First Test: England v West Indies
Venue:
Lord's Dates:
6-10 May Start:
1100 BST
Coverage:
Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, Radio 4 Long Wave, Red Button and online, with live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobiles. Live on Sky Sports
England captain Andrew Strauss has called on his side to start the Test summer with a win when they take on West Indies at Lord's on Wednesday.
England, who are set to hand debuts to seamers Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions, have not won the first Test of any series in their last 14 attempts.
"You can't say it's a coincidence when it's happened 14 times. We want to put that record straight.
"You don't want to be level or behind after the first Test," said Strauss.
"You can't say it's a coincidence when it's happened 14 times. We want to put that record straight," said Strauss.
"It's something we are mindful of and any thoughts of easing our way into the Test match summer are something we are trying to avoid at all costs.
"You want to be in front and to do that you've got to hit the ground running."
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If they play how they do for their counties there is no reason they will not have a big impact on the game
Strauss on Onions and Bresnan
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England team director Andy Flower has said that some of his players are short of first-class match practice after spending time playing in the Indian Premier League.
But Strauss believes his side are ready to make amends for losing the Wisden Trophy in the winter by winning it back straight away in the two-Test series.
"All the guys who have come back from the IPL, their enthusiasm in meetings and practice has been huge," he insisted.
"I know they all thoroughly enjoyed their experience, because it was so different. That is a symptom of a good mindset."
And the injection of Bresnan and Onions in the squad has got Strauss, England's player of the year, excited.
"They have both shown they are able to take wickets. It's about them going out and performing for us and helping us to win games," said Strauss."
"They have settled in exceptionally well and they look in good form from what I've seen in practice.
"I expect them to have good games. This is a huge opportunity for them. These guys have a got a chance to show how good they are and what we have been missing out on.
"If they play how they do for their counties there is no reason they will not have a big impact on the game."
With strike pair Andrew Flintoff injured and Steve Harmison out of favour, Strauss conceded England need to start looking at a new generation to plug the gaps.
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TMS blog
BBC Sport's Pranav Soneji
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"It's exciting to look at some of the young talent we have in England and hopefully the squad of players who are able to play at Test level will grow," he stated.
Strauss also feels James Anderson and Stuart Broad improved their bowling in West Indies and expects them to continue to develop.
He said: "Jimmy and Stuart took their game to a new level with conventional swing. Learning to be accurate is a good starting point to take advantage of conditions if the ball is swinging.
"Hopefully there will be some movement there for our seam bowlers. However, the Lord's wicket is generally pretty flat so we cannot expect the ball to do all sorts."
England are expected to leave Monty Panesar out from their 12-man squad and play Graeme Swann as a solitary spinner.
Ravi Bopara, chosen ahead of Michael Vaughan, Owais Shah and Ian Bell, will get his chance to impress at number three following a spell in the Indian Premier League.
Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood have also been in India and are lacking preparation for a Test series, especially Collingwood who has not played in any IPL matches.
The West Indies are likely to wait until Wednesday morning before announcing their team.
 Lendl Simmons could open alongside Gayle for the tourists
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Their captain Chris Gayle only arrived in London on Monday following his stint in the IPL, but he insisted he was ready for the challenge of leading his side in a Test side.
"I'm fresh," he said. "I'm ready to go, I got in early in the morning and had a net session in the afternoon.
Finding an opening partner for Gayle remains the tourists' biggest concern, with Devon Smith in particular struggling to cope with the early-season English conditions.
The left-hander failed on both occasions in the 10-wicket defeat by the England Lions, but Lendl Simmons enhanced his call-up prospects with a second-innings 63.
"International cricket is totally different in these conditions and hopefully we can put up a good fight," said Gayle.
"It's going to be tough, even more challenging than back home but we are up for the situation. We are all aware of the conditions and expect these things.
A few of the guys have played a lot of cricket over here, and a few others have played some league cricket. But the first day can determine the outcome of the Test. We need a good start and we can build on it."
England (from): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar.
West Indies (from): Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Dale Richards, Andrew Richardson, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.
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