10 Bold Predictions for England's Test Series with West Indies
After a disappointing World Cup campaign, England now switch their focus to Test cricket.
A tour in the Caribbean marks the start of a packed fixture list for Alastair Cook's side in 2015, including an Ashes series on home soil.
They are also due to play New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa in the longest form of the game over the next 12 months.
First, though, they take on West Indies in three, back-to-back Tests.
With the opening match getting underway in Antigua on April 13, here are 10 bold predictions for the series.
Do you agree with some of them? Do you have a bold prediction of your own?
Feel free to leave your thoughts via the comments section.
1. Alastair Cook Will Score a Test Hundred
This prediction hardly seems bold when you consider Alastair Cook has already scored 25 Test centuries in his career.
However, the England skipper has found big scores hard to come by in recent times.
He last reached three figures when representing his country in Test cricket in May 2013, hitting 130 against New Zealand at Headingley.
Since then, the left-hander has played in 17 matches without adding to his tally of hundreds.
To say he is due a century is an understatement, and he should enjoy the slow, low pitches now found in the Caribbean. Cook can fill his boots, allowing him to focus on his team rather than his own form.
2. England Will Still Be Unsure of Cook's Opening Partner
Finding a replacement for former captain Andrew Strauss at the top of the order has been a major headache for the England selectors.
Several players have been tried in the role, the last of them being Sam Robson during the home series against Sri Lanka and India last year.
However, the Middlesex opener did not make the trip to the Caribbean.
Instead, left-hander Adam Lyth has been rewarded for a fine domestic campaign with Yorkshire (he scored 1,489 runs in the LV= County Championship).
England also handed a recall to Jonathan Trott, who has not played international cricket since departing the last Ashes tour in 2013 due to a stress-related illness.
While he has previously batted at three in Tests, it seems he will have to open now to get a place in the team.
Worryingly, though, he twice failed in the final warm-up match, against a St Kitts Invitational XI, ahead of the Test series.
The selectors will be desperately hoping one of Lyth or Trott shows enough to become Cook's regular opening partner by the time Australia arrive in England.
3. Ben Stokes Starts to Fulfil His All-Round Potential
Ben Stokes looked set to become a regular for England when he made a century in just his second Test appearance.
The all-rounder's knock of 120 against Australia in Perth was one of the few highlights of a disastrous Ashes tour.
Since then, however, Stokes has played just four more Test matches.
His last three innings in the longest form of the game were all ducks, while he didn't help his cause by missing the start of the last English season after fracturing his hand punching a locker.
But with the ability to bat in the top six and quick enough to be a frontline seamer, Stokes is a ridiculously talented player.
The tour to the Caribbean gives him another chance to shine—this time, he will take it.
4. Peter Moores Will Keep His Job
The last time England toured West Indies just before an Ashes series, Peter Moores never made the trip.
He was due to be in charge in 2009, only for a breakdown in his relationship with captain Kevin Pietersen costing both men their jobs.
Fast forward to 2015 and Moores could well have been ousted again before making it to the Caribbean, having overseen a miserable World Cup campaign that saw England fail to make it out of their group.
In the end, it was managing director Paul Downton who paid the price for the dismal performances in the 50-over competition.
Still, Michael Vaughan is the favourite to fill the new role of director of cricket, per Scyld Berry in The Telegraph, and the former England skipper admitted in his column for The Telegraph that he and Moores "clashed as personalities" during their time working together, so the latter cannot afford a poor tour.
The pressure is on Moores, and he must get his players to produce.
5. A Triple Hundred Is on the Cards
The last time England toured West Indies, they lost the Test series 1-0.
They fell behind early after being bowled out for 51 in the first Test in Jamaica and were unable to get back on level terms.
The pitches did not help their cause. Bat most definitely dominated ball during the series, particularly in the fourth Test in Barbados.
England made 600 for six declared in the first innings, only for the hosts to reply with 749 for nine thanks in large part to Ramnaresh Sarwan's 291.
The two teams will meet at the Kensington Oval again this time around—don't rule out someone going even bigger than Sarwan's score in 2015.
6. England Will Have to Send for Reinforcements
England may be planning for an Ashes summer, but there will be little time for reflection in between the three matches in the Caribbean.
The fixtures have been sandwiched close together, with only three days separating the first and second Tests before a five-day break ahead of the final Test in Barbados.
Such a busy schedule will lead to concerns over players being overworked, particularly the fast bowlers.
They already had a scare in their final warm-up fixture when Stuart Broad hurt his ankle, per BBC Sport.
Broad, along with fellow seamer James Anderson, is crucial to England, and the management team will not take any risks with key personnel.
Several seamers in county cricket should check their passports are still in date just in case they get an emergency call.
7. Adil Rashid Will Struggle to Make an Impact
An excellent season with Yorkshire earned Adil Rashid a place in England's squad for the tour.
The leg-spinning all-rounder picked up 46 wickets and scored 577 runs in four-day action, helping his home county win the county title in 2014.
Those numbers were good enough to merit a return to the international fold—Rashid has played in five one-day games and four Twenty20 fixtures for England.
He has not, however, had the chance to impress in Test cricket.
Moeen Ali's absence at the start of the series may open the door for Rashid, though the former is set to join up with the squad in time for the second Test, per George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo.
Rashid will therefore be under pressure to perform if he is selected in the opening match.
The match in Antigua could prove to be his one and only shot at showing the selectors what he can do.
8. There Will Be Promising Signs for West Indies
Since the start of 2010, West Indies—once the dominant force in world cricket—have won 11 Test matches.
However, five of those victories came against Bangladesh. Their last series saw them comfortably beaten 2-0 away in South Africa.
The numbers suggest new head coach Phil Simmons, who has returned home after a successful spell in charge of Ireland, has plenty of work to do.
The formation of the Caribbean Professional League should help in nurturing domestic talent, and long-time broadcaster Tony Cozier wrote for ESPN Cricinfo that there were players of promise emerging.
West Indies named the uncapped quartet of Carlos Brathwaite, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich and Shai Hope in a 20-man training squad for the series with England.
It must be hoped that the influx of fresh faces, plus the input of Simmons, will give West Indies a fresh start.
9. It Will Be Denesh Ramdin's Last Series in Charge
Denesh Ramdin will lead West Indies into battle against England—and it will be his last series in the job.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in charge for eight matches. He has won three of them, although two of those victories did come on home soil against Bangladesh.
However, at 29, he has plenty of battle scars from a disappointing period in the team's history.
He could even find his place under threat, with the uncapped duo of Shane Dowrich and Shai Hope both able to keep wicket.
Jason Holder captained West Indies in the Cricket World Cup and seems to be the man in waiting for the job in all formats.
It is up to Ramdin to prove he should carry on in charge, and that may not be easy to do against an England team eager to gain some momentum at the start of a huge year.
10. Kevin Pietersen Will Make Sure He's Still a Talking Point
While England are away, Kevin Pietersen will continue his bid to earn an international recall by playing domestic cricket.
The batsman has signed a deal with Surrey for the 2015 season, opting for a county comeback rather than heading for the Indian Premier League.
It is hard to see where Pietersen would fit into England's middle order right now, considering the performances of Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root and Moeen Ali over the last year.
However, the right-hander can make a compelling case for a return to the fold by piling on the runs at the start of the summer.
Surrey start their four-day campaign against Glamorgan on April 19. Expect Pietersen to provide a reminder of his abilities.