Just who is picking the England Test team ahead of West Indies series?

England's Twenty20 cricketers leave Barbados on Monday as a tour of two halves undergoes its hiatus but uncertainty engulfs the Test series that concludes it, not least who will pick the squad.

Chris Silverwood's future as head coach is key and a decision on that is imminent after the report, written by his boss, Ashley Giles, and pored over by the ECB's performance cricket committee chair Andrew Strauss, is used to propose recommended courses of action to the board.

Team selection is set to take place in the week starting on February 7, although players in contention have yet to be given a firm indication of when they can expect to discover their fates and it is said to be a fluid situation. What isn't is the return date to the West Indies of February 24.

Whatever the conclusions drawn, it appears inconceivable that a post-mortem begun by chief executive Tom Harrison's first-hand surveying of the Ashes wreckage does not trigger change at the top of the England team — and not just the token removal of Graham Thorpe as one of its assistant coaches.

Joe Root provided support to Silverwood during the final days of the tour earlier this month (although, frankly, what else was he supposed to say when put on the spot in a formal press conference) and confirmed his willingness to extend his own tenure as captain.

Root is still held in the highest regard by his fellow players but tactical mistakes in the 4-0 defeat only served to increase the scrutiny of his captaincy. He should not remain in the post on the basis that there is no obvious alternative.

Equally, it would be too much of a burden to take a plunge on Ben Stokes, who may possess the best cricket brain within the group but has enough on his plate.

Focus though should