With Root absent, England lost the first test against the West Indies last week in what was the first international cricket match since the sport's shutdown
West Indies have never won a series in England since their 4-0 win in 1988 under the great Vivian Richards.
The Windies side had quarantined and played two warm-up games at the Old Trafford, the venue for the second Test, before leaving for Ageas Bowl
Holder is now on a career-best 862 rating points, the best for any West Indies bowler since Courtney Walsh’s tally of 866 in August 2000.
Blackwood scored a match-winning 95 in the second innings as West Indies claimed a four-wicket win over England on Sunday.
Toss was never an issue, but a team can expect little about making an early impact in a match with a first-innings total of just 204.
The Windies gunned down England's target of 200 at The Ageas Bowl, winning by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match #raisethebat series.
Holder however was more descriptive about how West Indies fought back on day 4 on a pitch of uneven bounce and little on offer for the pacers.
Jermaine Blackwood top-scored with 95 as West Indies overcame an early wobble to win by four wickets in the final session. John Campbell hit the winning run.
West Indies beat the hosts by four wickets to take a much-needed 1-0 lead in the series.
The West Indies' pace attack took five wickets in the final session of day four to reduce England to 284-8 at stumps at an empty Rose Bowl on Saturday
The West Indies, resuming the day on 57-1, was all out for 318 less than an hour before stumps on the first full day of the rain-affected test.
Brathwaite opined that playing the ball as late as possible, no matter the length, is the key in England.
On Wednesday morning, opener Dominic Sibley was dismissed only in the 10th ball of the game hence getting international cricket off to the most English starts.
Only 82 minutes of play was possible, all of it in the second session of the day in which 17.4 overs were bowled.
The Southampton Test marks the return of international cricket after a long wait of 117 days owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since 2018, Holder has been statistically the best all-rounder in Tests, averaging over 40 with the bat and an impressive 14.22 with the ball.
One of the significant changes witnessed on Wednesday was a socially-distanced team huddle as respective skipper Jason Holder and Ben Stokes delivered their speeches.
On Discussing West Indies' chances in the Test series, especially against a dominating England attack spearheaded by James Anderson, Lara advised the team to no attempt in attacking every bowler.
Live Cricket Streaming, England vs West Indies 1st Test: Find full details on when and where to watch ENG vs WI live match online on SonyLiv and Sony Six.
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