England and West Indies start series on similar footing

Except for the significant disparity in their ICC rankings, England and West Indies start the first Test series of the year at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on Monday with much in common.

England, below only South Africa and Australia on the Test table, regard the three back-to-back matches as the certain chance to shake off the stigma of their habitually dismal performance in the preceding World Cup. They have been put on notice by Colin Graves, the incoming chairman of their board, who said that "there will be some enquiries" if they fail to beat what he describes as "mediocre" opponents.

The once-mighty West Indies have propped up the ICC's lists, above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, for the better part of two decades. A repeat of their hard-fought 1-0 triumph the last time the teams met in the Caribbean six years earlier would be a timely boost in Phil Simmons' debut as head coach.

Both boards, top-heavy with directors with sparse cricket backgrounds, have often come under intense public criticism. Of the 16 in the WICB, four have experience at first-class level; only Joel Garner has played Tests. There is a solitary former first-class player among the 14 in the ECB.

The 2015 Wisden Almanack's censure of the ECB's "nexus of self-preservation" has been repeated several times over in relation to the WICB. Its contention that in 2014 "English cricket repeatedly lost touch with the basic idea that the national team belongs to us all" could have been reproduced from any number of West Indian publications.

For each team the shadows of absent high-profile players continue to hover menacingly. Kevin Pietersen's refuses to go away for England. With West Indians such as Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo performing in the distant, simultaneously running IPL, live television keeps them in the consciousness of a passionate public disenchanted by repeated failure.

There are other distractions.

The WICB is focused as much on persuading the BCCI to mitigate its claim for US$42 million compensation for the team's early abandonment of the Indian tour last October over a contract dispute with its players as it is on the challenge against England. A delegation is likely to head to Delhi to plead its case midway through the series.

The ECB's sacking of its managing director, Paul Downton, last Tuesday less than a week before the first ball is bowled in Antigua equates to the WICB's dismissal of head coach Ottis Gibson last August on the eve of the home series against Bangladesh.

Until Simmons' appointment, assistant coach Stuart Williams stood in Gibson's stead for seven months, through difficult assignments in South Africa and the World Cup. The ECB is unlikely to take as long to choose Downton's replacement in a restructured role as director of cricket. Former captains Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart have already shown guarded interest.

Former England captain Mike Atherton writes in the Times that by the shake-up "the ECB has tacitly admitted that it thinks it has the wrong captain and coach in charge". The England players might well have the same misgivings over their head coach, Peter Moores. Recalled by Downton last year for a second go at the job, he took much of the blame for the World Cup debacle.

Both teams revert to their settled Test captains. Denesh Ramdin is in his fourth series since succeeding Darren Sammy last June. Alastair Cook is in his eighth after taking over from Andrew Strauss full-time in 2012.

Reportedly still offended by his omission from the triangular ODI series in Australia and the subsequent World Cup, Cook would have taken some satisfaction from his hundred in the first of the two warm-up matches against a St Kitts Invitation XI - but not much.

The exercise was all but meaningless. What prompted the WICB's fixtures committee, if it was its decision, to offer as warm-up opponents for the visitors a component of the Leeward Islands, presently the weakest of the first-class teams, is unclear unless it was a ruse to lull England into a false sense of security. The locals mustered 59 all out and 76 for 7 and conceded 379 for 7of whom Cook and Ian Bell retired out.

It was further embarrassment for West Indies cricket, which has endured more than its fair share in its prolonged period of decline.

The upshot was that regulations for the second match were altered. Five England players were immediately transformed into Kittians to give the match an edge, bypassing the necessity of going through government's citizenship by investment programme.

It left England with little to go by in determining their first Test XI. West Indies had named a squad of 20 who, at the same time, were in Antigua training, practising and observing Simmons' methods for the first time since his move from eight rewarding years with Ireland.

Settling on their final XIs, selectors are likely to be guided by the success of spinners in the one match at the Sri Vivian Richards Stadium in this season's Professional Cricket League and in the West Indies squad's internal two-day warm-up match on Thursday and Friday. Devendra Bishoo, the little legspinner, followed his 6 for 82 for Guyana against the Leewards two months back with 6 for 56 on Thursday. Rakheem Cornwall, the ample 22-year-old offspinner, collected 7 for 96 in the PCL match, and 4 for 50 alongside Bishoo on Thursday.

The temptation is compelling for West Indies to choose the 29-year-old Bishoo, who played the last of his 11 Tests three years ago, along with a second spinner (Sulieman Benn), and for England to go with offspinner James Tredwell (one Test) and legspinner Adil Rashid (none). But it is likely to be resisted by both in favour of balanced, more experienced attacks.

While England are uncertain over Cook's opening partner (the returning Jonathan Trott or the first-timer Adam Lyth), Darren Bravo, the established No. 3 with six hundreds and an average of 43.6 in his 32 Tests, and fast bowler Kemar Roach, the leading wicket-taker with 113 wickets in his 29 Tests, are certain to be in the West Indies XI.

There has been little time for them to get into shape. Bravo withdrew from the series in South Africa in December for "personal reasons" and has had no serious cricket since the Bangladesh series last September. Roach was eliminated after wrenching his ankle following 15.5 impressive overs in the first Test in South Africa and was clearly short of work in his 22 overs, for a solitary wicket, in three World Cup matches.

They at least need to be at their best for West Indies to make it a contest that negates the ICC rankings.