Investec 1st Test: England v West Indies

England kick off their international summer with the First Test match, sponsored by Investec, against the West Indies at Lord's, as they aim to build on their status as the number one side in the world. England play just six Test matches at home this year, three against the West Indies and three against the touring South Africans later in the summer. Last summer, England thrashed India, the then-number one side, 4-0 as they climbed to the summit of world cricket. From the depths of the post 2005 Ashes malaise and being dismissed for just 47 in Jamaica in 2009, coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss have built a remarkable team, packed full of world class and match-winning talent. At the top of the order, Alastair Cook continues to set record after record with his mammoth hundreds. The rest of the batting reads like a who's who of the world's best players: there's concentration from Jonathan Trott, flamboyance from Kevin Pietersen, panache from Ian Bell and belligerence from Matt Prior. It's much the same with the bowlers - James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann are masters of their art and whoever plays in the final fast bowler position comes with an equally high pedigree, whether it's Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan or Steven Finn. The West Indies are a far cry from their all-conquering sides of the 1970s and 80s and though they seem to be nurturing some talented young players at present, it'd be a huge surprise to see anything other than a confident England win - that is, if the weather decides to play along.