England

Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten century led the tourists to victory, having started day four needing just 125 runs with nine wickets in hand. 

Despite the loss of Kusal Mendis (39), Sri Lanka were able to halt their seven-match losing streak in Tests against England, claiming their first win against them since June 2014.

Nissanka's unbeaten 127 from 124 deliveries also made him only the fourth batter to log a strike rate of more than 100 when scoring a ton in men's Tests.

De Silva hailed Sri Lanka's resilience in claiming the deserved victory, believing his opening batsman is the best in the business for the Lions.

"It is very special, winning in England. The boys were tough enough to handle the pressure and get into some scenarios," De Silva told BBC Sport.

"It is not comfortable. There was hard work put in by the bowlers and batters. We were there in every match - had positive points. The boys wanted to win in the end.

"Credit to all of the bowlers. They have been on target from ball one. In the second innings, they were spot on.

"He [Nissanka] was in form the last couple of years and doing well in white-ball format. He has proved he is the best opener in Sri Lanka right now."

Kamindu Mendis, who struck 113 from 183 deliveries in the Lions' five-wicket defeat in the first Test, was handed Sri Lanka's Player of the Series after the triumph.

Mendis was consistent with the bat throughout the series, scoring 267 runs across the five innings he was in at the crease. 

"It's a good win in these conditions. We did really well, especially the seamers and the batters did really well today," Mendis said.

"In these conditions, you have to face very difficult situations but I just wanted to enjoy it. That's it.

"I just made small changes, not big ones. It's a big deal but you have to be confident in your ability and enjoy your game.

"It's always a challenge facing seamers in England."

Sri Lanka's attentions will now turn to a two-match Test series on home soil against New Zealand, starting on September 18 at the Galle International Stadium.

Hunting a record-setting, seventh successive oversees T20 victory, England were put in to bat in front of a vociferous, 70,000-strong crowd in Ahmedabad, where Jason Roy's 46 was not followed up as the tourists managed a relatively modest 164-6

Ishan took the chance to shine, the 22-year-old carrying his IPL form onto the international stage with a superb innings which included five fours and four sixes.

Rishabh Pant offered a great cameo of 26 from 13, before Kohli (73), who survived a lengthy stumping review, guided India to a convincing win that ties the series at 1-1.

The captain's decision-making paid off from the outset as he bowled first and Bhuvneshwar Kumar pinned Jos Buttler leg before three deliveries in, yet cool shots from Dawid Malan (24) and Roy put England on the front foot.

With Malan going lbw on review, Bhuvneshwar took a good catch on the boundary to send Roy packing four short of his half-century, before Jonny Bairstow looped to Suryakumar Yadav.

England still looked in a strong position, yet Eoin Morgan (28) and Ben Stokes (24) failed to capitalise on sluggish bowling late on.

KL Rahul's early dismissal then represented a promising start with the ball for England, but Ishan subsequently came to the fore.

With Kohli at the other end, the debutant set about dismantling England's attack, the pair's 16 from the final over of the powerplay putting the hosts in the driving seat.

Dropped by Stokes on 40, Ishan made England pay, surpassing 50 with successive sixes off Adil Rashid, although his magnificent innings came to an end when he was trapped lbw later in the same over.

Pant picked up where Ishan left off, lashing Rashid deep into the crowd before he sent Chris Jordan for 10 from two deliveries, only to pick out Bairstow with the next ball.

Having allowed the supporting cast their moments in the spotlight, Kohli picked his time to shine, moving onto 53 with a sublime lift over the long-off boundary.

Kohli was lucky to survive after smart work from Buttler behind the stumps, but there was no doubt India deserved their success and the skipper's supreme six wrapped things up in style.
 

India's faith in youth rewarded

After suffering a comprehensive defeat in the first match, India needed a response, and in the form of Ishan, who averaged 57.33 in the IPL last year, they may well have found their next T20 superstar.

Ishan is just the second India player to score a half-century on their T20 debut, after Ajinkya Rahane, who amassed 61 against England in Manchester in 2011.

Another landmark for clinical Kohli

Kohli's record in run chases is exceptional and, while Ishan will enjoy the limelight of a special debut, India's captain ensured he was not totally outdone.

He ultimately finished as the top scorer, and his composure and clinical shot selection was displayed in all its glory by a nonchalant, flick of the wrists for a six which not only confirmed victory, but also brought up his 3,000th T20I run.

With their opening match against Scotland having yielded no result, England needed to beat Australia on Saturday to propel themselves into a strong position to progress from Group B.

Yet instead they now find themselves fourth in the group and in need of big wins over Oman and Namibia to stand a chance, while also hoping for a capitulation from Scotland, who are second.

Chasing a target of 202, England were trundling along nicely until Adam Zampa (2-28) dismissed openers Phil Salt (37) and Buttler (42) in the space of two overs.

Will Jacks did not last long as Australia severely dented England's run rate, with the further quickfire dismissals of Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali all but ending England's chances.

And when Liam Livingstone was sent packing by Patrick Cummins late in the day, England knew their hopes of making it out of the group have suddenly turned bleak.

No player scored over 50 for either team, though David Warner (39), Mitchell Marsh (35) and Travis Head (34) were the leading lights for Australia with the bat.

Data Debrief: Aussies avoid four straight losses

Australia are now well placed to push on at the T20 World Cup, and getting one over their old rivals in the process is all the sweeter.

England had won six of their last seven completed T20Is against Australia, including their last three in a row, but Marsh's team pulled out the stops to avoid a fourth straight loss.

Zampa, meanwhile, just loves this tournament. He has taken at least one wicket in each of his last 12 innings at the T20 World Cup, including two in each of his last four innings.

Chris Jordan celebrated taking his 100th T20I wicket, but it proved fruitless. 

Seeking a 3-0 whitewash with victory at Headingley, England resumed play on the third day hopeful Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Overton would steer them into a first-innings lead.

Bairstow added to his overnight 130 to go past 150 in expedient fashion and, though Overton (97) was denied a Test century on debut, England claimed a lead of 31 runs as they were bowled out for 360.

Tom Latham (76) produced his best batting effort of a difficult series, but New Zealand slumped from 152-2 to 168-5 after a rain break in the evening session to leave Mitchell and Blundell nursing a lead of 137 when rain stopped play.

Bairstow was fluent once more after the morning session got going, his 150 the second-fastest in England's Test history as it came in 144 balls.

Overton was evidently more nervous and his hopes of a hundred went when he chased an off-stump delivery from Trent Boult and edged to first slip.

Stuart Broad (42) hit a barrage of boundaries to help England beyond 350 before he and Bairstow went in successive balls, Jack Leach the last man to depart after a pair of fours.

Despite Will Young's early exit to Matthew Potts (2-20), New Zealand progressed serenely until the first ball after tea, when Overton had Latham caught behind.

A brief rain delay undid New Zealand further. Ollie Pope claimed a brilliant catch at short leg as Devon Conway fell to Joe Root and Potts drew an edge to remove captain Kane Williamson (48), with Ben Stokes' faith in Leach rewarded by the spinner dismissing Henry Nicholls (7) caught and bowled and giving Mitchell and Blundell a recovery mission.
 

Quick work for Bairstow

Bairstow, who finished with 162 from 157 balls, was the star of the show with the bat at his home ground in England's first innings.

He did most of the damage on day two but only Stokes, who did so in 135 balls against South Africa in 2016, can claim to have reached a Test 150 faster than Bairstow, who donned the wicket-keeping gloves for New Zealand's second innings due to a back problem for Ben Foakes.

Can New Zealand's dream team do it again?

Mitchell and Blundell combined for a stand of 195 in the first Test and 236 in the second. They will likely need to produce another fine partnership to help New Zealand post an imposing target for England.

Potts, who has now dismissed Williamson in three of the Black Caps skipper's four innings this series, looks in the kind of form to thwart them.

Root missed the first Test at the Rose Bowl – which the Windies won by four wickets – due to the birth of his second child.

However, the skipper has returned for the second Test, which starts at Old Trafford on Thursday, with the tourists aiming to secure their first series win in England since 1988 in the longest format.

Denly makes way, with the 34-year-old batsman having made 18 and 29 behind closed doors in Southampton.

With Root coming in at number four, Zak Crawley will move up to bat at three – the 22-year-old keeping his place in the side on the back of an impressive 76 in the second innings last week.

England have not confirmed the rest of the team, with Stuart Broad vying to be included after the experienced paceman was left out for the first Test.

England resumed on 221-3 after bad light limited Friday's play, with Ollie Pope having reached his seventh Test century shortly before stumps.

The hosts enjoyed a major reprieve early in the morning session, with Harry Brook inexplicably dropped on 12 by Asitha Fernando after skewing Milan Rathnayake's ball horribly.

Brook's luck soon ran out as Kamindu took a stunning catch off his drive, but Pope was more fortunate to survive an lbw review after appearing to have been trapped for 139 by Vishwa Fernando's delivery.

Pope made it to 154 before being caught in the deep by Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka's second wicket in three balls, as they went on to make light work of the England tail. 

Olly Stone was the pick of England's bowlers, taking 2-28 after first running out Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne, while Chris Woakes dismissed Kusal Mendis before debutant Josh Hull took his first Test wicket, ending Pathum Nissanka's brilliant knock of 64, with Woakes taking a fantastic catch at cover.

Yet Hull dropped a gilt-edged chance to send Dhananjaya packing, and the Sri Lanka captain took full advantage, moving onto 64, with Kamindu on 54 at the other end, by the time bad light stopped play with the tourists trailing by 114.

Data Debrief: Kamindu England's bogeyman

Kamindu's tally has come from just 70 deliveries, at a strike rate of 77.14. He has scored 70+ in two of his last three Test innings against England, and he is well on course to make that three from four.

England stuttered in the field after an excellent start to defending their lead, though the hosts should still be confident. After all, they are undefeated in their last eight Tests at home (W7 D1).

However, instead, the experience changed him for the better.

“The last time I was here was very tough for me, but it was a series that really changed around my career. I was young, in unfamiliar territory and I really didn’t cope very well with it, to be honest,” he said.

“But since then, I’ve been able to go away and learned a lot from my experience of here last time. I consider myself a different player to what I was three years ago. In England, batting will always be a challenge, but I think I’m ready and up for that.”

He has set himself targets that he believes has prepared to achieve on the tour in which the first Test bowls off at the Aeges Stadium in Southampton on July 8.

“I would love to score a Test hundred in England, it’s always a challenge but I think if you’re going to rate yourself as a player you have to be able to do it and I think, I’ve been putting in enough work to actually come up with something in this series,” he said.

Returning England captain Joe Root was rocked by the news that he would have to do without Jofra Archer as his side attempt to level the three-match series after the paceman breached bio-secure protocols.

Roston Chase (2-53) took two wickets in as many balls either side after lunch to reduce England to 29-2 after Jason Holder won the toss and opted to bowl under grey skies following a delayed start.

Sibley (86 not out) and Stokes, unbeaten on 59, batted with great disciplined to make it England's day in Manchester, putting on an unbroken 126 to leave Root's side 207-3 at stumps.

Holder dropped Sibley on 68, but the opener deserved that stroke of luck after showing great application to frustrate the Windies, eyeing a first Test series win in England since 1988 after their victory in Southampton last week.

The Windies pacemen were wayward when play got underway 90 minutes late due to rain, but Chase trapped Rory Burns (15) leg before on the stroke of lunch in his first over.

Chase was on a hat-trick after lunch when Zak Crawley clipped the first ball he faced to Holder at leg slip, but Sibley and Root steadied the ship with a stand of 52.

Root trudged off after edging Alzarri Joseph to Holder at second slip, but Sibley continued to dig in and Stokes launched Chase for the first six of the series down the ground in a probing final over before tea, which England took on 112-3.

Sibley brought up a hard-earned half-century off 164 balls and had a life when he nicked Shannon Gabriel - returning after a spell off the field - to Holder, but the skipper put down a straightforward chance.

Gabriel got Holder in on the action again at second slip, but this time with a huge wide, and Stokes reverse-swept Chase for four before he had his 50 off 119 deliveries in a wicket-less final session.

Stubborn Sibley stands firm

Sibley showed great powers of concentration to drop anchor for a second consecutive half-century.

The Warwickshire opener faced 253 balls and struck only four boundaries in a disciplined traditional Test match knock to close in on a second international hundred.

Stokes, captain in the absence of Root at the Rose Bowl, was also watchful and England - who recalled Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran - will be hopeful of building on the foundations laid.

Chase shows Windies are not all about pace 

Gabriel was man of the match in the first Test, but the Windies pacemen failed to make the impact Holder had in mind when he put England in on a gloomy first day.

They lacked control and did not show the threat they posed on the south coast, but Chase delivered when he has thrown the ball by Holder at the end of an hour-long first session.

The all-rounder hit Burns bang in front, the left-hander wasting a review, and saw the back of Crawley straight after lunch before generating turn without reward later in the day.

Joseph uproots England captain yet again

Windies fast bowler Joseph appears to have the measure of England captain Root.

When the returning skipper was tempted into an extravagant drive and edged to Holder it was the fourth time his last five Test knocks against the Windies he had been dismissed by Joseph.

The West Indies and England will return to international cricket with a three-Test match series, in England, next month.  With the prevalence of the coronavirus still a major concern and ongoing racial equality protests around the globe, the situation to begin the tour is anything but typical.

In a bid to mitigate the risks of exposure to COVID-19, the teams will spend the entire period of the tour in what has been termed a bio-secure environment, which will keep everyone associated with the series quarantined from the general public.  With all the distractions, Bradshaw believes the task of focusing on just cricket is likely to be tougher for the team.

“We could lose the series mentality if we are distracted before the start of that series.  So, it’s going to be incumbent on the management team to keep the guys focused,” Bradshaw told the Mason and Guest Radio program.

“These are trying circumstances that they are playing under, but they are professionals and they must act as professionals and really utilize the preparation time to the best of their advantage.”  

Stokes took the final three wickets in Cape Town as South Africa fell half an hour short of batting through day five to secure a draw that would have kept them ahead in the four-match series.

Instead, it is intriguingly poised at 1-1 and Bess does not mind that his 60 overs in the match, which went for an economical 1.98, produced just two wickets.

"It was all about trying to build up sustained pressure and I think especially in the first innings that was key," Bess told reporters.

"I could be a little bit more attacking in the second dig, but even then there wasn't a huge amount on offer from the straight.

"I'm happy bowling at one end, not picking up wickets and letting the boys do it at the other end. It is unbelievable to be a part of."

He added: "It was about putting the ball in the right place, and I got a couple of balls to bounce and take the inside edge and create chances. Some days they go to hand and some days they don't.

"When you've got guys like Stokesy at the other end and Jimmy [Anderson] and Broady [Stuart Broad] then it is phenomenal.

"I'm really happy with how I went here because I felt like I built up pressure and produced chances along the way.

"I'd love to be taking four or five wickets and being the man, but if I am producing consistently then that will come another day."

Bess played after Somerset team-mate Jack Leach was one of a host of England players to struggle with illness on the tour.

Leach may be back for next week's third Test in Port Elizabeth but Bess hopes he can hold on to the spot.

"I've got to focus on next week at PE and whether I play or not," added the 22-year-old. "I completely understand if Leachy plays, but hopefully I've put myself in a position to play.

"It has been a hell of a ride. I played the Test matches in 2018 and did alright, but then fell off the radar a little bit, and within myself I lost a lot of confidence within my game.

"Over the last two years, I've just been gradually building that back up."

England have named their 13-man group for next week's first Test against the Windies at Southampton, and there was no place for Bairstow or all-rounder Moeen Ali.

Bairstow has not played for England since making a combined 10 in his two innings of the first Test against South Africa in December, and the 30-year-old averaged only 18.55 in 10 Tests in 2019.

Jos Buttler and Ben Foakes are ahead of Bairstow in the Test pecking order, but the Yorkshireman is still a key figure for the limited-overs teams and Smith has not discounted a red-ball return in the future.

"No one doubts he is a very good cricketer across all formats and no doors are closed for him," Smith told reporters.

"We are fully aware of what he can do in Test cricket. But it is also the case that we are where we were before coronavirus caused a suspension - Jos Buttler is the man in possession and Ben Foakes was the deputy on that tour to Sri Lanka.

"I wouldn't make any presumptions in terms of anything being blocked for Jonny. There is a wide understanding of how good he is at his best.

"He is a very talented player and has played some very fine innings for England across the formats. That is not going to be forgotten.

"Jonny has had an exceptional spell of form in white-ball cricket and there is cricket to be played there, so it seemed the best arrangement for Jonny to move across to the white-ball bubble.

"With Moeen and Jonny, part of the calculation is that they have been very good performers in white-ball cricket."

Moeen's absence from the Test team stretches back to the Ashes last year as he withdrew from consideration for England's tours to New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Though he will not be involved in Southampton next week, Smith is pleased he has made himself available for Test selection again.

"We are very glad Moeen is available - he is a trusted and valued cricketer and his availability is good news for the spin department," Smith added.

Brook was omitted from the preliminary party to travel to India in the autumn last month after Test skipper Ben Stokes reversed his one-day international retirement to make himself available for the upcoming 50-over tournament.

England have until September 28 to finalise their 15-man group and Brook’s form since his snub has been scintillating with a 41-ball ton for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred followed by two wonderful Twenty20 knocks in the four-match series with New Zealand.

Brook smashed his way to a vital 67 off 36 balls in a crushing 95-run win at Old Trafford on Friday night and his white-ball captain hinted the 24-year-old could still feature at the World Cup, which begins on October 5.

“He is playing brilliantly well and I thought the way he played tonight, the other night, all credit must go to him,” Buttler told the BBC.

“There is obviously a lot of noise around the World Cup and him not being in that squad at the moment, but for him to go and play the way he does, he is no different in the dressing room – nothing seems to affect him.

“There is a long time from now until we get on the plane and you never know what can happen. At the minute he is not in the squad, but you never know what can happen.”

Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow, England’s other star performer in the second T20, admitted there was no substitute for international cricket in his bid to get his game in shape for England’s World Cup defence.

Bairstow looked in fine touch as he hit an unbeaten 86 from 60 balls to lay the platform for Friday’s victory over New Zealand.

The World Cup begins in India in just over a month’s time and, having played only four matches in the Hundred since the Ashes ended in July prior to this series, Bairstow was pleased to be back in action.

“I just wanted to play, to be quite honest with you,” said the 33-year-old.

“I wanted to be back out playing white-ball cricket because I think that the natural rhythms of the games, whether it’s T20 or 50-over cricket, is something that, especially when you’re playing internationally, is something that’s very hard to replicate.

“You can play the Hundred, you can play for Yorkshire, but the different bowlers, the pressures, the crowds, the pitches – everything that comes with playing international cricket – is very difficult to replicate.

“So I was very keen to play these T20s leading into the ODIs and then, naturally, leading into the World Cup in a few weeks’ time.”

Bairstow combined in a thrilling 131-run partnership with Yorkshire team-mate Brook from just 65 balls.

Debutant Gus Atkinson then took an impressive four for 20 as New Zealand slumped to 103 all out in reply.

They now head to Edgbaston for the third encounter of the four-match series on Sunday with a 2-0 lead after an equally-comfortable win in Durham on Wednesday.

The sides will also play four one-day internationals this month and Bairstow expects the Kiwis – coincidentally England’s first World Cup opponents in Ahmedabad on October 5 – to bite back.

“They’re a blooming good team, New Zealand,” Bairstow said. “They’ve been an exceptional team for a long period of time and we know how dangerous they can be.

“We can’t take for granted how good these two performances have been. We’ve also got to look at how good they actually are as well, but we’ve played some exceptional cricket these last two games.

“And if we can keep doing that – and keep doing that over a longer period of time – then that can only be a good thing.

“It builds confidence, it builds an environment within the dressing room that enhances people’s performances when they go out in the middle.”

England Women won the toss and elected to bat first. West Indies Women made two changes with Chedean Nation and Sheneta Grimmond replacing Britney Cooper and Aaliyah Alleyne.

Shamilia Connell had the English batters on the backfoot early in the powerplay as she removed both openers, Tammy Beaumont and Danielle Wyatt in the third over, to register a much better performance in her opening spell that what she had in the second match last Wednesday.

Deandra Dottin returned to international bowling for the first time since February 2019 when the West Indies Women played three T20I matches in Karachi Pakistan. Dottin and the other West Indies bowlers were able to constrain the English batters for most of their innings, except for the nineteenth over, when they were able to score 17 runs off Stafanie Taylor.

England Women finished their innings on 154 for 6. Nat Sciver was their top scorer with 82 followed by captain Heather Knight with 29. Shamilia Connell was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 13 from three overs, followed by Deandra Dottin with 2 for 29.

Deandra Dottin once again started the West Indies run chase in expedient fashion as she notched four boundaries inside the powerplay. But, two quick wickets of Lee Ann Kirby and Shemaine Cambelle, saw the scoring rate dip just for a moment.  Hayley Matthews, batting at number four, and Dottin started the innings rebuild. The pair posted a 48-run partnership before Matthews was trapped lbw for 21.

Dottin in her prolific return to international cricket, reached 2500 T20 International runs on her way to a West Indies Women’s top-score of 63 off 56 deliveries, which included 9-fours and a six.

West Indies were at one stage 83 for 2 in the 13th over but lost momentum in the second half of the innings and finished on 134 for 5 – 20 runs short of the target. The win gave England an unassailable 3-0 lead with two more matches to be played on Monday night and Wednesday night at the same venue.

 Scores

West Indies Women 134 for 5 from 20 overs England’s 154 for 6 from 20 overs

With scores of 69 and 38 in the T20 series so far, Dottin has looked anything but rusty.  Notably, however, the player is yet to have a turn with the ball.  Dottin, as she often has, would prove more than a valuable weapon for the West Indies with the ball as well.  In 115 matches, she has claimed 59 wickets.

Having suffered a serious injury to her right shoulder in early 2019, which required reconstructive surgery in June of last year, however, Coley insists the team is still doing recovery work with the all-rounder.

“She’s just recovered from injury.  It’s no secret that our players haven’t been able to do much for a very long time,” Coley said.

“Deandra is on a back to bowling program.  She started that whilst we were here, so she is still on that.  We need to make sure that she is 100 percent, to be able to bowl competitively.  She has been doing bowling work behind the scenes in training,” he added.

“We are comfortable in terms of where she is at, but we want to make sure that long term she is ok and she can bowl at the intensity she wants to consistently and not just for a game or two.”

Jason Holder (46) and Dowrich (47) ensured the Windies avoided the follow-on, but Stuart Broad (6-31) took all four wickets in the morning session to dismiss them for 197.

There was more pain for the tourists after England started their second innings with a lead of 162 at Old Trafford, Holder the first to be in pain after being struck on the thumb. 

The captain was able to continue, but Dowrich went off the field after a short delivery from Shannon Gabriel went through his gloves and appeared to hit him in the face.

Shai Hope initially took the gloves before the uncapped Da Silva, who will not be able to bat in the second innings, came on to take his place and soon missed a chance to stump Rory Burns.

England were 50 without loss in the afternoon session, leading by 222 runs as they bid to regain the Wisden Trophy, knowing rain is likely to wipe out day four.

Dr Gonsalves was speaking on Mason on Guest on the Voice of Barbados station on Tuesday night.

Following discussions that began at the start of the month between CWI and the England and Wales Cricket Board, it seems likely that the tour will go ahead. CWI CEO Johnny Grave alluded as much when he spoke with Sportsmax.TV recently.

“The ECB is confident that they can deliver a safe plan for bio-secure behind closed doors cricket that will meet the UK Government guidelines and will therefore likely secure their board's approval,” Grave said.

The CWI Board is expected to arrive at a decision on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Dr Gonsalves said that if CWI decides to greenlight the tour, they have his full support.

“Once the CWI is properly advised by the relevant epidemiologists and other persons dealing with the science in England and the Caribbean laying out the facts of the circumstances and the protocols to be applied; and once they are satisfied, and upon a proper interrogation of those protocols, we can send the young men representing the senior West Indies team, that they can go off in cricket battle, I have absolutely no problem with it at all,” Dr Gonsalves said.

Should the tour go ahead the West Indies will play three Tests against England in defence of the Wisden Trophy.

Uncapped 22-year-old Holder was named in the touring party following some outstanding domestic performances for Barbados Pride in the West Indies Championship.

The Barbadian gave a demonstration of his huge potential back in 2016 when the Windies won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup and could make his senior debut during a three-match series in England, which starts behind closed doors at the Ageas Bowl next Wednesday.

Former West Indies fast bowler and assistant coach Drakes has helped to nurture Holder's talent and thinks he can cause England problems if he is given an opportunity.

Drakes told Stats Perform News: "I've known Chemar from a young age, he went to school with my son, Dominic, and they have come through the system together and been part of the group of West Indies Emerging Players.

"I have done some one-to-one coaching work with him and he's got some good attributes, good skill sets. He's a hard worker and used to be a sprinter, he was a 400 metres runner and also competed in the 1500 metres.

"When he gets it right, he's consistently in the high 80s [miles per hour]. The only way to find out if he's ready is to throw him in at the deep end against England.

"He would have played against England A team last year and would have gone to England the year before that as part of the Emerging Players group, so he would have had the experience of bowling in those conditions."

Kemar Roach was among 12 members of the Windies squad who Drakes worked with before they flew out to England for the first international cricket since the coronavirus pandemic brought the vast majority of sport to a halt.

Roach was man of the series when West Indies won a Test series against England in the Caribbean last year and Drakes, who was assistant coach for that 2-1 triumph, says he can make a big impact again.

Asked if Roach will be the spearhead of the attack, he replied: "Absolutely. One of the things he did well last year was he took early wickets.

"Without giving away too much methodology in how to deconstruct the opposition gameplan and counter them, Kemar Roach has the ability to take early wickets, releasing the ball from wide of the crease and moving away from batsmen - particularly the right-handers.

"His track record against left-handers is phenomenal and England have some left-handers. Kemar and Jason [captain Holder], they set the tone along with [Alzarri] Joseph and Shannon Gabriel can be a threat with his pace and uncertainty he creates.

"It will be interesting to see if that combination can work as it did in the Caribbean."

In England's first Test since naming Stokes as captain and appointing Black Caps great Brendon McCullum as coach, New Zealand won the toss and had the opportunity to apply early pressure.

Instead, recalled veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad ripped through the top order with the help of Jonny Bairstow.

Bairstow, stationed in a slip cordon that was for so long an issue under Joe Root and Chris Silverwood, took the first three catches, including a sensational effort for the breakthrough wicket of Will Young off the bowling of Anderson.

His impeccable handling, even stooping to catch after juggling Tom Latham off Anderson, stood in stark contrast to what had gone before – England have dropped 70 catches in Tests since the start of 2021, the most of any side.

Bairstow's take from Devon Conway off Broad was far more straightforward between his legs, but New Zealand captain Kane Williamson remained in the middle as Matthew Potts – Stokes' Durham team-mate – took the ball for the first time in his Test debut.

Potts is the leading wicket taker in the County Championship this season, counting 15 top-four batters among his 35 scalps, and he required only five balls to make his mark.

New Zealand came into this match with the best batting strike rate against pace in Test cricket since the start of 2021 (55.3), but Potts' seam delivery teased an outside edge from Williamson, who was caught behind by Ben Foakes.

Potts (3-8) was not done there either, bowling through Daryl Mitchell to scatter his stumps and removing Tom Blundell, too, after earlier being denied by a successful lbw review in a sensational start for the rookie bowler, Stokes and England.

That positivity was only dampened by news of Jack Leach's withdrawal from the Test with concussion symptoms after an awkward fall while chasing a ball in the field.

After not being selected for more than three years, the big hitter made a hugely successful comeback in the international game against Pakistan in Tuesday's T20I opener.

Hales scored 53 runs off 40 deliveries and built a vital 55-run partnership with youngster Harry Brook as England chased down Pakistan's total of 158 to win by six wickets with four balls to spare.

The Nottinghamshire opener has continued to impress in franchise cricket in recent years, but he had not featured for his country since a recreational drugs ban ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which England won.

However, with Jonny Bairstow injured and Jason Roy in poor form, Jos Buttler brought Hales back into the fold for this tour.

And speaking after the opening victory, Hales was understandably delighted with his return to the international stage.

"It's a very special feeling to be back out on the park for England," he said. "Three years felt like forever. To go out and score fifty on my return, in a winning team, is the stuff dreams are made of.

"Guys have said in the past that it was never down to cricket why I missed the three years. That was never in doubt. But there were always nerves and pressure coming back after three years.

"It felt like a debut again... it feels like a dream come true to come back and contribute with a half-century in a winning team."

Of his performance, Hales added: "[It] was all about getting over the line. I wasn't quite at my fluent best, but to get fifty and steer us in the right direction meant a lot.

"There are lots of times in T20 where you don't quite feel on top of your game and you're a little bit scratchy. But the deeper you take it, the more fluent the innings becomes.

"I got a couple of boundaries away towards the end and killed the game with Harry.

"I was trying to hit boundaries; it just didn't quite happen for some reason. I didn't have quite as much strike as I would have liked. I didn't quite manage to get going in the powerplay, but that can happen.

"I still managed to dig deep and steer us in the right direction for the win."

With the T20 World Cup around the corner, Hales will look to impress in this series against Pakistan to secure his position as one of England's premier limited-overs openers. 

This series marks the first time in 17 years England have played in Pakistan, with white-ball captain Buttler no doubt impressed with how his side started despite his absence as all-rounder Moeen Ali led the tourists in Karachi. 

Hope was among the few standout players when the team played England in the 2017 series.  In fact, his two finely crafted 100s played a critical role in the team turning the tables on England for a shock victory in the second Test at Headingly.

To say Hope has struggled since then, however, could only be construed as a massive understatement.  He has averaged below 25 in 21 Tests, with no hundreds and managed scores of 16, 9, 25 and 7 in the first two Tests against England.  With the final and decisive Test on the horizon, Ambrose believes some time out of the spotlight could be good for the 26-year-old, and that on the flip side, repeated failure could permanently damage the player.

"Something has gone terribly wrong for him since those two centuries at Headingley - he hasn't done anything really in Test cricket since then," said Ambrose recently told Sky Sports.

"He is a much better player than what he is showing at the moment and is obviously very low on confidence,” he added.

"Maybe in the next game we should rest him so he can regain some confidence. If you keep playing him and he keeps failing it will only get worse. You are going to destroy him if it continues like that.”