England bat against West Indies in second Test

LEEDS, United Kingdom: England captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat against the West Indies in the second Test at Headingley on Friday.

England made one change from the side that thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 209 runs as they won the inaugural day/night Test in Britain inside three days at Edgbaston on Saturday, with fit-again all-rounder Chris Woakes replacing seamer Toby Roland-Jones.

A straw-colored pitch and blue skies overhead appeared to promise ideal batting conditions for England, who piled up a mammoth 514 for eight declared batting first at Edgbaston.

“It looks a good pitch,” said Root, leading England on his Yorkshire home ground for the first time, at the toss.

“It’s about setting the tone again and making a big first-innings score,” he added.

As for the lone change to the England side, Root said: “It’s not been a straightforward decision to bring in Chris Woakes because Toby Roland-Jones has done really well. It’s a good selection headache to have.”

West Indies, 1-0 down in the three-match series, responded to their humiliating defeat by bringing back fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who is back to fitness and bowled 24 no-balls in a warm-up match against Derbyshire, and legspinner Devendra Bishoo in place of pacemen Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins.

“We’d probably have had a bat too,” said West Indies captain Jason Holder, whose fledgling side have come under fire from all quarters since their Edgbaston loss.

“I have stayed away from the criticism,” allrounder Holder added. “I stay away from it and worry about the things I can control on the field.”

Root needs one score of fifty or more in this match to equal AB de Villiers’s all-time record of making fifties in 12 successive Tests.

England have won their last two Tests against the West Indies at Headingley by an innings.

In 2000 the West Indies were bowled out for just 61 and lost inside two days, while in 2007 England won by an innings and 283 runs — the heaviest defeat the West Indies have suffered.