Four Wisden writers pick their preferred England XIs for the first Test against West Indies, which starts in Antigua on Tuesday, March 8.

A new era? Or more of the same? England travel to the West Indies with a Test squad that features neither of Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad, two of their most prolific wicket-takers. But they aren’t the only casualties from the catastrophic Ashes series, as six others from that squad – Jos Buttler, Rory Burns, Sam Billings, Dom Bess, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan – have all failed to make it onto the plane to the Caribbean.

In their place, Yorkshire’s Matt Fisher and Durham’s Alex Lees have receive their first Test call-ups, with the latter expected to open the batting. The Lancashire duo of Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood are the other two uncapped members of the squad. Ben Foakes also receives a long-awaited recall to the squad and is set to take the gloves.

So, who makes your XI? Are you picking Joe Root at three? Who makes the cut between Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope? Do Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson get the nod again? Or are you picking Craig Overton? Below our writers have had their say.

Phil Walker, Wisden Cricket Monthly editor-in-chief

Zak Crawley
Alex Lees
Joe Root (c)
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jonny Bairstow
Ben Foakes (wk)
Chris Woakes
Ollie Robinson
Mark Wood
Matt Parkinson

I don’t mind this team. It’s got a rookie leggie who might be good or might be whacked, but my word it’ll be worth watching. The quickest bowler around who did immense damage out there last time, a couple of solid-enough seamers who can bat a bit (maybe Overton for Woakes, on those odd pitches?), a keeper who catches butterflies in his sleep, a compellingly flimsy-watchable middle-order, and a right-left opening pair with a bit of range. Oh, and Root at three. I like that bit a lot. It’s terrifically fallible, of course: in overseas conditions, we can say with certainty that only three of this XI are nailed-on performers (three!). But still, last year was so bad, so profoundly rubbish, that this was always on the cards: the overhaul, the new broom, the deck clearance. It’s pointless pining for those who aren’t there. By signing off on this squad, the captain has upped the stakes on his own tenure even more. It’s one hell of a gamble. Don’t blink now.

Jo Harman, Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine editor

Zak Crawley
Alex Lees
Joe Root (c)
Ben Stokes
Dan Lawrence
Jonny Bairstow
Ben Foakes (wk)
Craig Overton
Ollie Robinson
Mark Wood
Jack Leach

Root at first drop makes me uneasy. I know it shouldn’t really make much difference whether he’s at three or four (although his record suggests otherwise), and there’s clearly sound logic behind the decision, but is it sensible to change literally the only thing that’s working? (Other than Anderson and Broad – they were going OK.) I’d personally have moved Stokes up to three, accepting that his body isn’t going to let him play as a genuine all-rounder, giving him a new challenge to reignite his form, but the captain’s stuck his hand up so let’s see how it plays out. Lawrence is overdue a run in the side so Pope (who probably would have been better served clearing his head back home) is running the drinks.

Like Pope, Woakes is a little lucky to make the squad based on what we saw in Australia, so Overton fills the role of ‘bowler who might actually score a few runs’, leaving no room for Saqib Mahmood. I found the spinner the hardest pick of all. The thought of handing Parkinson a debut is obviously tantalising – he’s certainly done enough to deserve it – but the handling of Jack Leach doesn’t sit right with me. He’s never let England down in spin-friendly conditions overseas – far from it – and we can expect the ball to turn in the Caribbean. Really, he deserves to play, rather than that omnishambles of an Ashes being his last act as a Test cricketer. So I’ve gone head over heart and left Parkinson to warm the bench, again (while secretly hoping they pick him).

Ben Gardner, Wisden.com managing editor

Alex Lees
Zak Crawley
Joe Root (c)
Dan Lawrence
Ben Stokes
Ollie Pope
Jonny Bairstow (wk)
Chris Woakes
Mark Wood
Ollie Robinson
Matt Parkinson

Plenty of changes, and yet the final line-up is likely to have only one or two names who didn’t tour Australia. England have largely been picking their best available cricketers, and that’s what’s depressing.

I was tempted by Stokes at No.3, but that wouldn’t be fair to someone still working his way back into full form. Plus, Strauss insists Root is begging to bat at first-drop, and the logic behind the move remains sound, as it always was. Here’s hoping this is the time when principle properly meets practice.

Dan Lawrence at four is a punt, though I do like the idea of nestling in a newbie between the two wizened pros at three and five. Ollie Pope plays only because I think Jonny Bairstow should be keeping, as he was before everything went south. Counter-punching from No.7 is what he’s best at, and we know that now. Besides, that plum No.6 slot really, really shouldn’t go to a 32-year-old who’s played nearly 100 Tests without fulfilling his potential. It should go to an inexperienced youngster trying to find his feet, and while Pope is no longer inexperienced, he is just about still young, and definitely qualifies as the latter.

Onto the bowlers. Woakes gets in because he bats – meh – and because, with Broad and Anderson out, this is a chance, perhaps his last, to show he can lead the line overseas. After this tour, England should know definitively one way or the other. To round off we have Matt Parkinson, at long long last.

Jim Wallace, Wisden Cricket Monthly staff writer

Zak Crawley
Alex Lees
Joe Root (c)
Ben Stokes
Jonny Bairstow
Dan Lawrence
Ben Foakes (wk)
Mark Wood
Saqib Mahmood
Matt Fisher
Matt Parkinson

I’m going for Anderson and Br -what? Haha good one… Riiight. No, it’s just I thought we’d decided that was a terrible idea? And Strauss has signed off on… oh. OK. It’s like that, is it? Well I guess I’m tearing up the whole damn thing then.

Get Saqib Mahmood in. Give Parkinson a long-awaited whirl. Fisher can have a trot out instead of Robinson; may as well play the lad if he’s flying out there. Maybe that’ll give Robinson the kick in the ribs he needs to get himself into shape and become a reliable long-term option. You can’t have an international bowler dobbing them down at 70 odd mph not able to reel off spell after spell without fear of injury or the speed gun spluttering into the 60s. I don’t care what the stats say. Cosy is out and cruel (to be kind) is in, right?

Are you looking for that once in a lifetime Cricket experience? Sportsbreaks.com, an Official Tour Operator for England Cricket’s Tour of the West Indies in 2022, can make your dream become a reality. To book your package for the Barbados Test Match click here