Fresh from becoming a father of two, Joe Root will be reinstalled as England captain on Thursday with his team in very familiar territory.
With Root absent so he could be with his wife for the birth of their second child, England lost the first Test against the West Indies last week in what was the first international cricket match since the sport’s shutdown.
With the series against the West Indies being only three Tests, England has to bounce back immediately and Root’s return is clearly a positive.
The captain will take the place of Joe Denly, who made 18 and 29 in his two innings at the Rose Bowl and was fighting with Zak Crawley to keep his spot for the second Test at Old Trafford.
Crawley had England’s highest single score with 76 in the second innings.
There is likely to be a change in the bowling attack, too, with Stuart Broad pushing for a recall after being dropped for the first Test — and then speaking publicly about his disappointment during the match.
Root said any decision would be taken after he took a look at the Old Trafford pitch again later Wednesday.
There has been rain in Manchester and Root described the wicket as having a “nice brownish colour.”
Continuity has been key for England when it comes to selection in recent years, which may prove a blessing for Jos Buttler. The wicketkeeper-batsman — a limited-overs specialist — has a Test average of 23.22 since the start of 2019, and only one century in 75 innings, but is set to keep his place.
The West Indies are holders of the Wisden Trophy after beating England in a home series last year, so will retain it with a draw in the first of back-to-back Tests in Manchester.
And they are looking to seal a first Test series victory in England in 32 years. Not since 1992-93 — when the likes of Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were in their pomp — have the Windies won an overseas Test series consisting of more than two matches against major opposition.
“I haven’t mentioned anything about history to the guys,” West Indies captain Jason Holder said.
“It’s hard for us to get caught up in the peripheral stuff.
“Winning the first Test match is just one piece of the puzzle. We’ve got two other games to play and we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”