England won the toss and will bat on Tuesday on the first day of a three-test series against West Indies in the Caribbean.
England captain Joe Root said he based his decision on observing a dry pitch that is likely to deteriorate over the course of the match at Viv Richards Stadium in North Sound on the island of Antigua.
Some two months after an ignominious 4-0 drubbing by Australia in the Ashes, England are looking to bounce back without stalwart pace bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.
They have taken a combined 1,177 career test wickets but were overlooked for the series.
The first test will provide a big clue as to whether England’s dismal away record against West Indies will continue.
They have won only one series there in the past half century, although West Indies are also facing their own share of problems.
West Indies flew home from their tour of India last month without a single victory, losing both the one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 international (T20I) series 3-0 as their batters failed to impress.
The first test in Antigua will be followed by tests in Barbados (March 16-20) and Grenada (March 24-28). The three-match series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship.
TEAMS:
West Indies:
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), John Campbell, Shamarh Brooks, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Veerasammy Permaul, Jayden Seales
England:
Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Joe Root(c), Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Jack Leach
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina)
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