England

The Durham seamer had not featured for England since June 2023 but returns in the absence of skipper Ben Stokes, who remains out through injury.

Surrey batter Dan Lawrence, who has not featured for England since March 2022, will replace another absentee, Zak Crawley, at the top of the order.

Stokes’ injury has also caused a captaincy conundrum. Ollie Pope has been announced as captain in his absence, while Yorkshire batter Harry Brooks will become vice-captain.

The Test will start at Old Trafford on August 21, with the series then heading to Lord's for the second Test and The Oval for a third match.

England XI to face Sri Lanka: Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.

Stokes, 33, has overcome knee surgery and a hamstring injury in the last 14 months and bowled his most overs in an innings for over two years as his England side chase a whitewash series victory in Hamilton.

The tourists put their hosts into bat and reduced them to 315-9 on day one, with captain Stokes claiming the wicket of Matt Henry late on, thanks in large part to a sensational catch from Harry Brook, after bowling more overs than any of his team-mates.

Fellow Durham man Potts said: "Massive plaudits to the skipper, he can be really proud of his efforts.

"He leads the team by example. He probably won't want to take the credit but when we see him doing special things like that, it motivates you to put in that extra 1% for the team.

"He bowled three long spells there and one of them was eight overs of bouncers."

England's day  pic.twitter.com/fanCLiEpqg

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 14, 2024

Potts returned to the side in place of Chris Woakes for the third Test and impressed in his own right, with the key wicket of Kane Williamson among his three scalps on day one.

The 26-year-old has been in and out of the England team since debuting in 2022 but is happy to remain patient for more consistent opportunities.

He said: "I enjoy every moment being part of this squad. There are always jobs I can be doing, helping out.

"The competition for places is really high and that's a great thing for the team. These things happen. You travel around a little bit and don't play, then you get an opportunity."

England will be aiming to wrap up the New Zealand innings quickly on day two before getting to work with the bat on what looks a good pitch.

Potts said: "It's in the balance. The pitch played better throughout the day and started to look like a decent batting wicket.

"We were excellent. We persevered with the ball and in the field and stuck at it in the heat."

The Vincentian left-arm quick took 3-14 from three overs in the last group stage game against Afghanistan at the same venue after coming into the team for Romario Shepherd who left the squad to attend the birth of his second child.

Historically, McCoy’s eight wickets in three games at the venue is the third most among active cricketers with only Pakistan Saeed Ajmal with 11 wickets in five games and Hayden Walsh Jr with 12 wickets in five games ahead of him.

Despite these statistics, McCoy was left out of the team that suffered a brutal eight-wicket loss on Thursday.

Shepherd, who came back into the side in place of McCoy, conceded 41 runs in two overs.

His last over was belted for 30 runs by Phil Salt who finished 87*.

West Indies Captain Rovman Powell defended the call to leave McCoy out of the side.

“I think when you're selecting a team and you have players that are playing good you will always have to make the tough decision. We sat down as a selection group and thought that the team that played today is our better team to face England and it just didn't work out tonight,” Powell said in a post-match press conference.

The hosts will next take on joint hosts the USA in Barbados on Friday before facing South Africa in their final Super 8 game in Antigua on Sunday.

Despite Wednesday’s loss, the West Indies still have their fate in their own hands as wins in those two games will see them having a good chance of making it to the last four.

“I think our destiny is still in our own hands. It's just for us to continue to play good cricket. And once we do that, we think we'll be ok,” Powell said.

The 31-year-old left-hander missed out on a chance under the new selection panel, after being skipped over in favour of Jamaica batsman John Campbell.  Powell, who last played for the West Indies last August against Pakistan, has scored 144 runs in two matches for the Leeward Islands in the West Indies Championship, the seventh-best so far.

Campbell has in the meantime scored 213.  With performances, the batsman believes there could also have been some consideration for Leewards no. 3 Devon Thomas who has scored 242, the second most behind West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who has 341.

“I definitely thought that if I didn’t make the Test squad I would make the President’s XI based on the performances, but I saw Devon Thomas batting the way that nobody else in the Caribbean batted in those two games and if the team is going to be selected on performances, the way that he has played is second to none so you would like to think that he would have gotten into this squad,” Powell told the Mason and Guest radio show.

Despite not making the squad, however, Powell was pleased with his start to the season and expressed disappointment at the competition going on a break during the England tour.

“I’m pretty happy with where I was able to get to.  I’m very disappointed the season was halted after two matches because you would have seen cricket not being played for two years and guys were so excited to get back out there and the level of cricket the Leewards played in those games, we had some tough decisions against Barbados and a few things could have gone our way.”

Russell last represented the West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai two years ago.

“It’s always good to have Andre Russell in a West Indies team,” Powell said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“We know the quality that he comes with and he’s fit and rearing and ready to go put on the maroon again for the people of the Caribbean. It’s exciting time for me as a Captain and also for the fans,” he added.

Powell and Russell, along with fellow squad members Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, Akeal Hosein and Jason Holder, were most recently a part of the Abu Dhabi T10 League, a fact that the skipper thinks will help them in this upcoming series.

“We have enough cricket under our belt to do well at the international level. It’s good that the guys played games in Abu Dhabi right down to the finals and if you look at the individual performances, they were very good so that brings confidence coming into this series,” Powell said.

“I’m very excited. When you look on our team that includes so much returning guys, it’s a powerful team. Having said that, we still have to play some good cricket and put it together as a complete team and from an individual perspective,” he added. 

The last time the West Indies hosted England for a T20I series, they came out as 3-2 winners. Powell finished that series as the second-leading run scorer with 147 runs in three innings, including a career best 107* at Kensington Oval, the venue for Tuesday’s series opener.

“It’s always nice to be in Barbados. It always brings back good memories especially against England so it’s good to be here,” Powell said.

“It’s important for me to try my best and lead from the front. Once you lead from the front, players will always follow so I’m looking at my personal game and once I come to the party, naturally the guys will follow,” he added.

With the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup a few months away, Powell says this series gives the team an opportunity to find combinations that will work for them.

“It’s very important. It’s good that we’ve played T20 series’ before so we have an idea of the combinations that will work well for us. These five games against England provide another opportunity for us to fine tune whatever areas we need to fine tune,” he said.

Phil Salt starred with an unbeaten 109 to help England chase down a mammoth target of 223 to win the third T20I on Saturday in Grenada. As such, the West Indies will enter the fourth game with a 2-1 lead and a chance to clinch the series.

England hit 19 sixes on their way to victory and Powell says his team will be solely focused on bringing that number down for the remainder of the series.

“It comes down to execution. Once we can execute as a bowling group, the six-hitting count will go down so that is what we’re stressing on for the rest of the series,” he said.

 “Skills are very important in T20. Those Yorkers, wide Yorkers and defensive Yorkers are very important, especially when you get good batters on good wickets. If your skillset is not really up to par, you will always find yourself under pressure,” he added.

With that being said, Powell said he is not concerned with his team’s inability to defend totals.

“It’s not of major concern at the moment. All we’re concerned with is to just keep improving in all three areas. As a team, that is what we strive for and once we do that, we’ll be okay,” he said.

A question many people asked after the third game is why Powell opted to go with Andre Russell, who was expensive in his previous three overs, for the last over as opposed to himself, Kyle Mayers or Sherfane Rutherford for the last over with England needing 21 to win.

“When you look on the scheme of things, Russell was going at 10 runs per over and they needed in excess of 20 runs in the last over so I think it was only fair that I give Russell, one of my main bowlers, the final over. Unfortunate things do happen and if the situation did arise in another game, I’d be confident enough for Russell to bowl the final one,” Powell said.

With all that said, Powell says the team is in a good place ahead of Tuesday’s game.

“The conversations have been positive. We’re still in a good place and leading the series. It was just unfortunate that we didn’t come out on top,” he said.

“We went for the series win in our last game and unfortunately came up short. Tomorrow provides another opportunity for us to do that. The guys are upbeat,” he added.

The 30-year-old has yet to lose a series as skipper of the West Indies T20I side and spoke about the key to getting the best out of his players.

“I think it’s just putting players in roles that they are comfortable. We have a very good team with a lot of experience so it’s very important to put players in roles that they are comfortable with. Once you do that then you get the best out of players,” he said.

The hosts successfully chased their target of 219 in St Lucia to stop the rot in the five-match series, reducing the deficit to 3-1. 

West Indies won the toss and elected to field, though England did their best to make the most of the flat pitch.

Phil Salt's contribution of 55 set the tourists on their way, while captain Jos Buttler chipped in with 38, and Jacob Bethell hit an unbeaten 62 - reaching his latest half-century off just 22 balls.

England finished at 218-5, but West Indies hit the ground running in their chase as Evin Lewis (68) and Shai Hope (54) notched up 136 from the first nine overs.

However, the hosts' momentum stalled when Rehan Ahmed caught Lewis, Hope was run out and Nicholas Pooran bowled for a duck in as many balls.

Nevertheless, skipper Powell got them back on track with 38 from 23 deliveries and, though he was dismissed in the 17th over, back-to-back sixes from Sherfane Rutherford in the penultimate over sealed a five-wicket victory.

"The guys were a little bit more committed today, and the toss fell in our hands," Powell said. "It's been a series where, once you win the toss, you seem to win the game. But, the guys played well."

"It was an excellent wicket, and we got off to a great start with our openers putting them under plenty of pressure," Buttler added. "We thought we needed at least 220, and then their openers played exceptionally well, too."

The West Indies won the first two games of the series relatively comfortably before England produced a pair of magnificent batting performances to tie the series heading into the Thursday’s decider.

The West Indians first restricted the English to 132 all out in 19.3 overs, their lowest score of the series.

The hosts then held their nerve to reach 133-6 with four balls to spare, securing another series win under Powell’s leadership in international cricket’s shortest format.

“I think we played very well today. After England came back in the series and put us under pressure, I think the guys responded like champions,” Powell said in a post-match interview.

He especially credited his bowlers for keeping player of the series, Phil Salt, in check. Salt hit hundreds in both the third and fourth T20Is. He made 38 on Thursday to finish the series with 331 runs.

"It was very important for us to control him. Yesterday we sat in our team room and tried to have some one on one discussions with the guys to try our best to come up with collective plans to control him. For the last two games they scored 70 in the powerplay to totally write us off," Powell said.

Powell added that he feels like his side are well prepared for next year’s T20 World Cup but mentioned that there’s still work to be done, particularly in the bowling department.

“I think we are prepared but we still have areas we need to sharpen up, especially our bowling. Two games back to back where England beat us badly as a bowling unit. Hopefully, over the next few months we can sharpen up and get those areas sorted,” Powell said.

Powell also heaped praise on opponents England, noting that the reigning World T20 Champions have an excellent chance of defending their title next year.

“England is a world class team and they have world class players to come into their squad so that is always going to boost them. All they need to do is get familiar with the conditions. Because they are such a quality team, if they get familiar with conditions they will be difficult to beat,” he said.

“We realized something with the English batters. Once you put them on the good wickets, they’re very good but when the pitch starts assisting the bowlers, it becomes a little bit tricky for everyone. For us Caribbean players, we’ve been playing on bad wickets for such a long time so we know how to play on it,” he added.

The West Indies’ next T20I assignment will be a three-match away series against Australia from February 9-13.

Number three batsman Malan picked up the pace following a considered start to eventually finish on 114 not out and drag England to victory in the first ODI.

Having limited Bangladesh to 209, England's response for a while looked in danger of falling short.

But Malan fittingly clinched the win after scoring his fourth ODI century, making him the second-fastest man to that mark in his 16th match.

The 35-year-old, who has spent time playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, also had a hundred in his previous ODI innings against South Africa last month.

"I've spent a fair bit of time in Bangladesh, especially at this ground, which helps," Malan said.

"I told Jos [Buttler] it would have been tough to chase if they'd have got 30 to 40 more runs. It's satisfying to get over the line, handling pressure is part of the job."

Malan was required to do the heavy lifting alongside a succession of low-scoring partners as England were reduced to 65-4 at one stage.

Victory was achieved with eight balls to spare, however, leaving captain Jos Buttler delighted.

"These are tough conditions," he added. "Mala's innings was outstanding and is an example for us on how to play on these wickets.

"There was plenty in the wicket for both spinners and pacers. There's plenty of areas to work and improve on. It's about small partnerships on wickets like these. [They] can be really valuable."

The tourists and the Proteas start at three-match T20 series at Newlands on Friday, less than a year before they go in search of T20 World Cup glory in India.

England have taken a star-studded squad to South Africa, with Morgan among a strong contingent to have recently plied their trade in the Indian Premier League.

The in-form batsman, who led England to World Cup glory in the 50-over format last year, feels fortunate to have so much talent to call upon.

"The honest answer is we don't know our best 11 yet," Morgan said. "There are probably seven or eight guys who are pretty strong candidates to be in our playing 11, but the strength of the squad that we've selected, and the reserves that we have here, has made our full-strength side available for selection for the first time in a long time. That makes it very exciting.

"Winning at the moment would be great, but the process of going through what's best for our team and best for our players, to try and beat the opposition is extremely important," he added.

South Africa also have star men coming into the series, which is their first since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, on the back of outstanding performances in the IPL.

They will be without two unnamed players who are self-isolating, but in good health, after testing positive for COVID-19 and South African cricket has been in the headlines far too often due to administration issues.

Yet Proteas skipper Quinton de Kock said: "It's a fresh start. The guys are keen to play. It's been a while since we've played for the Proteas.

"The guys are keen to change what has been going on around cricket. We're the leaders and we'll try to lead from the front. The guys are keen to get going."

South Africa will be without all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius due to a hamstring injury.

DE KOCK, RABADA AND ARCHER HOPING TO REPEAT IPL EXPLOITS

Wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock will be on a high after playing a big part in another IPL triumph for the Mumbai Indians.

He was the sixth-highest run-scorer in a thrilling tournament with 503 at an average of 35.92 at the top of the order, making four half-centuries and smashing 22 sixes.

Proteas paceman Kagiso Rabada was the leading wicket-taker in the competition for beaten finalists Delhi Capitals, claiming 30 scalps at 18.26 apiece.

England quick Jofra Archer also showed he is one of the best bowlers in the world, striking 20 times and showing his ability to be classed as an all-rounder with some entertaining knocks.

South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje also impressed in the United Arab Emirates along with Faf du Plessis and England skipper Morgan.

STOKES PRIMED FOR ANOTHER CAPE TOWN CLASSIC?

England all-rounder Ben Stokes arrived late at the IPL, having been given time to spend time with his family in New Zealand after his father, Ged, was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Stokes made the second-highest score of the tournament with a magnificent 107 not out from only 60 balls to seal a stunning victory for the Rajasthan Royals over champions Mumbai.

He returns to England duty after leaving the squad to head to New Zealand during the Test series against Pakistan in August and will be back in action at a world-famous venue where he produced one of his finest performances.

Stokes made an astonishing Test-best 258 off 198 balls in a drawn second Test in Cape Town in January 2016, smashing the Proteas attack to all parts.

KEY OPTA FACTS 

- The tourists are looking to secure a third successive T20 series win over the Proteas, having beaten them earlier this year and in 2017.
- England have won five of their last seven games against South Africa in the shortest format.
- South Africa have won both of their T20 matches against England at Newlands, but have come out on top in only 33 per cent of all matches at the venue in the shortest format.
- England have the lowest catching success rate of any Test-playing nation in T20s since the start of 2019 (76 per cent). 
- Only Pakistan captain Babar Azam (53 – 25 innings) has a higher batting average as an opener in T20Is than England's Jos Buttler (51 – 11 innings) among those to record 10 or more knocks at the top of the order. Buttler has posted scores of 57, 44 and 77 not out in his last three T20 appearances, all of which came as an opener.

The tourists had a great opportunity to show a positive response to losing the first Test at Centurion when Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat on a good track in Cape Town on Friday.

It was the Proteas' day, though, as England crumbled abjectly in the sun to close on 262-9, having been 185-4 prior to Ben Stokes playing a poor shot to depart for 47.

Pope was the only batsman to score a half-century on his return from illness a day after his 22nd birthday, making a mature unbeaten 56 with support from last man James Anderson in an unbroken last-wicket stand of 28.

Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius took two wickets apiece for a South Africa side aiming for a fifth successive win at the famous venue, a place where England have not secured victory for 63 years.

Philander (2-46) wasted no time in making an impact in his last Test on his home ground, Zak Crawley - in for the injured Rory Burns - edging behind in the third over.

Dom Sibley (34) found the rope seven times before he nicked Rabada (2-63) to a diving Quinton de Kock to end a second-wicket stand of 55 with Joe Denly just before lunch.

Denly was rattled on the helmet as Nortje tested him with some short stuff and Root (35) was undone by a hostile delivery from the same bowler, trudging off in fury after gloving the quick to wicketkeeper De Kock for 35 straight after he had been dropped in the slips.

Denly (38) fell seven overs later, Keshav Maharaj breaching his otherwise solid defence to bowl the number three and leave England in a spot of bother on 127-4.

Stokes looked in ominous touch on the ground where he made a career-best 258 four years ago as he and Pope attempted a rebuilding job, including clattering Maharaj into the crowd.

The all-rounder continued to play positively as Pope accumulated steadily, but Stokes gave his wicket away by tamely chipping Nortje (2-54) to Dean Elgar at cover in the final session.

Jos Buttler (29 from 27 balls) played in one-day mode and put Maharaj on the building site with a fierce blow before Pretorius (2-26) ended his promising knock.

Sam Curran lost his off stump offering no shot to Pretorius, then Philander got rid of Dom Bess – the spinner selected to replace the injured Jofra Archer in England's attack - for a golden duck with the first delivery with the second new ball, De Kock taking his fifth catch.

England were 234-9 when Stuart Broad got himself into an almighty tangle and was bowled by Rabada, but Pope ramped the paceman for two fours and farmed the strike impressively to make a second Test half-century.

The right-hander had a life when he was caught hooking Rabada as the paceman overstepped but while the final wicket proved to be elusive for South Africa prior to the close, they will be much the happier of the two sides.

The Yorkshire batter struck a half-century in the seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first T20 on Wednesday.

Malan made 54 off 42 balls as England chased 140 with 36 deliveries to spare after pacemen Brydon Carse and Luke Wood took three wickets apiece to restrict the tourists to 139 for nine at Chester-le-Street.

With England having so much strength in depth these days, Malan was delighted to be in his country’s white-ball plans.

He said: “(It was) definitely relief, you look at the amount of depth we’ve got in English cricket, especially having sacrificed so many tournaments over the last couple of years to get in this World Cup squad, to get the call was extremely satisfying.

“I know there are people who’ve missed out and I have so much sympathy for them. From a personal point of view I was exceptionally pleased to get that call because I felt I’ve worked really hard to get in that squad.

“Every opportunity I’ve been given in 50 overs in my last four or five series I’ve gone and had to score the runs, doing it the tough way to get in there.

“Especially the top three, I know people compare me to Brooky (Harry Brook), but I bat top three and he bats four, five, six, so I don’t know where that comparison comes from.

“To be able to push for a place in that World Cup squad and get the call was extremely satisfying.”

England’s white-ball preparations for the World Cup continue after the New Zealand series with three ODIs against Ireland in September before flying out to India for the 50-over tournament which begins in October.

After his omission from the provisional World Cup squad, Harry Brook showed off his heavy hitting at the Riverside with 43 not out from 27 balls and Malan is determined to keep scoring in order to claim his spot for India.

“I think you always have to score runs when you play international cricket, especially when you have the depth we do here,” he added.

“It’s a provisional squad but from my understanding it’s up to us to score runs to stay in it.

“I think it would be tough, two weeks before we are flying, especially with people potentially resting for the Ireland series, to suddenly lose their place.

“But that is cricket and that’s the way life goes. Nothing is ever guaranteed until you stand on that plane.

“I try my best to score runs- that’s what I’m picked for, to score runs and win games. I am not there to please anyone, I’m there to score runs for Jos (Buttler) and (Matthew) Motty and contribute to wins.

“I feel like I have done that consistently over the last five or six years, whatever it is in white-ball cricket.”

England held a mammoth first-innings lead of 354 after being bowled out for 432 early in the morning session.

India, leading the five-match series 1-0, had been humiliatingly skittled out for 78 on day one, but closed on 215-2 after England were only able to remove KL Rahul (eight) Rohit (59) on Friday.

Pujara returned to form with an unbeaten 91 and Virat Kohli was 45 not out at stumps, with the tourists trailing by 139.

England added only nine runs to their overnight total after resuming on 423-8, Mohammed Shami (4-95) dismissing Craig Overton leg before wicket for 32 and Ollie Robinson cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah without scoring.

The India openers showed great application as the England seamers probed with the new ball and it took a moment of brilliance from Jonny Bairstow on the stroke of lunch to end a stand of 34.

KL Rahul walked off shaking his head after he edged an excellent delivery from Overton and second-slip Bairstow dived to his left to claim a stunning one-handed catch.

Rohit and Pujara played with a mixture of patience and positivity in a wicket-less afternoon session, with the opener appearing to have a stroke of luck on 39 when Joe Root failed to signal for a review in time after Robinson struck him on the pad.

He brought up his half-century from 125 balls before Robinson snared him lbw.

Pujara was untroubled as he serenely eased to a half-century and Kohli also looked very much at home on a good pitch under gloomy skies as England were unable to make further inroads, with the new ball due early on day four.

PUJARA SHOWS HIS CLASS

Pujara's place has been called into question as he has looked totally out of sorts, but he showed his class in Leeds on the third day.

The 33-year-old had failed to make it to 50 in his previous 13 innings before demonstrating what he is capable of with his side on the ropes.

Pujara scored far more freely, driving with finesse and even ramping Robinson for four in a first half-century since making 73 against England in Chennai in February.

KOHLI LOOKING OMINOUS

Captain Kohli has also been short of runs, but that was no evidence of that on a frustrating day for England.

The skipper struck two boundaries in the first over from James Anderson, who dismissed him for the seventh time in the longest format in the first innings.

Kohli, without a Test century since November 2019, ticked along as India put such a dismal display with the bat on the opening day behind them.

India, led by Virat Kohli, were 2-1 up in the five-match Test series in England before the tourists were unable to field a team due to coronavirus-related concerns in September.

The one-off Test starts at Edgbaston on July 1, following a four-day warm-up game against Leicestershire on June 24, and India have named their 17-man red-ball squad.

Pujara was dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka but has been reinstated after managing 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex – including four centuries – in County Championship Division Two.

Ravindra Jadeja is also part of the touring party despite pulling out of the ongoing Indian Premier League due to a rib injury, while Hanuma Vihari and Shubman Gill retained their spots.

Rohit Sharma will lead the Test side after Kohli, who remains in the squad, stepped down as captain following the 2-1 series defeat to South Africa earlier this year.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will lead the bowling attack, which includes Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and the uncapped Prasidh Krishna.

Ajinkya Rahane was not available for selection after sustaining a hamstring injury, while openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal were the other two left out from the Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah were all rested for the home five-match T20I series against South Africa, which starts on June 9.

KL Rahul will skipper the white-ball side in Sharma's absence, with fast bowler Umran Malik handed a maiden call-up after impressing in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The experienced Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik return to the international limited-overs squad, while spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal make their comebacks after taking the IPL by storm.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Iyer all retain their spots, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar heading a bowling attack that includes Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh.

India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

India’s T20I squad: KL Rahul (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

Against the West Indies, the pair has 160 wickets in 41 matches. With that being said, many were surprised when the England squad for their three-match Test series against the Windies was announced with Broad and Anderson nowhere to be found.

West Indies pace bowler Kemar Roach was no exception.

“Quite surprising,” Roach said in a pre-match press conference on Saturday.

“I thought that both of them would definitely still be involved but decisions have been made on that end,” he added.

Obviously, the absence of the two is a big plus for the Caribbean side, a sentiment Roach also shared.

“I think it’s a slight advantage for us, obviously with those experienced players missing so there’s a hole for England to fill. Robinson, Wood, and Woakes are fantastic bowlers and we take them seriously but once we get our plans right, I think we’ll be in good shape going into this series.”

Since his debut in 2009, Roach has taken 231 wickets in Test cricket with England being his favourite opponent as 50 of those have come against them.

“For me, England is our biggest series. We play the most test matches against England, having three, so, at home, obviously, there’s a confidence factor and you want to perform well against England. I’m always looking to go hard and put on my best performances against them.”

Roach will, hopefully, have his chance to add to those 50 wickets when the teams square off in the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua starting on Tuesday.

The South Africa squad are staying in carefully controlled accommodation ahead of their Twenty20 international series against England amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

While Rabada admits it has proved challenging, he says he is constantly reminding himself of the fortunate position he and his team-mates find themselves in. 

"It can be quite tough," he told ESPNcricinfo. "You can't interact. You've basically lost your freedom. 

"It's almost like luxury prisons we are in. But we have to remind ourselves that we are fortunate.

"People have lost their jobs, people are struggling at the moment, so we must be grateful for the opportunity we have been given to make some money and to do what we love.

"And we don't get treated too badly. We stay in great hotels. We get the best food. It's like a spoilt kid not getting what they want at the candy store. It can be quite tough because you are surrounded by four walls the whole time and that can be a factor mentally.

"But just remind yourself of all the good things that are happening and once we start playing, it will take away from the desolate times."

Rabada has recently returned to South Africa after an impressive stint in the Indian Premier League, where he finished as the top wicket-taker. 

That followed a long period in his home country without playing cricket, having spent most of 2020 in some form of lockdown imposed by the South African government. 

Rabada says the break helped him reset both physically and mentally but does not expect to have similar periods off in the future. 

"The break helped to refresh the body and to take the mind off of a lot of things," he added. "But I don't know if long extended breaks will happen in future because cricket is getting more and more. 

"I'm not sure how much of it is due to a long break, but I don't think it will happen a lot in the future. I don't think we will get breaks that long unless we get Covid-20."

The three-match Twenty20 series starts in Cape Town on Friday, while the Proteas and England will also contest a three-match ODI series after competing in the shortest format.

An independent report upheld former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq's allegations that he had been the victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time with the county.

Yorkshire carried out their own internal investigation following the findings of the report and concluded no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or executives warranted disciplinary measures.

The England and Wales Cricket Board last week suspended Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches in response to the club's "wholly unacceptable" handling of Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism.

Yorkshire batsman Root addressed the scandal in a statement on Friday, saying it had "fractured our game" and "torn lives apart".

However, in a subsequent media interview, the England skipper was asked if he had witnessed racism in his time at the county and replied: "Not that I can recall, no... but it's clear things have happened at the club."

Shortly after those quotes were released, Rafiq posted on Twitter: "Disappointed is not even the feeling. Incredibly hurt. But uncomfortable truths are hard to accept it seems."

He added no further comment or explanation, but it was reported Rafiq's post was in relation to Root's interview.

Mark Arthur, Yorkshire's CEO, resigned on Friday with immediate effect, following chairman Roger Hutton and other board members.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club was suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) from hosting international cricket in November in response to the county's handing of allegations of institutional racism made by Rafiq.

However, the former spin bowler - who had two spells with the team between 2008 and 2018 - has said the county has "done enough" to warrant having that suspension lifted.

The ECB said at the time of the suspension that it would remain until Yorkshire "clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected".

Several high-profile figures at the county either resigned or were sacked over the handling of the allegations.

Former chairman Roger Hutton has been replaced by Lord Patel, while director of cricket Martyn Moxon has been succeeded by former Yorkshire and England fast bowler Darren Gough.

Chief executive Mark Arthur also resigned, and first-team coach Andrew Gale was sacked.

"I want to see England playing at Headingley this summer," Rafiq wrote in the Daily Mail. 

"At first in all this, I believed international cricket should be taken away from them, but they have done enough to warrant getting it back, for now at least.

"They should be given back the international cricket so vital to their very survival.

"If we are asking an institution to look at itself, then we should recognise when it begins to show it is genuinely sorry and attempts to start putting things right.

"Yorkshire need to be supported and helped to move in that right direction."

The third Test against world champions New Zealand that had been scheduled to take place at Headingley before the suspension was imposed begins on June 23.

Rafiq also spoke highly of the appointment of Gough as director of cricket at Yorkshire, citing their previous relationship as team-mates.

"It's no secret we are friends since he was one of my first captains and we have always stayed in touch," he added.

"I'm encouraged by his involvement, not least because the game needs people like him back directly involved."

Rafiq said at a DCMS select committee hearing in November that he believed English cricket to be "institutionally racist", and again emphasised that more change is needed in the game, not just at his former county.

"I am not saying everything is now hunky-dory at my old county and we can all move on," he said.

"Yorkshire must be kept under review to make sure this really is the start of something important and meaningful - everything is not fine yet, not by a long way.

"It just seems outside the county everyone wants to throw the book at Yorkshire and my concern is some want to do that in order to make themselves look better or deflect attention away from their [own] issues.

"I don't agree with that because it will not drive change.

"There are thousands of cases outside Yorkshire and what is happening to them today could easily happen to another county tomorrow."

An ECB investigation into the allegations is ongoing.

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) published findings from a two-year investigation on Tuesday, concluding that racism – alongside other forms of discrimination such as sexism and elitism – was "entrenched" in the sport. 

Rafiq played for Yorkshire over two spells between 2008 and 2018 before becoming a whistleblower over the racism he endured while with the county, facing a backlash for making allegations which played a major role in the investigation's origins. 

Following the release of the ICEC report, Rafiq told Stats Perform the ECB must do better, saying: "I think it [ECB] should be changed in its current form. I don't think the ECB can continue to be a regulator and a promoter.

"There's a hell of a lot of things that have happened and they continue to happen, so I think it needs an overhaul.

"Whether that means being disbanded, coming in a different format, I don't know. But it does need a look. 

"The one thing we can't do is do nothing. Simple as that. This report is damning, so things need to happen."

Among the 44 recommendations made by the commission was that the ECB should apologise to those who had been affected. 

ECB chair Richard Thompson did exactly that in the wake of the findings, outlining an intention to "use this moment to reset cricket".

Rafiq explained only actions, not words, will make cricket a more welcoming place for those subjected to discrimination. 

"Look, thanks for the apology," Rafiq said. "I find it uncomfortable to praise it. I don't see Richard Thompson as an individual, he's representing the game. 

"The game has done this to a lot of people. So I think the least they could do is apologise. But it's what happens after the apology that matters the most."

Rafiq, who was found to have suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire, gave evidence in Tuesday's hearing.

He accused Yorkshire and English cricket in general of being institutionally racist.

Former England head coach Lloyd, who is a leading commentator for Sky Sports and is commonly known by his nickname 'Bumble', was implicated by Rafiq, who also made allegations against former Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance and current head coach Andrew Gale.

The county's director of cricket Martyn Moxon was also said to have heard the abuse, while former chairman Roger Hutton admitted the county failed to act accordingly.

Rafiq claimed Lloyd had made offensive remarks over text message to a third party, but he claimed the commentator was the only person to have apologised to him directly since the hearing.

Asked if Gale, Ballance – who has publicly apologised for any offence he caused – or Moxon had been in touch, Rafiq told Sky Sports: "No, I don't expect them to be. I still don't think any of them think they've done anything wrong.

"It just shows them for what they are. The arrogance there and the complete disregard of anyone else but themselves and their views.

"A lot of people have known. That's why some of the apologies – anyone who's apologised, I accept, that's all I've ever wanted – but it does make you think, you've known this for 14 months, if you were genuinely sorry, you would have done it. But anyone who's apologised deserves a second chance."

Moxon is on leave from Yorkshire due to a stress-related issue, while Gale has been suspended pending an investigation into a Twitter exchange with a former Leeds United executive that is alleged to have included an anti-Semitic slur.

Sky confirmed on Tuesday that they would open an investigation into the remarks attributed to Lloyd, who also used his official Twitter account to apologise to Rafiq and the Asian cricket community.

"He rang me last night, I told him honestly what I thought about his comments," Rafiq added. 

"They were completely out of order. He told me was briefed by somebody close to the club, which is disappointing because even that gentleman doesn't know me that well.

"But he rang, he apologised, I accepted his apology and he committed to make a difference and that's a positive."

Current England Test captain Joe Root was also brought up in Tuesday's hearing. Rafiq said Root was "a good man" and stressed the batsman had never took part in any abuse.

However, he was concerned by Root's comment that he had not heard any racist language used at Yorkshire.

"Rooty is a good man but it just shows how bad that institution and environment was that even a good man like him didn't see it, didn't feel like it was right to stop it probably and doesn't remember it probably because it won't mean anything to him," Rafiq said.

"The bystanders – from now on – if you continue to just be bystanders you're as much of a problem as the guys who are perpetrators."