Ben Stokes will captain England for the first time against the West Indies as regular skipper Joe Root takes time out for the birth of his second child.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at Stokes and fellow all-rounder Jason Holder, who will go head to head in the first Test at Southampton.

Overview

The coronavirus pandemic has not helped players stay in touch and practice ahead of the opening Test of the summer has not gone well for Holder. He was out for a golden duck in the first intra-squad match the West Indies played at Manchester and followed up with a pair of single-figure scores, compiling a total of just seven runs from three innings, and he only bowled five overs over the course of the two games, taking one wicket. Stokes scored 41 and a rapid unbeaten 33 off just 17 balls to show no rust from the long lay-off in an England intra-squad match in Southampton. He got through 13 overs with one wicket.