3 things to look forward to in the final ENG vs WI 2024 Test
England and West Indies are all set to lock horns in the third and final test of their bilateral series, which starts on July 26 in Birmingham. The home side have secured an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series and will aim to complete the whitewash.
In the first Test, West Indies were all-out for a paltry 121 in the first innings, which saw England respond with a strong total of 371. The Caribbean side were then put under incessant pressure and were all-out for 136, losing by an innings and 114 runs. Gus Atkinson was the star performer with a total of 12 scalps.
The following game saw both teams posting 400+ scores, with the visitors securing a 41-run lead. The second half saw England post 400+ total again, but the West Indies were bundled out for just 143, and lost by 241 runs. Ollie Pope stole the show with knocks of 121 and 51 in the game.
On that note, here are three things to watch out for in the final England vs West Indies Test.
#1 Who can climb to the top of the WTC 2023-25 batter standings, Joe Root or Zak Crawley?
As per the current World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 run tally, Yashasvi Jaiswal is at the top with 1,028 runs in 16 innings at an average of 68.53, with three centuries. However, the likes of Zak Crawley and Joe Root are not far away from topping the charts.
Crawley is second with 966 runs in 22 innings at an average of 43.90, with a solitary century. It will be interesting to see whether he can come back to form, given he returned with scores of 0 and 3 in the last game while hitting 76 in the first fixture.
Meanwhile, Root is fourth in the tally with 936 runs in 22 innings at an average of 46.80, with three centuries. The veteran is coming into this game on the back of a 122-run knock and would be confident of ending the series on a high and also rising to the top of the WTC run-scorers list.
Interestingly, he is second in the ICC batters rankings as well and could reach the top of the rankings with a strong showing.
#2 Can England complete their first-ever series whitewash against West Indies since 2009?
The English team have a golden opportunity to secure a series whitewash against the West Indies after 15 years. The last time they achieved the feat was in 2009 when they secured a 2-0 victory in the two-match red-ball series on home soil.
The Caribbean side were completely blown away by the pace bowling trio of James Anderson, Graham Onions and Stuart Broad. The first game saw England win by 10 wickets and they followed up by an innings and 83-run victory.
It will be interesting to see if the Ben Stokes-led side can continue their dominance to seal a series whitewash.
#3 Can Jason Holder produce an all-round contribution to save his Test career?
Jason Holder was axed from the Test squad against Australia earlier this year after he opted out of the Cricket West Indies central contract to focus on franchise cricket. However, after the team's terrific victory over the Australian team, he was pumped to return to the Test squad after a one-year gap.
However, Holder's performances have been disappointing in the first two games of the series. In the first game, he could return with knocks of 0 and 20 and pick a total of two wickets while scoring 27 and 47 and a solitary wicket in the second Test.
Holder will certainly be looking to come up with improved performances in this game to continue his presence in the Test squad.