England opener Zak Crawley has backed the side to "bounce back strongly" against the West Indies in what will be their first Test series since their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes.
Crawley featured in the final three Ashes Tests and scored an impressive 77 in the fourth Test in Sydney.
While fellow openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have both been dropped for the three-Test series against the West Indies, Crawley will partner the uncapped Alex Lees at the top of the order.
And he is confident about England's chances of winning their first Test series in the Caribbean since 2004, even with the controversial absence of leading wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Crawley said: "There's a lot of excitement about this series, we're loving being here in the Caribbean, it's a great place to travel to and play.
"So, we're really looking forward to the series and we're a positive group at the moment."
Crawley also feels England have "learnt a lot" from their Ashes humiliation and will enjoy much improved Test fortunes this year.
He added: "It's pretty easy [to put it behind you]. We know what went wrong, we've analysed what we did wrong and we're looking to move forwards now. That's what I personally feel anyway.
"I learnt a lot in that series, as I think we all did. I think you learn a lot in general from losing actually and it gives you a chance to bounce back strongly. I think we will during this series and in the coming year."
Crawley also experienced a very poor year from a personal standpoint, managing just 173 Test runs at a paltry average of 10.81, but he is confident that he "score a lot of runs" this year.
"It still wasn't the runs I wanted but the way that I played, I was pleased with," he said. "It's given me a platform to kick on from."I feel I understand my game a lot more now, after having a tough year last year. I work hard on my game, and you create your own luck.
"Obviously, people trusted in me again and I'm looking to repay them and score a lot of runs for them this year and for England in general. I think we're going to have a good year and hopefully I can be a big part of that."
Crawley and his England teammates will be desperate to get off to an emphatic start when the West Indies series begins next Tuesday on March 8th.
