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England's Ravi Bopara - Source: Getty Images -
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West Indies defend the Wisden trophy for the first time since 2000 in the two-Test series against England starting at Lord's on Thursday.
Captains
Two left-handed openers of markedly differing styles captain the opposing teams.
West Indies are led by Chris Gayle, who arrived in England on Tuesday after fulfilling his obligations with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Andrew Strauss skippers England following the sudden resignation of Kevin Pietersen before the Caribbean tour.
Gayle, tall, strong and impassive, is evolving into an impressive test opener after making his name in one-day cricket.
Strauss's somewhat bland public persona conceals a disciplined and determined cricketer who averages 61 as Test captain, 20 runs above his average as a player only.
Opening bowlers
Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are the most threatening opening partnership West Indies have fielded since Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh ceased bowling in tandem in 2000.
Diminutive in comparison to those two giants, Edwards, with his slingshot action, is capable of extreme pace and Taylor's whippy delivery generates pace and late movement.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad are likely to take the new ball for England after their whole-hearted efforts on dispiriting pitches in the Caribbean this year.
Preparation
West Indies have been given three warmup matches, generous by the standards of modern tours, but failed to reach 250 in three of four innings.
Paul Collingwood, who will captain England in next month's Twenty20 World Cup, will take the field without playing a single innings in the IPL while Kevin Pietersen was dismissed twice for a duck.
Prospects
England will start favourites against a batting lineup heavily dependent on Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and the adhesive Shivnarine Chanderpaul in spring conditions which should favour swing and seam.
However, the Lord's pitch has not yielded a result other than a draw since 2005 when Australia's Glenn McGrath proved unplayable in the first Ashes test.
Teams
England will play five bowlers and are likely to opt for off-spinner Graeme Swann ahead of left-armer Monty Panesar. West Indies, with all players fit and available for selection, will assess the conditions on Tuesday before making a decision.
England: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss (captain), Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, James Anderson, Monty Panesar.
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Dale Richards, Andrew Richardson, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor. Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia), Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka).
