Ahead of the Test series, which begins on Wednesday, The Cricketer’s writers were challenged to come up with the best XI – made up from players of both sides – to have represented the team since 1970.

SIMON HUGHES: Gordon Greenidge, Graham Gooch, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Joe Root, Ian Botham, Alan Knott, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Derek Underwood.

Most of these players pick themselves. I have broken up the Greenidge/Haynes partnership which may seem like sacrilege but I actually think Gooch was a slightly better all-round player than Haynes. I could have chosen Pietersen at No.5 but went for Root as more of a counter to the explosive talents of Richards and Lara (KP and Viv might try to outhit each other!)David Gower and Clive Lloyd were other options at No.5 to get another left-hander in but Root just shades it for his consistency. Very loath to leave out Jimmy Anderson but Malcolm Marshall had most of his skills and an extra 5mph (plus we also have Botham’s ability to swing it) and Ambrose provides the control and bounce and Holding the extreme pace. 

HUW TURBERVILL: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Brian Lara, Viv Richards (c), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Botham, Alan Knott+, Derek Underwood, Malcolm Marshall, James Anderson, Curtly Ambrose.

Attack! attack! Attack!I’ve gone for a distinctly Caribbean approach.Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes are one of the most formidable opening partnerships known to mankind.Brian Lara and Viv Richards were geniuses. I could have gone for somebody a bit more conventional at No.5 in case of crisis: Joe Root or Graham Gooch even (he batted lower down later on); but KP can maintain the Calypso approach (pipping David Gower). I was tempted to opt for Jeff Dujon as keeper, but Knottie was no mug with the bat either.And he can keep to Derek Underwood, ‘Deadly’ maintaining the attack.The skiddiness of Malcolm Marshall and the height of Curtly Ambrose (both have stunning Test bowling averages of 20) provides a nice contrast. Beefy was rarely at his best against West Indies but presumably this composite team will be playing another – maybe Australia/New Zealand? So he can climb into the oppo with gusto, perhaps batting with his great mate Viv. Jimmy’s numbers demand the No.11 spot.I defy anybody to watch that team and not fall off the edge of their seat!

JAMES COYNE: Graham Gooch (c), Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, Alan Knott+, Malcolm Marshall, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Curtly Ambrose.

A difficult task this, as these composite teams always are.If it was all England-West Indies cricket post-war, there’d probably be a couple more West Indians in there, since there would be the Three Ws and Wes Hall, and I reckon Garry Sobers’ most outstanding years came before 1970.For that reason, my highly contentious pick is Stokes ahead of Sobers, Ian Botham (and Andrew Flintoff), which I suspect older listeners will view as heresy. I think he’s well on the way to being considered even greater than Botham and Flintoff. Swann just pips Derek Underwood and Lance Gibbs to the spinner’s role on account of taking all his wickets on flatter, covered pitches – though he did have the DRS. That’s a formidable attack – with Anderson and Marshall making the new Dukes talk and Ambrose and Stokes in support. John Snow, Bob Willis, Joel Garner and Michael Holding and plenty of other West Indian quicks just miss out. I even thought about Shannon Gabriel.The three middle-order options pick themselves (sorry Clive Lloyd, David Gower and Joe Root), though I think it’s best to keep the captaincy away from my stylists and my all-rounders, so Graham Gooch does it. That second opener spot is mighty tough, but Greenidge pips Geoff Boycott and Alastair Cook.I do not believe anyone – except possibly Bob Taylor – has ever kept wicket better than Alan Knott, and he stood up much more than Jeff Dujon.

SAM MORSHEAD: Graham Gooch, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Botham, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose.

I’ve gone for a team of thrillers, led by a Graham Gooch. This is a bonafide grandstand XI who would empty bars so regularly there’d be kegs heading back to breweries by the truckload at the end of each Test. The firepower and flair of this middle order – Richards, Lara, Pietersen, Botham – plus the 40-plus Test average of Prior and the sheer entertainment value of Broad would guarantee bums on seats. Who cares about the length of the tail when the animal’s bite is so powerful: Broad plus Botham, in collaboration with Marshall, Holding and Ambrose – a dreamlike combination of skiddy and quick, devastatingly beautiful rhythm and earth-crushing destructive potential – would render any opposition batting line-up obselete. They might as well declare 0 for 0.Who needs a spinner when you have a six-pronged pace attack with variety, aggression, consistency and intensity? There must be a mad scientist somewhere on this bizarro planet of ours who can come up with a gadget to put this XI together in their pomp and let them loose on the world. Is Elon Musk into cricket? Or is he still trying to get that submarine into Thailand’s cave system.I’ve gone mad just thinking of watching this XI in action. 

NICK HOWSON: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Clive Lloyd, Ian Botham, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, James Anderson.

Only two partnerships in Test history have yielded more runs than the Greenidge-Haynes axis. The pair slotted together perfectly, combining resilience with power hitting. Kevin Pietersen is one of only two genuine modern-day players to get into this XI, highlighting the depth there is to select from as much as his absorbing talent. Like many in this team we’ll still be talking about him in another 50 years. While we’re on the subject of combinations, an effective one solves the problem positions behind the stumps and in the spin department. Alan Knott and Derek Underwood combined for 27 Test dismissals, and were even more potent for  county Kent.The seam ranks provide a virtual sweetshop of treats. There is no wrong answer. Nevertheless, I have gone with the terrifying Joel Garner, the brutal Malcolm Marshall and swing specialist James Anderson.

NICK FRIEND: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Alastair Cook (yes, yes, I know), Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Viv Richards (c), Alec Stewart +, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh.

The team I wanted to pick but told myself off for: Chris Gayle, Graham Gooch, Joe Root, Clive Lloyd, David Gower, Ben Stokes, Ian Botham, Alan Knott, Stuart Broad, Curtly Ambrose, Joel Garner. Please don’t get angry! This was very hard. I don’t like my outcome either, but it’ll have to do. Yes, I know, Alastair Cook only ever batted 12 times at No.3, but I was never going to leave him out. It feels so dirty. The Greenidge-Haynes axis, however, is unbreakable and unshakeable. Lara is the one man on this earth whose batting I would never dare tire of watching. Pietersen is nearly at that level.Viv Richards is Viv Richards, and for that reason alone he sneaks in ahead of both Botham and Stokes, who did little wrong other than not being Richards, if that makes sense. I didn’t really want to pick a wicketkeeper, but I was told I had to. It feels like a bit of a waste – not that Stewart, Knott and Prior are bad options, but just look at the list of those I wanted to pick but couldn’t.Swann is my spinner, but I nearly didn’t bother with one. Anderson a shoo-in, Marshall a phenomenon, Walsh over Ambrose on nothing but personal preference. Gayle not in my side, but don’t overlook his Test record of 103 appearances, two triple centuries and an average north of 42, as well as his sheer impact on the sport. Likewise, Sunil Narine might just be T20’s best ever player. Give it a couple of years and Andre Russell might not be far behind.

THOMAS BLOW: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Brian Lara, Viv Richards (c), Kevin Pietersen, Joe Root, Matt Prior+, Graeme Swann, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh.

This is a tough XI to pick.There are so many English openers to choose from, but you should choose the best partnership rather than the best players. Therefore I have selected Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, the most prolific opening pair in the history of Test cricket with 6,151 runs.As his record-breaking scores of 375 and 400 both came at No.3, Brian Lara has to take that spot. Viv Richards is an obvious choice as captain having never lost a Test series in charge and the only Englishman who could match his flair, Kevin Pietersen, has to make the list. Joe Root is a luxury at No.6 and many of you may ask where Garry Sobers is, but as he only played 17 off his 93 Tests after 1970, I have a valid excuse. Matt Prior is a worthy recipient of the gloves and the last recognised batsman, although the risk is slim considering the talent before him. Graeme Swann has been England’s best spinner in recent years and, considering the bowlers available, you have to have an all-West Indies pace attack. Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh are my three. 

The Voice’s coverage of the England-West Indies Test series comes in collaboration with The Cricketer – the world’s No.1 cricket magazine. Click here to visit their website