England win toss, put Windies into bat at Lord’s

LONDON – England will field first in the opening test against West Indies on Wednesday after captain Ben Stokes won the toss at Lord’s where fast bowler James Anderson will play his final test before retiring.

“We can expect from Jimmy complete heart, desire to win games for England. He’s a consummate professional,” Stokes said.

“That first ball that’s bowled today, the crowd will be right up.”

England have handed debuts to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and fast bowler Gus Atkinson while West Indies have experienced all-rounder Jason Holder back in the squad after nearly a year out.

“We would have bowled too but we’ve got a job to do with the bat now, we’ll focus on that,” West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said.

“Batting first at Lord’s, what an occasion. We’ve got to enjoy it, that’s what I’m telling the boys, and we’ve got to believe to achieve.”

SQUADS

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva (wicketkeeper), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales REUTERS