West Indies vs England: Marcus Trescothick backs side’s youth policy

England are missing several regulars, with skipper Jos Buttler injured and a large number of the Test squad resting after the recent series loss in Pakistan.

In their absence, a number of untried and untested players have been chosen, rather than lean on the experience of players such as James Vince and Sam Hain, who have impressed in domestic 50-over cricket for numerous seasons.

In Antigua, spinner Adil Rashid outnumbered the caps of the rest of the line-up put together, with 140 to 127.

Furthermore, some of England’s debutants lacked experience of 50-over cricket, with Jordan Cox, 24, and Dan Mousley, 23, playing their first List A games in 20 months and three years respectively.

Of the other new caps, 21-year-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell had played 21 times in List A cricket, with fast bowler John Turner, 23, appearing 17 times.

It appears to be increasingly difficult for England’s best young players to experience List A cricket because of the scheduling of the domestic One-Day Cup at the same time as The Hundred.

“You can see the direction of where we’re trying to go, and that means blooding the next guys coming through,” added Trescothick.

“Playing people who have played before probably goes against the mantra of what we’re trying to do. I could give you five different examples of where we could go, but that’s not what we are trying to do.

“The opportunities are there for the guys to come in. That’s what they’re going to get. They’re going to pick up what it’s like to play in the Caribbean and they’ll be better for it.”