England and the West Indies are up for the series showdown in Manchester. They are not only competing against each other but also against the rain gods who might have a say in this Test match. They showed some mercy in the last Test when only Day 4 halted play. However, the West Indies have plenty to introspect after a batting collapse in the 2nd innings. Can their batting stand up to the likes of Stuart Broad and Co, or will England clinch yet another come-from-behind Test series victory?


Who are the favourites?

Since the inception of the 21st Century, opponents have beaten England only twice at the Old Trafford in Tests. Even when England have had weaker batting and bowling departments, they have steamrolled opponents at this venue. Ben Stokes rises to the occasion when his team needs him the most as we saw in the WC Final and the Ashes last year. The West Indies will find it tough to beat England due to the following reasons-

1) England has a 7-5 record at the Old Trafford against the West Indies in Tests. What's more intriguing, they have lost just twice in the 21st Century at this ground. They know the pitch, ground dimensions and other conditions better than any team who has played here.

2) The Joe Root and Stuart Broad factors will provide England with an edge over the West Indies. These two are stalwarts in their departments and provide much stability to England.

3) England has an all-round squad which can tackle spinning as well as seaming conditions better than their WI counterparts. What makes this team a formidable outfit in the Isles is a variety in bowling, experienced batting in these conditions and a few athletes like Ben Stokes.

4) The Ben Stokes factor- Very rarely do we see Ben Stokes falter with both bat and ball in a single match. More often than not, he lends his support to England by either scoring a truckload of runs or picking up a plethora of wickets.


Scorecard Predictions for Day 2

1) If the West Indies bat first, they will end up around 300/10 in the first hour of Day 2's play. Thereafter, England will steer their ship to approximately 260/5 at the end of Day 2.

2) If England bat first, they will probably score 400/10 by Tea on Day 2. The West Indies will end up scoring approximately 70/3 at the end of Day 2.


Toss Prediction

Expect the captain winning the toss to bat first even if there are some cloud covers and a green top. The average first-innings score is 333. Also, another factor is that the average fourth-innings score is 166 which prompts the skipper winning the toss to bat first and put the opposition under pressure in the last innings.


Match Winning Chances

England will be buoyed by its performance at the same venue a few days ago. They have the edge over the West Indies in this Test match as well.

England- 65%

West Indies- 35%