Georgetown, Guyana plays host to the first Test of the 1992 World Test Championship, between one of the competition favourites West Indies, and an England side made up mostly of players who lead the team to the 1992 World Cup Finals.
It promises to be an interesting match, with West Indies in decline following the retirements of the likes of Vivian Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Jeffrey Dujon, and Gordon Greenidge over the previous year.
England on the other hand have a solid team which achieved mix results in 1992, the main weakness being the lack of a strike bowler or regular match winning spinner.
Missing from England's team in this match is the great allrounder Ian Botham, who played a pivotal role in England's World Cup run, but was in and out of the Test team due to form and fitness in the final year of his International career.
West Indies lineup:
D.L.Haynes, P.V.Simmons, B.C.Lara. R.B.Richardson (c), K.L.T.Arthurton, J.C.Adams, D.Williams (wk), C.E.L.Ambrose, K.C.G.Benjamin, C.A.Walsh, B.P.Patterson
England lineup:
G.A.Gooch (c), A.J.Stewart, G.A.Hick, R.A.Smith, A.J.Lamb, D.A.Reeve, C.C.Lewis, R.C.Russell (wk), D.R.Pringle, P.A.J.DeFreitas, P.C.R.Tufnell
Pitch: 19 - Hard and bumpy, this pitch will always give the faster bowlers a chance. There is even the prospect that it will not stand up for five (or even four) day's play, and batting could become a nightmare in the later stages. It is doubtful whether this pitch is really up to Test standard.
Day 1 Conditions:
Pitch: 7A - Hard Pitch with Excessive Bounce
Weather: 9 - Rain Forecast
Toss: West Indies
West Indies won the toss and with the pitch likely to help the fast bowlers throughout, and deteriote badly later in the match, elected to bat first.
With the England lineup lacking any bowlers fast enough to take advantage of the conditions, and the West Indies lineup featuring no less than 4 genuine fast bowlers, it seemed an important toss to win, with the England batsmen seemingly facing an uphill struggle as the match continues.
Georgetown, Guyana plays host to the first match of the 1992 World Test Championship, between West Indies and England.
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