Ambrose hoping Windies will compete in England

This fixture is the first of a three-match series and the 50th Test played at Edgbaston.

Comfortably England’s leading run-scorer and century-maker in the five-day game, Cook now has 31 Test hundreds, putting him one shy of former Australia skipper Steve Waugh, who sits 10th on the all-time list.

“He has gone about his business very well over the past few days”, Root told BBC Sport.

However there may be an opportunity at Lord’s to give a debut to the gifted young leg-spinner Mason Crane, which would of course require a shifting of personnel and the probable omission of a batsman.

How they fare when batting at twilight and under lights remains to be seen. And the challenge of producing the pink ball has taken a great deal of research and development. Test cricket, they said, needed to move with changing times, changing consumer habits, changing appetites and behaviours.

A traditional red ball is harder for batsmen and fielders to pick up in twilight and under lights while a white ball, as used in one-day global cricket, clashes with the players’ clothing. Limited-over games and Big Bash are now a common feature but not the Tests and that is what makes this such an important occasion.

He and Joe Root shared an unbroken stand of 69 after the latter had chosen to bat first at Edgbaston in this opening match of three and then found himself hastily required following the loss of two wickets in under eight overs.

‘I’d love to be a part of it, ‘ said the 28-year-old. “They have some talented players mixed with guys who have been around a bit”.

Roberts was critical of the amount of time players spend in the gym and suggested they should spend more time in the nets.

Dawid Malan’s tricky start in Test cricket therefore extended to another decidedly tricky introduction, in which he needed good fortune to survive on just two against the part-time spin of Kraigg Brathwaite when he edged a cut through the hands of slip.

The West Indies will hope that Kemar Roach can step into that void providing experience of English conditions and an ability to swing the ball both ways. ‘It is the toughest cricket you will play and heading over to the other side of the world for that contest has never been for the faint-hearted.

Most are back at home playing in the Caribbean Premier League T20 competition.

Fast Bowling has been the West Indies traditional strength and it is this team’s saving grace, however they could be faced with the prospect of Shannon Gabriel, the leader of the pace attack, missing the first Test.

Holder admits that West Indies are “huge underdogs” in this series. “If they do they may have a chance but you see it’s very hard if you do go in with four bowlers and you have problems with one because the overall team is not as strong as I would like to see”. Sure, there have been four previous day-nighters, but this is the first in England and the first with the Duke ball.

Chase has been in extremely good knick in the warm-up games.