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These two teams have been apart for barely a month but lock horns again as England's international season makes its earliest ever start. Some players, most notably Chris Gayle, have only just made it back from the IPL as Test cricket struggles to show it still remains a top priority. This short series certainly feels unloved at the moment, as everyone waits for the main action of the summer to begin.
Yet, for England it is a vitally important contest as they search for that elusive momentum to carry forward. They start favourites but it shouldn't be forgotten that they handed back the Wisden Trophy with their 1-0 defeat in the Caribbean. A fresh-looking team will take the field with a new No. 3 and the possibility of two debutant seamers for the first time since 1993 as Andy Flower makes his presence felt. But after the upheavals of the last 12 months England are still playing catch-up as they try to work out their best combination.
West Indies, though, have struggled in the early stages of the tour and head into the Test on the back of a 10-wicket warm-up defeat against England Lions. The batting has been especially unconvincing and it still isn't clear who Gayle will open with. At least in Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards they have two quicks who can seriously trouble England, although they will have to shed some of their sweaters to bowl at full speed.
