Ben Stokes Elects to Bowl in Series Opener Against West Indies at Lords

England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first in the opening Test against the West Indies at Lords. This match is part of the ICC World Test Championship. The series features three matches, with the second at Trent Bridge and the third at Edgbaston.

In a strategic move, England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in the inaugural Test of their three-match series at Lords on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated series forms a segment of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship. Notably, this match marks right-arm seamer James Anderson's final Test appearance. With an impressive tally of 700 wickets in 187 matches, Anderson ranks third among all-time wicket-takers in Test cricket and leads among fast bowlers.

The Test series schedule continues as follows: the second match will be held from Thursday, July 18 to Monday, July 22 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, and the third and final match will take place at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 26 to July 30.

(With inputs from agencies.)