Ahead of the series opener of the 3-match Test series against West Indies at Southampton, West Indies skipper Jason Holder send out a strong statement to his English counterparts by saying that the Windies brigade have improved considerably as a Test outfit and can now challenge any top team in the world in the longer format of the game which is considered their weakest link.

Jason Holder-hemmed Windies will lock horns against England in the first of the 3-Test series starting Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire, which also marks the resumption of international cricket after the sport had been indefinitely halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former West Indies captain and batting great Brian Lara has said Holder's troops will have to try and finish the game inside four days as they won't be able to attain a positive result if the Test matches against England go into the fifth and final day.

"This West Indies team has had really good results in the last three years. We can win against top sides and we can win series against top sides as well," Holder said during a video conference on the eve of the first Test.

"England will come at us hard. We expect a tough contest and the onus is on us to dethrone England in their own backyard and it's not going to be easy," said the world's No. 1 ranked Test all-rounder. The matches can be watched live from 3:30 p.m. on SONY SIX channels from Wednesday.

The Windies skipper also gave his opinion about the ICC's new guildine on saliva ban which will be enforced on the series opener at Southampton. Holder said it has not been much of a problem in the warm-up game but they will have to wait and watch how it goes in the first Test.

"The only thing we can do is put the body sweat on it (ball). There is nothing else we can do. As to the impact, it can only be told when the series starts. We have tried it in the warm-up games and it hasn't gone too badly for us. Lets see what happens on the field. Conditions will have a lot of impact. It will be a trial and error in this series."

Holder became the first West Indian since the great Garfield Sobers to be named as the world's leading all-rounder following his superb display against England in Barbados last year.

"It feels good to be in elite company, I have had tons of conversations with him and he is so positive. He is one of those guys who will put his arm around you and nurture you," said Holder of Sobers.