West Indies vs. England: 3rd Test, Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
England hold a 1-0 lead going into the final Test of the three-match series against West Indies.
Barbados is the venue for the last game, with the hosts knowing only a win will do if they are to get back on level terms after suffering a disappointing defeat in Grenada last week.
Commences: Friday, May 1
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Time: 3 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. local
Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Live On: Sky Sports (UK), Star Sports (India), Ten Sports (Pakistan), Willow TV (USA), SuperSport (South Africa)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK)
Overview
Having claimed a first Test win on their travels since 2012, England will be hoping to do more than just hold onto their slender series advantage.
They made the most of a final-day collapse by their opponents in Grenada, as a brittle West Indies batting lineup lost their last eight wickets for 83 runs.
Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance both hit unbeaten half-centuries to steer the tourists past a target of 143 with nine wickets in hand. The positive result saw England secure a win in the Caribbean for the first time since April 2004.
That previous victory in the West Indies came in Barbados, which is also the venue for the third and final Test in the current series.
The home side's most recent Test outing at the Kensington Oval saw them beaten by New Zealand last year, a result that also meant they fell to a 2-1 series defeat to the Kiwis.
Coach Phil Simmons is hopeful that seam duo Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder are both fit to play against England in Bridgetown, per George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo.
Taylor missed the last match with a shoulder injury, while fellow pace bowler Holder was stretchered off the field on the fifth and final afternoon after turning his ankle.
England, meanwhile, will have to consider whether to risk making changes to a winning team.
Assistant coach Paul Farbrace has not ruled out the possibility of picking a second spinner to work in tandem with Moeen Ali, per Stephen Brenkley in The Independent: "It’s possible two spinners could play, it was talked about long and hard before the last game."
Form (last six Tests)
West Indies: WLDLDL
England: LWWWDW
Players to Watch
While the England team as a unit will want to secure a series win on their travels, individual players will also recognise the importance of having another chance to impress.
To that extent, and provided neither of them are dropped to make way for another spinner in the final XI, Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes will be determined to show their value to the team.
They have done little wrong so far, though, they will also know competition for places will be fierce in the coming months. The Ashes loom large on the horizon, and no player wants to lose their place right before such a huge series against Australia.
Stokes averages 40.66 with the bat during the series in the Caribbean yet has picked up just the one wicket. Jordan has claimed five wickets at a cost of 45.60 on two unresponsive pitches.
West Indies will hope their bowling attack will be boosted by the return of Taylor, who picked up match figures of five for 132 in the drawn first Test.
New-ball partner Kemar Roach claimed the same number of victims in Antigua, only to then end up going wicketless during the last match, in Grenada. Perhaps an opportunity to play on his home ground will help get the 26-year-old firing on all cylinders again.
It would also help their cause if the normally dependable Shiv Chanderpaul found some form with the bat. The veteran left-hander has mustered just 67 runs in four innings.
Squads
West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (c, w), Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor
England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (w), Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (w), Chris Jordan, Adam Lyth, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Mark Wood
Odds (via Oddschecker)
West Indies: 6-1
Draw: 9-4
England: 8-11
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