James Anderson took a wicket on the first day of his final Test but England debutant Gus Atkinson was the star of the show at Lord's.
Paceman Atkinson took seven wickets and went for just 45 runs as England dominated the opening day against West Indies, finishing with a lead of 68.
The tourists collapsed from 88-3 to 121 all out on Wednesday, with Atkinson taking three of his seven wickets during a phenomenal 35th over.
Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva could not cope with the England new boy, who had previously dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk McKenzie, with Atkinson following up with two more wickets before Anderson sent Jayden Seales packing.
England subsequently took control with the bat, recovering from the early loss of Ben Duckett, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope taking Ben Stokes' team to 123 before the latter succumbed to an edge on 57.
Crawley (76) followed when he was done leg before wicket by Holder, but Joe Root (15 not out) and Harry Brook (25 n.o) ensured there was no further loss before the close, which England reached at 189-3.
Data Debrief: Anderson bowing out, but the future's bright
It is truly the end of an era at Lord's over the coming days, and Anderson at least has the guarantee of one wicket from his farewell Test.
He is now on 701 wickets in the longest format, and 120 of those have come at Lord's.
But Atkinson proved there is life after Anderson. His figures of 7-45 are the second best any bowler has managed on men's Test debut for England, after Dominic Cork's 7-43 at Lord's in 1995.
Lord's will play host to the end of an era this week as James Anderson plays his final Test for England.
The 41-year-old has not precisely gone out on his own terms, with the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum setup opting to move on from an all-time bowling great.
Speaking ahead of his farewell appearance against West Indies on Monday, Anderson reiterated that he was bowling as well as he ever has, but said he had "made peace" with England's decision to revamp their attack.
Now, his focus will be going out on a high as he plays his 188th and final Test on the same ground where he made his debut 21 years ago.
Ahead of an emotional few days at an iconic venue, we run through the Opta data surrounding Anderson's remarkable career.
The records
Anderson will, without a doubt, be remembered as the finest paceman England have ever produced. In fact, he is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers from any country, managing 700 dismissals in his 187 matches.
Stuart Broad, his close friend and team-mate for 138 of those contests, is a distant second with 604 in 167 outings, with Australia's Glenn McGrath (563), Windies' Courtney Walsh (519) and South Africa's Dale Steyn (439) rounding out the top five.
Among all bowlers in Test history, Anderson ranks third for wickets taken, behind Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia icon Shane Wayne (708), some way clear of Anil Kumble (619) in fourth.
Anderson also edges out Broad in England's all-time appearance charts, though he will fall short of the global Test record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who represented India 200 times between 1989 and 2013.
While Anderson's legacy in the bowling stakes is set in stone, his contributions to the tail end of the batting order should also not be forgotten.
Anderson has 1,353 Test runs in total, with 687 coming at #11. No other batter in history can match that return at the position, with his highest score – a remarkable 81 versus India at Trent Bridge in 2014 – coming when he batted last.
The highs
That haul was certainly Anderson's best moment with the bat, but what about with the ball, doing what he does best?
Anderson started as he meant to go on when making his Test bow against Zimbabwe in 2003, going 5-73 in the second innings for the first of 32 career five-wicket hauls.
His best Test figures came in September 2017, as he finished 7-42 in the third innings of a win over West Indies at Lords. His only other seven-wicket haul came in 2008 at Trent Bridge as New Zealand were vanquished.
In fact, 2017 was the most efficient year of his Test career, as he conceded just 17.6 runs per wicket taken. In no year where he played at last 10 matches did Anderson record an average worse than 33.9 (2011).
But fans will likely remember a couple of special Ashes performances most fondly.
Having played a supporting role as England won a legendary home series in 2005, Anderson had to wait a while to experience a big moment against Australia, his first real taste of the rivalry coming as England were whitewashed 5-0 down under in 2006-07.
Twelve wickets in support of Broad (18) and Graeme Swann (14) helped England reclaim the urn on home soil in 2009, but it was in 2010-11 when he really made his mark.
England had not won an Ashes series in Australia for 24 years, while some had expressed doubts over Anderson's ability to take wickets on foreign soil, but he finished with a magnificent 24 dismissals as the tourists claimed a famous 3-1 series victory.
The urn was retained on home soil in 2013, the tone being set by a nail-biting 14-run victory in the opener, with Anderson claiming a five-for in each innings.
The opponents
Anderson took 117 wickets in his 39 matches against Australia, but India were his favourite opponents, with 149 in 39 appearances against the Men in Blue.
His historic 700th wicket came against India earlier this year, with Kuldeep Yadav his victim as he became the first paceman in history to reach that landmark.
He took 103 versus South Africa, including his 100th, which came versus Jacques Kallis back in 2008.
This week's match, meanwhile, will give him the chance to add to his 87 wickets in matches versus West Indies. He previously reached the 500 mark against them in 2017, bowling Kraigg Braithwaite to kick-start that remarkable spell of 7-42.
In terms of opposition players, India's Cheteshwar Pujara is the man to have fallen victim to Anderson most often, being dismissed by him on 12 occasions between 2014 and 2022.
Lord's: A fitting farewell
Anderson may be a Lancashire lad, but one might suggest Lord's has been his spiritual home since he made his red-ball bow on the ground 21 years ago.
He has taken 199 of his Test wickets on the ground in 28 matches there. Only Sri Lanka great Muralitharan has ever taken more at a particular venue, finishing his career with 166 in 24 matches at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
If Anderson adds to that haul on his farewell appearance this week, there won't be a dry eye in the house.
England's decision to move on from James Anderson was made with the aim of preparing a new generation of bowlers for the next Ashes series, says Ben Stokes.
Anderson – England's all-time leading wicket-taker with 700 in 187 red-ball matches – will play his final Test against West Indies at Lord's this week.
The 41-year-old is not going out on his own terms, insisting on Monday that he is bowling as well as he ever has but saying he has been forced to "make peace" with the decision.
Gus Atkinson will make his Test debut against the Windies, while Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts are competing to replace Anderson when the three-match series moves to Nottingham.
England's revamp of their bowling attack comes after they failed to reclaim the Ashes on home soil last year, drawing a rain-affected series 2-2.
They head down under for the next edition in 2025-26, and Stokes says they will use the intervening time to blood a new generation of talent.
"You look at how long it's been since we've played a Test match, I think it's been five months," England's red-ball captain told reporters on Tuesday.
"When you have a lot of time off, you've got a lot of time to think about how you can take the team forward.
"I've been captain for two years, so it's about progressing this team. Especially for the first two years, we've been very focused on the here and now of what we need to do.
"But for me, I want to be able to implement stuff to push this team as far as they can go, not only as a collective but also as individuals.
"If you look at where we've got to go in 18 months' time, to Australia… we want to win that urn back.
"We've got an incredibly talented and exciting group of bowlers coming through at the moment, so giving them the experience of playing international cricket, getting Test matches under their belt, will put us in a much stronger position to win the Ashes."
Anderson's farewell comes at a venue where he has taken 119 Test wickets, the second-most of any player at a particular venue after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo (166).
"He's an amazing bowler. There's no doubt that he could still go out there and play Test cricket, because he is good enough," Stokes said of Anderson.
"But when we spoke with Jimmy, we laid it out with him and gave him our reasons, and he totally understood it.
"This week will all be about Jimmy, and rightly so, but I can tell you his main focus is about going out there, taking wickets and trying to win this game for England."
Mikyle Louis will open alongside Captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the West Indies in the first Test against England set to start on Wednesday at Lord’s.
Louis, the 23-year-old, comes into the team on the back of a brilliant season for the Leeward Islands in the 2024 West Indies Championship where he scored 682 runs in 14 innings at an average of 49.
He is coming off a first innings half-century in their warm-up game against the County Select XI last week.
Retaining their places in the order are Kirk McKenzie at three, Alick Athanaze at four and Kavem Hodge at five.
McKenzie and Athanaze scored three half-centuries between them in the warm-up fixture last week while Hodge scored a brilliant hundred so all three are coming into the first Test in some good form.
Also making their return to the West Indies test team after missing the Australia series in December are former Captain Jason Holder and young pacer Jayden Seales.
Both Holder and Seales recently enjoyed successful County Championship stints for Worcestershire and Sussex, respectively.
Gudakesh Motie will be the lone spinner in the XI while Holder and Seales will be joined in the pace attack by Alzarri and Shamar Joseph.
Josh a Da Silva also retains his place behind the stumps.
The full XI is as follows: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph
All-rounder Jason Holder and seamer Jayden Seales are both optimistic that West Indies can deliver an efficient performance to not only better England in their three-match Test series, but more importantly, to offer some semblance of upliftment to the Caribbean, which was recently brushed by Hurricane Beryl.
Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica are just a few of the islands that faced the wrath of Beryl, and West Indies players are using the setback as motivation to demonstrate the resilience and determination of Caribbean people.
Holder, who reflected on West Indies’ previous tour of England during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, believes the first step to doing their part in assisting to overcome these tough times, is to put their best foot forward in the series, which bowls off at Lord’s on Wednesday.
“The buzz around the T20 World Cup and the success of the recent past has definitely revived the cricketing lives of the people in the Caribbean. I think any bit of spark and encouragement we can give them will be through our performances and that is what we pledged as a group to try and make them as proud as possible in these tough times,” Holder said.
“So coming back here in England four years later, we’re just looking to take it one step further. We won one Test match last time out of three. Yeah, two will be a lot better on this trip,” the Barbadian noted.
“I think it’s time someone breaks the shackles and there is no better time than now for us to come here and beat England, I think that will be an absolute great feat...I believe in every individual in this group,” he added.
Seales concurred.
“We are not doing it for ourselves. We are doing it for the people back home who support us. They have been hit by the hurricane so drastically. We will try our best to make them feel a sense of pride,” the Trinidadian seamer declared.
Though West Indies will enter the series determined to retain the Richards-Botham Trophy, which they secured via a hard-fought 1-0 victory over England in the Caribbean two years ago, the odds are firmly stocked against them, as the Caribbean side has not won a Test series in England since 1988.
But, Holder, who is returning to the Test team after almost a year, pointed to their recent performances in the longest format, particularly, their historic win against Australia earlier this year, as reason to believe.
That series which ended 1-1, gave rise to fast bowling sensation Shamar Joseph, who took seven wickets to secure an eight-run win for West Indies –their haul first Test win in Australia since 1997.
“I think the guys took a lot from that Test victory in Australia and for the group, we’ve been doing some positive things over the last couple of months and as a young side, the main thing is to keep learning,” Holder said.
“We’ll be faced with different challenges here in England and it is a matter of learning from them and being better the next day. What we have in the dressing room is some special talent and it is just a matter of playing some solid cricket and just believing,” he reasoned.
Having opted out of that Australia series to focus on T20 opportunities, Holder expressed his delight at being back in the fold.
“For me it gave me a renewed energy to come back to the group and try to be a part of something special again. I’m just happy that I’ve been able to still get the body up and going and being up for the challenge here. I missed Test cricket. This is my first Test match in a long time, so I’m looking forward to it,” Holder shared.
“We’re just here to play a good competitive series and we’re coming out to win this series. For me it’s not about Jimmy [Anderson] with all due respect. For me it’s about my contribution to the team and making sure each and every one is on point at the start of the first Test match and let’s play some solid cricket. Everything else around it is secondary in my mind,” he ended.
Pace bowler Gus Atkinson and wicket-keeper Jamie Smith will make their Test debuts for England against West Indies on Wednesday in what will be James Anderson's farewell at Lord's.
Anderson is preparing for his 188th and final Test this week as England start their three-match series against the Windies.
England's all-time leading wicket-taker will be joined by two new faces, however, as Surrey duo Atkinson and Smith have been named in Ben Stokes' confirmed XI.
Smith has got the nod ahead of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes, who were both left out of Brendon McCullum's red-ball squad, while Atkinson will join Anderson and Chris Woakes in the bowling attack.
Shoaib Bashir, selected in the England squad ahead of his Somerset team-mate Jack Leach, will play his first home Test after the off-spinner won three caps on the India tour.
Stokes' team remains otherwise the same, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett opening ahead of Ollie Pope, with Joe Root, Harry Brook and the England captain making up the middle order.
England XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.
James Anderson has accepted England's decision to move on from him ahead of his final Test appearance, despite believing he is bowling as well as he ever has.
Anderson will play his 188th and final Test this week as England take on West Indies at Lord's, after Brendon McCullum's set-up opted to evolve their bowling attack.
The 41-year-old is the leading wicket-taker among pacemen in Test history, with 700 dismissals in 187 red-ball matches, and has been a fixture in the England attack since his 2003 debut.
Though he says it was not his decision to end his international career, he understands why England are moving on.
"I haven't really got a choice! It's been a pretty strange couple of months but I feel pretty happy with where things are," Anderson said on Monday.
"I can completely understand the way the management and the team want to go. I have made peace with that and we will see what the future holds."
Anderson took seven wickets for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship last week, and he feels he is still capable of contributing despite his age.
"Coming off a seven-for last week I still feel I am bowling as well as I ever have but I knew it had to end at some point," he added.
"Whether it's now, a year or two years... the fact that it is now is just something I have to deal with and accept.
"I don't have any regrets. I have played hundreds of games for England, in both white ball and red ball. I have played longer than a lot of people get the opportunity to do.
"I have played with a lot of people more talented than me who didn't get the chance to play due to injury or whatever, so I feel blessed to take the amount of wickets I have."
The three-day warm-up match between the touring West Indies and a County Select XI ended in a draw on Friday.
The tourists entered day three at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham on 57-2, leading by 23 runs in their second innings.
They eventually progressed to 196-5 off 44 overs before declaring, leaving the County Select XI needing 163 to win.
The West Indian second innings batting effort was led by a well-compiled 66* from Alick Athanaze, his second half-century of the game.
The 25-year-old Dominican faced 99 balls, hitting 11 fours in the process.
He was well supported by wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva who finished not out on 51 off 69 balls including six fours.
Medium pacer Sonny Baker took 2-49 off eight overs for the Select XI.
The hosts then lost a pair of early wickets before play was brought to a close due to rain with them on 30-2 in the 11th over.
The West Indies will now turn their attention to the first Test against England which starts on Wednesday, July 10 at Lord’s.
Full Scores:
West Indies 339 off 72.1 overs (Kavem Hodge 112, Alick Athanaze 74, Kirk McKenzie 73, Mikyle Louis 50, Farhan Ahmed 4-48, John Turner 4-60) & 196-5 dec. off 44 overs (Alick Athanaze 66*, Joshua Da Silva 51, Mikyle Louis 28, Sonny Baker 2-49)
County Select XI 373-4 dec. off 85 overs (William Luxton 112*, Hamza Shaikh 84, Tom Prest 53, Harry Duke 46*) & 30-2 off 10.3 overs
West Indies battling legend and former Test captain Brian Lara is optimistic that the Caribbean side’s inexperienced battling line up can stand tall to the demands as much will be required of them in the Three-Test series against England, which bowls of next Wednesday.
In fact, Lara pointed out that a technical and tactical approach will be integral to West Indies chances, especially given the strength of England’s line up, coupled with their aggressive approach and home conditions at Lord’s, which they will relish.
With that in mind, Lara believes the best way to defend against the opponent’s strengths is to take an attacking approach in the field.
“I think more important is how the bowlers and the captain handle it in the field because we have to stay positive. We have to stay aggressive in terms of having attacking fields, having players in attacking positions, because the way they (England) bat, England are going to have you pushing players out on the boundary – which is what they want,” Lara said during a recent interview with Sky Sports.
“You push your deep cover back or your third man back, your deep backward square back, it creates opportunities for them to get singles – four, five singles an over is actually great scoring. We’ve got to be very technical and tactical in terms of how we approach this series,” he added.
Unlike England, who has upped their game in Test cricket to what has been labelled ‘Bazball’ under Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, West Indies has been quite the opposite.
England’s alteration has resulted in them now playing an attractive brand of aggressive cricket, particularly with the bat.
West Indies, on the other hand, have been more traditional, and Lara is of the view that the regional side should remain on the same path, instead of attempt to adopt England’s style of play.
“I don’t think first of all, as a batting team, that (aggression) is our style, which actually is a little bit of a negative. If you’re going to come up against a side that’s scoring at five and six runs an over and you’re just going to score at 2.5, three runs an over, that in itself is asking for trouble,” Lara reasoned.
“England is playing a style of cricket that is difficult to beat them, coming from behind. We’ve got to get them out cheaply in the first innings to stay in front of the game. If you get behind England – with the pace they play the game at – it’s impossible to get back into the game,” he noted.
Despite the loss of Kemar Roach to a knee injury, Lara, 55, said he is more concerned about the batting.
“I’m not worried too much about Kemar Roach missing out or the bowling attack. I think the bowling attack is pretty formidable,” he declared.
“I think the batting is where the experience is lacking. They’re trying, the batters are trying, but it’s the fact that, how much experience have they had in English conditions. So I’m hoping we can pull through in that department,” Lara ended.
The West Indies began their tour of England with a resolute batting performance in their warm-up match against an FCC XI at Beckenhem, finishing the opening day on a high note. Led by Kavem Hodge's commanding century, they posted a formidable total of 339 in their first innings.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the visitors faced early adversity with Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Zachary McCaskie departing cheaply, leaving them struggling at 10 for two. However, debutant Mikyle Louis and Kirk McKenzie steered the innings back on track with a crucial 106-run partnership for the third wicket. Louis impressed with a composed half-century, scoring 50 before he was dismissed.
McKenzie continued to build on the foundation laid by Louis, playing fluently to score 73 valuable runs. His partnership with Hodge, who anchored the innings superbly, proved pivotal as they added 138 runs together. Hodge, displaying both patience and aggression, reached his century with a confident six off Farhan Ahmed, setting a strong platform for his team.
Following a rain interruption, the West Indies' middle and lower order faced a testing period, losing wickets in quick succession. Despite the lower-order collapse, Hodge stood tall, guiding his team past the 300-run mark. His innings finally came to an end when he was dismissed for a well-made 112, the last wicket to fall as the West Indies were bowled out for 339 from 72.1 overs.
John Turner was the pick of the bowlers for FCC XI, claiming four wickets for 60 runs, while Ahmed also made significant contributions with his four-wicket haul costing 48 runs.
The day's play showcased the West Indies' resilience and depth in their batting lineup, with partnerships crucial in steering them towards a competitive total. As they continue their preparations for the upcoming series against England, this performance will serve as a confidence booster and provide valuable insights into the conditions and opposition.
At stumps FCC XI were 15-0. Ben McKinney is 11 not out and with him is Harry Singh.
The T20 World Cup came to a thrilling conclusion over the weekend, with India clinching their second title by beating South Africa.
Rohit Sharma's side claimed a seven-run win over the Proteas in Barbados on Saturday.
Virat Kohli turned on the style at just the right time, while Jasprit Bumrah starred with the ball.
But what about the standout statistics when looking back at the tournament as a whole?
Afghanistan duo top the charts
Afghanistan were the unlikely semi-finalists as they finished second in Group 1 of the Super 8s, ahead of Australia.
And their deep run owed much to the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with the bat and Fazalhaq Farooqi with the ball.
Gurbaz finished as the tournament's top scorer, with 281 runs across his eight innings - an average of 35.12. He had a strike rate of 124.33 and a high score of 80, hitting three half-centuries and plundering 16 sixes and 18 fours.
India captain Rohit was second on the list, 24 runs back (257), with Australia's Travis Head third with 253, though they both boasted a better strike rate than Gurbaz (156.7 and 158.38 respectively).
Farooqi, meanwhile, took a tournament-leading 17 wickets, a tally he shared with India's Arshdeep Singh.
However, while Singh went for 215 runs from his 30 overs, Farooqi conceded just 160 runs from his 25.2 overs, for a bowling economy of 6.31.
Farooqi also finished with the best figures for a single match, taking 5-9 against Uganda on June 3.
India's hero Bumrah, meanwhile, finished with figures of 15-124, while South Africa paceman Anrich Nortje took 15-201.
Pooran the entertainer
West Indies could not get over the line in their home tournament, but that was not for the efforts of Nicholas Pooran, who proved to be the World Cup's great entertainer.
If Pooran was involved, you could bet there would be fun, as he smashed 17 sixes across his seven innings.
He also claimed the tournament's highest score, with his 98 from just 53 balls against Afghanistan on June 17, as the Windies set the highest score of the competition (218-5).
That knock included a remarkable eight maximums, so essentially half of Pooran's total.
Australia's Head struck the most fours (26), while South Africa skipper Aiden Markram was the one to avoid in the field when hitting big.
Markram took eight catches in nine matches, leading the tournament ahead of Harry Brook, Tristen Stubbs and Glenn Maxwell (all seven).
Records tumble in the final
Kohli smashed 76 runs from 59 balls in the final, helping India reach 176-7 - that is the highest score in a men's T20 World Cup final.
India's former captain had managed just 75 runs combined across his previous seven innings before the final, but came into form at the right time.
However, he bowed out of the shortest format having become just the third player to score more than 50 runs in multiple men's T20 World Cup finals, after Marlon Samuels and Kumar Sangakkara.
Yet South Africa looked all set to claim the trophy as they started the chase brilliantly, with Heinrich Klaasen reaching 50 from just 23 deliveries.
It is the fastest half-century in a men's T20 World Cup final, with Klaassen overtaking the previous record, set by Mitchell Marsh in 2021, by eight balls.
But from needing 30 runs from as many deliveries, South Africa collapsed, and India became the third team to win the T20 World Cup on multiple occasions, after West Indies and England.
England have confirmed their squad for the first two Tests of the three-match series against West Indies.
James Anderson will bring the curtain down on his stellar career after the first Test at Lord's, which starts on July 10.
Anderson has taken 700 Test wickets, the most of any fast bowler in the history of the format.
But with the 41-year-old bowing out, England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum also have an eye on the future of their bowling attack.
Fast bowler Dillon Pennington and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith have earned their maiden call-ups, while Gus Atkinson could be in store for his first cap, after he was included in the squad that toured India earlier this year but did not feature.
Chris Woakes, meanwhile, returns to the fold for the first time in a Test squad since last year's Ashes, and Shoaib Bashir has got the nod over Jack Leach.
This squad will cover the second Test, at Trent Bridge, though a new selection is set to be made before the final match, which will start at Edgbaston on July 26.
Ollie Robinson, Ben Foakes, Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been left out, though the latter three have been involved in England's T20 World Cup campaign.
England squad for first two Tests: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced an updated 15-member squad for the three-Test Richards Botham series in England, starting on 10 July 2024 at Lord's.
The squad features one significant change: Kemar Roach has been replaced by St. Kitts & Nevis’ fast bowler, Jeremiah Louis due to Roach's ongoing rehabilitation from a knee injury sustained during the County Championship in England.
Lead Selector the Most Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes remarked, “Kemar’s skill and experience in English conditions will be missed. However, this opportunity has been long in the making for Jeremiah Louis, he certainly has the skill and experience to make an impact in England.”
The Richards Botham series, named after West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards and England great Lord Ian Botham, is a historic rivalry dating back to 1928 when the West Indies first toured England.
West Indies Test Squad:
19-year-old fast bowler Isai Thorne will join the squad as a development player.
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Andre Coley, Team Manager: Rawl Lewis, Assistant Coaches: Jimmy Adams, Rayon Griffith, Shaun Tait, Physiotherapist: Dr. Denis Byam, Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ronald Rogers, Team Masseuse: Fitzbert Alleyne, Team Analyst: Avenesh Seetram.
The squad have been in a training camp at Tonbridge School and will play a 3-day warm-up match against the England Lions at Beckenham starting on 4 July.
Fixtures for England series:
Wednesday 3 July 2024 3-Day Warm-Up Match Beckenham
Wednesday 10 July 2024 1st Test Match Lord’s
Thursday 18 July 2024 2nd Test Match Trent Bridge
Friday 26 July 2024 3rd Test Match Edgbaston
Aiden Markram was in no mood to celebrate despite helping South Africa secure their place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
The Proteas earned a three-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
South Africa restricted their opponents to 135-8, but lost Reeza Hendricks (1) and Quinton de Kock (7) in the second over before Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the ship.
Marco Jansen was the man to get them over the line, holding his his nerve and hitting a six to secure the triumph with five balls of the contest remaining.
"A lot of relief to get through to the semi-final," captain Markram, who scored 18 runs from 22 balls, said after the encounter.
"But I'm not going to be brainwashed by that, we'd have liked to be a lot more convincing in getting the job done.
"It's been the story of our competition to get ourselves into tricky situations then by hook or by crook, get over the line."
For the West Indies, the defeat ended their hopes of claiming a third T20 World Cup title, having lost to England and overcoming fellow co-hosts the United States in their Super 8 fixtures.
"Credit to the boys, they fought to the very end. As a batting group, best to forget, the middle overs especially," Windies captain Rovman Powell said.
"When you look on a large scale, we haven't reached the semis. But the cricket we've played in the last 12 months is commendable. To move from number nine to number three in the world, there's a lot of buzz in West Indies cricket.
"When we hear the anthem play we hear something, we're heading in the right direction."
West Indies’ ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign came to an end on June 23, when the co-hosts suffered a narrow defeat to South Africa in their final Super Eights fixture.
After an exceptional start in the first round, having gathered all eight points from their four matches to top Group D, and making into the Super Eights as a serious title contender, West Indies witnessed a dip in form against England, and South Africa. This cost them their semi-final berth.
Still, captain Powell is proud of how the team progressed throughout the year, moving up the ladder to third place in June 2024 [a recent loss saw them drop a position] in the ICC Men’s T20 International Team Rankings.
“I think the cricket we have played in the last 12 months or so is commendable," stated Powell in the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Credit has to be given to the team. If you can take a year to move from number nine to number three in the world, that's tremendous work."
West Indies put up quite a show during the tournament, with a number of home players firing up the crowd's imagination. There were brilliant wins over New Zealand and Afghanistan.
The West Indies captain shared his joy in seeing a lot of buzz around the Caribbean again.
“We haven't won the World Cup, but there was a lot of improvement. There's a lot of buzz around the Caribbean again about West Indies cricket. We have done some very good things over the last 12 months.”
“Now is where the work starts. It's for us to continue to work as a group, still be tight, and hopefully, just hopefully, we can continue to climb the rankings and make the Caribbean people proud.”
Powell acknowledged the support they received on and off the field during the home World Cup and identified it as a sign that the team was headed in the right direction.
“That (the support) has been fantastic. For all the venues that we have played, for all the social media likes and stuff that people have given us, we as a team really appreciate it.”
Emphasizing on comeback of the West Indies’ cricketing culture, he added, “It's good to see that some buzz is back in the Caribbean for cricket, because we know how long that has died down. Now people are rallying around the West Indies as they do. Now, when we hear the anthem play, as players we feel something. I think that is heading in the right direction.”
The Windies succumbed to a disheartening loss against South Africa to step back from the tournament as they failed to defend a target of 123, in 17 overs (DLS).
A poor batting display kept them restricted to 135 runs in 20 overs, with Roston Chase (52 runs in 42 balls) bagging himself a half century. With the ball, Alzarri Joseph, Andre Russell, and Chase did an excellent job picking up a total of seven wickets between them but thanks to a composed finish from Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, the South Africans took home a three-wicket win with five balls to spare.
Though dismayed at this outing, Powell credited his side for their spirit.
“As a batting group, this is one batting performance we'll try our best to forget. I think we didn't bat well in the middle overs especially," Powell said.
"You see both teams bat on the wicket. Obviously, it wasn't an easy wicket, especially to get started. I think it was a commendable bowling effort. 130 (135) at the halfway mark, we said we're just going to give it our all, whatever happens, happens.
"Credit has to be given to the guys at the halfway mark. They believed, even though it was only 135. They fight to the very end."
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