squads

West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice-capt), Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor

England: Alastair Cook, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, Jonathan Bairstow, Adam Lyth, Jonathan Trott, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, James Anderson