Match Details
west indies big uk
8:30 PM local time, June 19, Saint Lucia
Big picture:
England and West Indies are each vying for an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title, and the event at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Beausejour, a venue named after the hosts who won the first two titles, could go in either direction. This is a check on the readiness of these two very real contenders for the crown.
Apart from the power of their recent win, the range of West Indies’ winners have put them firmly in the title mix. Against Australia in Perth, Andre Russell hit 71 off 29 balls, against South Africa in Jamaica, Brandon King hit 79 off 45 balls, and Sherfan Rutherford via Roston Chase and Johnson Charles Against New Zealand and Nicholas, he pitched 68 scoreless innings. Against Afghanistan, Pooran hit 98 off 53 balls, again and again displaying a batting line-up with complete faith in each other’s attributes and the ability to stand up when called upon.
Form Instructions
West Indies: WWWWW (Last 5 completed T20Is, most recent first)
uk: WWWWW
Spotlight – Phil Salt and Gudakesh Motie
Work hard or go home. I did peel salt‘s motto throughout his T20 career, and now his relentless approach to the top for England is more valuable than ever. After bouncing around for several seasons, Salt’s international breakthrough came against a fellow West Indies team in December. It was then that he returned to one of the world’s most attacking batting line-ups, following back-to-back centuries for Grenada and Trinidad. It was a reminder that England had all too clearly misplaced fears about their 50-over World Cup defense. Given the truncated nature of the more than 20 campaigns to date, it’s difficult to determine exactly how the mid-order is tracking. That means momentum at the top can be even more important when pursuing the first major scalp of a campaign.
team news
There aren’t many concerns about the West Indies after their crushing win against Afghanistan, but they do face a few challenges when it comes to selection. Roston Chase and Shai Hope are competing for the same mid-order places, while Romario Shepherd missed the last game for maternity leave but is set to return to the team in good time for the match. He was able to get ahead of Obed McCoy.
west indies (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope/Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hossain, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd.
England suffered a slight upset after the Namibia match was reduced to 11 overs due to showers in Antigua, and the inclusion of both Sam Curran and Chris Jordan gave them a wider range of death bowling options. Both were able to retain their places, with Jordan’s death bowling and extra hitting giving him an edge over Mark Wood. Will Jacks also appears likely to return to the XI, with Liam Livingstone missing training due to illness, potentially leading to a drop in the top six. However, they recovered from the poor performance they suffered in the game against Namibia.
uk (Available): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil. Rashid, age 11 Rhys Topley
pitch and conditions
This will be another outing on a surface where the West Indies were 5-218 against Afghanistan on Monday, so a high-scoring contest is expected. The dimensions are slightly slanted, with one square border measuring 63m compared to another square border measuring 72m, but the prevailing winds tend to blow towards the longer side, so big hitters can expect to get a bit of a bang for their money.
Statistics and Trivia
quotes
“It’s good for us to start here and actually get a game in before the Super Eight starts. We’re a little bit used to the bounce, we’re used to the wickets and hopefully that will suit us a little better than the English. “
west indies captain Lobman Powell He wants to take advantage of his team’s already appearance on the strip Wednesday.
“I think the West Indies will probably try to bring back what was so amazing for our fans. They will rally them and try to create this cauldron of atmosphere tomorrow night. It will be truly unbelievable.”
Reese Topley St Lucian’s strong support expected after England fans outnumbered local fans in December’s T20I series
Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. @Miller_Cricket