England’s home season will get underway on Wednesday with a three-match Test series against West Indies at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. England haven’t played a Test series since their 1-4 series defeat against India in India earlier this year, and Ben Stokes and Co will be aiming for a comeback of sorts as they look to keep their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes alive.

West Indies, meanwhile, registered a famous Test victory at Brisbane, Gabba when they took on Australia earlier this year. Pacer Shamar Joseph rose up to the occasion for the Windies in that Test, taking seven wickets in Australia’s chase to help West Indies clinch an eight-run win.

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The first Test at Lord’s will mark a special occasion for England cricket team and their fans. James Anderson, England’s top wicket-taker in Tests with 700 scalps,
will take field for the final time
as an England player when he plays his 188th and last-ever Test.

The last time England and West Indies locked horns in a Test series was in the Caribbean in March 2022. England, who were led by Joe Root back then, suffered a 0-1 defeat in the three-match series. While the first two Tests were drawn, West Indies won the third Test by 10 wickets as they chased down a target of 28 in 4.5 overs.

Ahead of the three-match series, we take a look at some important statistics pertaining to the England-West Indies rivalry in Tests:

England vs West Indies head-to-head in Tests:

Played: 153

England wins: 51

West Indies wins: 59

Draws: 53

Tied: 0

England vs West Indies head-to-head in Tests in England

Played: 89

England wins: 36

West Indies wins: 31

Draws: 22

Tied: 0

England vs West Indies stats and records (Tests)

Top run-scorer: Sir Garfield Sobers (WI, 3214 runs in 36 Tests)

Top wicket-taker: Curtly Ambrose (WI, 164 wickets in 34 Tests)

Most wins: West Indies (59 wins)

Biggest win (By runs): West Indies defeated England by 425 runs in Manchester in July 1976

Biggest win (By innings) England defeated West Indies by an innings and 283 runs in Leeds in May 2007

Smallest win: England defeated West Indies by 26 runs in Port of Spain in March-April 1974

Highest total: 849 all out by England in Kingston, April 1930

Lowest total: 46 all out by England in Port of Spain, March 1994

Highest score: 400* by Brian Lara at St Johns, April 2004

Most hundreds: Sir Garfield Sobers (10 centuries in 36 Tests)

Most fifties: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (16 fifties in 36 Tests)

Most sixes: Vivian Richards (34 sixes in 34 Tests)

Most ducks: Curtly Ambrose (11 ducks in 34 Tests)

Most sixes in an innings: Jason Holder (8 sixes in Bridgetown, January 2019)

Most five-wicket hauls: Curtly Ambrose (8 five-fors)

Most runs in a series: Vivian Richards (829 runs in four Tests, 1976)

Best bowling figures in an innings: Curtly Ambrose (8/45 in Bridgetown, April 1990)

Best bowling figures in a match: Michael Holding (14/149 at The Oval, August 1996)

Most wickets in a series: Malcolm Marshall (35 wickets in five Tests in 1988)

Most dismissals: Deryck Murray (94 dismissals, 90 catches and four stumpings)

Highest partnership: Peter May and Colin Cowdrey (England) — 411 runs for the fourth wicket in Birmingham, May-June 1957

Most matches: Viv Richards, Garfield Sobers, Desmond Haynes, Courtney Walsh and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (All of them are from West Indies and played 36 Tests each vs England)

Most wins as captain: Vivian Richards (13 wins in 19 Tests)