England vs West Indies 3rd Test, Day 1 Live Updates: West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat in the third Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday as Shamar Joseph was passed fit.
The West Indies paceman had been doubtful for this match following a bout of flu but was included as the tourists looked to salvage some pride at 2-0 down in a three-match series.
West Indies were forced into making one change to the team that lost the second Test by 241 runs, with all-rounder Kevin Sinclair ruled out after having his forearm fractured by England fast bowler Mark Wood at Trent Bridge.
His place was taken by Gudakesh Motie, the man Sinclair replaced in Nottingham after the left-arm spinner withdrew because of illness.
West Indies gained a first-innings lead at Trent Bridge after making 457 only to collapse dramatically as they slumped to 143 all out the second time around.
Brathwaite, explaining his decision to bat first on a sunny day, said: “The pitch looks a good one and the weather is good so we’ve got to utilise that.”
England were unchanged following a comprehensive win in their first Test since the retirement of fast-bowling great James Anderson.
Victory in Nottingham gave England, who won the first Test at Lord’s by an innings and 114 runs, a first red-ball series win since 2022.
“When you have two very dominant performances, it’s hard to make changes,” said England captain Ben Stokes.
Teams
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales
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