Ravi Bopara will continue his bid to establish himself as the answer to England's opening problems at the start of the one-day series against West Indies.

The Essex all-rounder is the latest player to be given the chance to fill the void at the top of the order made by Marcus Trescothick's premature retirement from international cricket.

Bopara took up the role during England's 5-0 series hammering in India last year, playing the final three games as an opener with an ability to bat aggressively during the early power-play overs.

He was also chosen as an opener during Sunday's emphatic six-wicket Twenty20 international defeat in Trinidad and, although Bopara scored only 13, stand-in England coach Andy Flower believes he has the potential to make the position his own.

"I have high hopes for him," said Flower, who played alongside Bopara for Essex. "I think he's going to be a very fine cricketer for England.

"The first thing that stands out for me is his enthusiasm for the game and that's what drives him. I don't think he's driven by external factors, he's driven by the fact that he wants to be a great player for England.

"He's also very talented, he has a lot of time to play the quicks. He has all the shots and he has to find the right combination of decisions to make that into a successful package."

Bopara has so far had two different partners in his three one-day internationals as an opener - Ian Bell and Alastair Cook - and he partnered Steve Davies during Sunday's hammering by West Indies.

England have several options this time, with Matt Prior, dropped down the order in India, fighting it out with Davies for a place alongside Bopara at the top of the order.

The make-up of England's line-up will depend firstly on the fitness of captain Andrew Strauss, who has been battling to recover from a hamstring strain and was forced to bat with a runner during yesterday's practice match in Georgetown.

If Strauss fails to recover in time for tomorrow's opener to the five-match series, England will be led by Paul Collingwood (left) after the selectors decided to name him as the stand-in captain in preference to Kevin Pietersen.

"We're quite hopeful that Andrew will be okay but we just feel that Colly is the right man to finish it off for us if the situation occurs," said England national selector Geoff Miller.

"We have never had an official vice-captain but we have enough seniority in the squad to cover any eventuality and the decision was made that Colly would take over the reins if he is needed."

The decision to call on Collingwood, who resigned as England's one-day captain last year to concentrate on his own form, represents a snub to former captain Pietersen so soon after he was removed from the post in January.

Pietersen and coach Peter Moores were axed in January after failing to overcome their differences and form a working relationship but the Hampshire batsman has stated his willingness to lead the side again in the future.

The West Indies, meanwhile, expect to welcome back captain Chris Gayle, who has been out with a hamstring tear.