Low status but high stakes for England

Far away from the excitement of the World Cup, far away from the glamour of the IPL, two former prize-fighters find themselves trading blows way down the card at a stadium way out of town.

Many insist that Test cricket is the primary form of the game, but it will not feel like it in the coming days. With the eyes of the cricketing world trained, it seems, far more on India than the Caribbean, we are reminded, once again, of the fading draw of the longest format. Those who deny it are deluding themselves and doing the game a disservice. Only the enduring passion of the Barmy Army and their ilk will prevent this series taking place in near-empty stadiums.

Yet there is much at stake for two teams who find themselves, yet again, at the start of a rebuilding phase. And much to savour, too.

Phil Simmons must feel more like a triage nurse than a cricket coach. Barely a week into the job of West Indies coach, it falls to him to arrest the decline of Caribbean cricket. It is an enormous task requiring cultural change and heavy investment of every type. He will need patience and time and money.

Money could be the scarcest resource of all. The debt incurred by the abandonment of the tour to India - a reckless act that could yet have far-reaching consequences - will not go away and leaves the WICB reliant on the goodwill of the BCCI. While they have been blameless to this point, it is an uncomfortable position.

There were, no doubt, faults on the part of the union, the board and the players, but it remains an unamusing irony that, while several of those who incurred the debt fill their pockets in the IPL, the new generation will be paying for it.

Yet Simmons has the raw resources to succeed. In the likes of Shai Hope - a batsman who won a cricket scholarship to St Bede's School in Sussex and has the temperament and technique to bat all day - Kraigg Brathwaite, an opening batsman good enough to score a Test century in South Africa, Carlos Brathwaite, a strong seamer with the work-ethic to match, and Jason Holder, whose batting may one day out-shine his bowling, they have the nucleus of a young team that could serve them for a decade or more.

Not all will play here. The smart move, in an Antiguan landscape blighted by drought, might be to include a second spinner in the leggie Devendra Bishoo, who claimed 10 wickets in his last first-class match and took a six-wicket haul in his last innings on this ground, less than two months ago. England's ability to play legspin remains questionable and it seems likely that pitches will remain low, slow and encourage attritional cricket. It is hardly surprising that Caribbean spectators, brought up to expect fast bowling and aggressive batting, now stay away in their droves.

Simmons might consider his position relaxed compared to his England counterpart. Peter Moores, despite victories in England's last three Tests, goes into this series with his job on the line. The failure of the World Cup campaign and the stubborn refusal to accept that Alastair Cook's form was hindering their limited-overs plans has damaged his credibility. Some believe his fate is already sealed.

Certainly he is receiving little assistance from the new CEO and incoming chairman of the ECB. After Colin Graves unhelpfully suggested that West Indies are a "mediocre" team who should be well beaten, it emerged that meetings have been held with Michael Vaughan - who only a month ago called for Moores to be "removed" as coach and given a job "with kids" instead - with a view to appointing a successor to Paul Downton. If Graves was trying to undermine Moores, he can consider it a job well done.

In the longer term, the ECB need to decide what they require from a head coach or managing director. While there may be a case to employ someone to organise central contracts, plan tours and the integration of age-group teams and county cricket, noises from the ECB suggest they are more interested in a media-facing personality who will provide another voice in the dressing room and pick the team. If so, the role will dance all over the feet of the head coach; a job the ECB are reducing to the level of a piñata.

Moores can point to real progress with the Test team. The emergence of Gary Ballance and Moeen Ali, the development of Jos Buttler and Joe Root, and the arrival of Chris Jordan and return of Ben Stokes give England the spine of a talented, young team. But it was noticeable that Buttler, with all of three Test caps, found himself on the front row of a squad picture earlier this week.

Moores needs time, just as whoever takes the job from him would need time. He will be criticised for not being more positive and picking Adil Rashid in this game. But anyone who saw Rashid bowl on the Lions tour in South Africa or in the warm-up match against St Kitts will know that he is not currently in the form to select. James Tredwell is, in many ways, a modest cricketer, but he is bowling nicely at present and, with strong winds helping his drift, he might just do a decent job here.

It remains likely that Moeen will replace him for the second Test. Moeen will be thoroughly inspected by various physios after the County Championship match against Yorkshire finishes on Wednesday and, if he is deemed to be fit, should meet up with the squad by the end of the week.

There are more serious questions to ask of the senior players. It is almost two years since Alastair Cook has scored a Test century - though three of his last four Test innings have been half-centuries - and Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad also have much to prove. Cook, at least, looks in fine form in training. With a more open stance - the result of several weeks work with Graham Gooch, who was sacked as England's batting coach following the Ashes debacle - and a mind rested from the travails of captaining the ODI side, Cook looks better than he has for some time. Possibly since the India tour in 2012.

But while West Indies go into the series with expectations lowered by years of disappointment, England go in knowing failure will not be accepted. For Moores, in particular, the stakes are high.