England v West Indies on BBC Two: Why you should watch
- Published
When West Indies ruled the cricket world
England v West Indies - a match-up full of memories and magical moments from years gone by.
From Saturday, BBC Two will broadcast some of the greatest Test tussles between the two nations from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Here's why you should tune in.
A pace attack like no other
A side bursting with natural talent, unfathomable pace and elegant batting, West Indies went 29 consecutive Test series without losing between 1980 and 1995.
That success was largely down to bowling attacks which struck fear into even the best batsmen.
Over the next four weeks you will see Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose at their very best.
In Marshall they had arguably the most complete pace bowler to have ever played the game.
Standing at 5ft 11in, he may not have been the most intimidating player to look at. But tell that to former England opener Andy Lloyd, who on debut in 1984 was struck on the helmet by a Marshall bouncer and hospitalised for several days. He never played Test cricket again.
As Marshall neared the end of his cricketing career, he passed the mantle to Walsh who, along with Ambrose, created a bowling partnership like no other.
From 'King Viv' to record-breaking Lara
Sir Viv Richards, who scored 8,540 Test runs at an average of 50.23, was voted one of Wisden's five cricketers of last century
The series will showcase some of the most powerful batsmen and gifted strokemakers cricket has seen.
This Saturday we look back at a masterful innings by West Indies' Gordon Greenidge - one half of arguably the finest opening partnership in history with Desmond Haynes - at Lord's in 1984.
Then there is the legendary Sir Viv Richards, the Antiguan who was nicknamed 'Master Blaster' for his dominance of bowling attacks.
You will also get the chance to see a Brian Lara in his prime at Old Trafford in 1995. The left-hander already knew how to score big against England - he made a Test record 375 in Antigua the previous year.
Two months after the Antigua Test, playing for Warwickshire against Durham, he scored an astonishing 501 not out, which remains the highest score in first-class cricket.
England stars and the decline of the Windies
David Gower and Ian Botham were part of the England side that faced West Indies in 1984
Few teams could match the brilliance of West Indies, but England had a few fine players of their own during that period.
Those who tune in will be treated to the batting of David Gower and Michael Atherton, as well as the all-round genius of Sir Ian Botham.
And watch out for what many regard as the greatest innings in Test history when Graham Gooch made 154 not out in the 1991 Headingley Test.
As for West Indies' dominance, all good things must come to an end.
When a somewhat ageing side toured in 2000, there was a real back-and-forth Test at Lord's. Would they be outdone by an England team including Darren Gough, Dominic Cork and a young Michael Vaughan?
How do I watch?
Highlights of the classic matches will be shown on BBC Two every Saturday in June - from 18:45 BST (and 19:45 in Northern Ireland) - and will be available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer.
In addition, Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew will host a weekly podcast bringing you the inside story of the Tests, alongside West Indian commentator Fazeer Mohammad and statistician Andy Zaltzman.