Root said England could not afford to lower their guard against an attack which featured three bowlers -- Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel -- who are among the top 20 in official Test rankings.
Leeds United returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence on Friday as West Bromwich Albion's loss at Huddersfield Town guaranteed them a top-two finish in the Championship. Three times English champions, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 after hitting financial trouble and being forced to sell a host of big-name players such as Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.
West Indies captain Jason Holder says coming to England for a Test series in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic is neither dictated by money nor a sense of adventurism but the move is a genuine effort to bring back normalcy. West Indies players arrived in the UK on Tuesday for a three-match Test series, starting July 8 at Southampton in a 'bio-secure' environment. It will be cricket's first international engagement since mid-March when the coronavirus pandemic halted all sporting action.
Images from Day 5 of the second Test between England and Pakistan at the Rose Bowl, in Southampton, on Monday
Among other transfer news globally, defender Rahul Bheke joins Mumbai City FC while Locatelli completes Juventus move.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Memorable moments from Shane Warne's glittering career.
Roberto Firmino scored twice as Liverpool boosted their hopes of Champions League football next season
West Indies coach Phil Simmons says his side cannot afford the batting debacles that have often undermined their tours of England when the series starts behind closed doors next week. The first of three Tests begins at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton next Wednesday and Simmons says making sure they are mentally ready is the most important task.
He was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to "showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an international match".
India were bundled out for 36 -- their lowest innings score in 88 years of Test cricket -- in the second innings of the Adelaide Test.
Champions Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 7-0 away hammering of Crystal Palace while Arsenal's troubles continued with a 2-1 defeat at second-placed Everton on Saturday.
Watford's hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a double blow on Tuesday when they were thrashed 4-0 at home by Manchester City and then slipped into the Premier League relegation zone after fellow strugglers Aston Villa beat Arsenal in the late game.
Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand announced his retirement from football on Saturday after being released by Queens Park Rangers.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Manchester United climbed two places up to second in the Premier League after Marcus Rashford scored deep into stoppage time to give them a fortuitous 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
Cricket World Cup Instagram handle too shared the picture of Gayle in his India-Pakistan suit and wrote, 'the Universe Boss is ready for the match'.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Photos from the English Premier League matches played across England on Wednesday
England's most successful bowler James Anderson feels he and Stuart Broad should be paired together to lead the bid for a series win in the decisive Test against the West Indies. The hosts are spoilt for choice ahead of Friday's start of the third Test at Old Trafford with Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all looking to return to the team.
The left-handed batsman now has 497 points in the all-rounder rankings, while second-placed Jason Holder has 459 points.
The points table of the English Premier League 2016-17 season.
Chelsea exploited Manchester City's decision to field a weakened team by romping to a 5-1 win in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday as they joined London rivals West Ham United and Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals.
Here are talking points from the weekend's Premier League action:
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Photos from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Yuvraj Singh said he has been following Manchester United for more than 20 years
Alex Ferguson has urged Manchester United supporters to get behind under-fire manager Louis van Gaal despite the side struggling to avoid a third hugely disappointing campaign since the all-conquering Scot retired.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
For the second time in a week Manchester City threw away a 2-0 lead against a Premier League struggler but this time they hit back as Frank Lampard came off the bench to secure a 3-2 win over Sunderland on Thursday.
Rodriguez whipped Everton in front from the edge of the box, and Michael Keane and Calvert-Lewin ensured it was two wins from two in the Premier League so far this season.
Manchester United have scored 14 goals and earned maximum points from their four matches under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Martial scored his 23rd goal for United in all competitions this season against LASK Linz in Wednesday's Europa League last-16 victory.
Given the relative paucity of cricket this year, Test cricket has emerged as a healer for deprived fans, notes Dhruv Munjal.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
Spinner Dom Bess was named in England's 13-man squad for the first Test against West Indies and there was no place for Moeen Ali among nine reserves, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Saturday.All-rounder Ben Stokes will lead England in the match, which will begin at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday in a bio-secure environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Images from Sunday's action in the English Premier League.
Premier League champions Chelsea, beginning to find their form under Guus Hiddink after a shocking start to the season, will face Manchester City in the outstanding tie of the FA Cup fifth round following Sunday's draw.
Later on Monday, West Bromwich Albion and Watford were also charged for failing to control their players in Saturday's league game at the Hawthorns, which the hosts won 3-1
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
