WI Coach Estwick full of confidence ahead of Test Tour of England
West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick has made a rallying call to fans to support the Men In Maroon as they embark on an historic tour of England. The squad of 25 players for the Sandals Tour of England will depart on Monday for the series to be played behind closed door in a bio-secure environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three years ago in 2017, it was a very, very young unit. Now we’ve got seasoned Test players, we’ve got players with 50 Test matches so I think once we can hit the ground running and get the preparation in, get some match practice under our belts … we can be a lot better.
Last time West Indies toured England in 2017 -they pulled off a miraculous victory at Headingley which stunned the cricket world. West Indies are holders of the coveted Wisden Trophy after beating England 2-1 in a three-Test series in the Caribbean last year.
We’ve got youngsters coming through. We’ve got Rahkeem Cornwall who could be a big threat in England especially if the weather stays the way it is. We’ve got Chemar Holder who just had an outstanding first-class season and we’ve got Alzarri Joseph who’s improving all the time. If we can get scores on the board we can really challenge England because I know the bowling will be good, and the three big men (Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel) are all in the top [20] in the world and that tells you our bowling unit is really improving.
West Indies are scheduled to arrive in Manchester on June 9 and will be based in Manchester for a three-week period before moving to Southampton for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl. They will then return to Manchester for the second and third matches at Old Trafford.
TEST MATCH SCHEDULE
July 8-12: 1st Test at Ageas Bowl, Southampton
July 16-20: 2nd Test at Old Trafford, Manchester
July 24-28: 3rd Test at Old Trafford, Manchester