England favourites against fragile West Indies

After witnessing the sorry state of cricket in the West Indies, David Gower finds himself longing for the eighties. He writes in the Sunday Times about feeling nostalgic about 5-0 blackwashes and facing Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Co.

Playing in the West Indies in those days, one had to endure the test of “pace like fire”, one of the catchphrases of the time, while attempting to appreciate the vibrant atmosphere of the grounds and the unquenchable enthusiasm of the fans. ... Nowadays the fire of West Indies cricket, on the field and in the stands, has been quenched. There are still fireworks to be seen from Chris Gayle’s bat, and once again there is some pace in the attack, but it does not come with the quality stamp of the 1980s.

With problems for the West Indies in both the batting and bowling departments, England are strong favourites to prevail in the Caribbean, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.

It's a view that's shared by Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times. He wonders which of England's five fast bowlers will be excluded from the XI for the first Test.

He also believes England must find a way to dismiss Shivnarine Chanderpaul on his home turf if they are to succeed, but it will certainly not be an easy task