Southampton, July 8 (TIWN) England stand-in captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat against the West Indies in the first Test of the three-match #raisethebat series at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday.

England stand-in captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first against the West Indies in the first match of the three-Test series at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday. The toss was delayed due to rain.
Lunch was taken early because of the delay.
The match at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton marks the return of international cricket for the first time since March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. 
With Joe Root out of action in the first match, stand-in skipper Ben Stokes will lead the side—his first time as captain of any team. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns are expected to open for the hosts, with Joe Denly, Zak Crawley and Jos Buttler providing just enough firepower to the batting line-up. James Anderson will lead the pace bowling attack, which excludes Stuart Broad.