The big picture: the established British scent series
It felt like an unusual thing at the time. It was a victory for England, led by Phil Salt’s 87 off 47 balls, and a throwback to the dominant style that had transformed their white-ball fortunes over previous World Cup cycles. . But that eight-wicket win was matched by two equally emphatic wins in Barbados since then (by eight and seven wickets respectively), putting England’s T20I side on the brink of a second two-way series win in two years.
Salt was once again central to England’s success against the West Indies. His superb century in the opening match was his third in five innings against them, and when his tally was dented by a golden duck in the rematch, England captain Jos Buttler came through with a no-nonsense 83 runs. I was ready. 45 balls – that in itself was a good counter to his first bowler in the first game.
West Indies’ prospects were not helped by two defeats. Even after setting a seemingly daunting 183 in the first match, England achieved that target with 19 balls to spare. But they also had to contend with some internal turmoil. Alzarri Joseph’s bizarre seizure in the ODI series resulted in a two-match ban, and there was the loss of Andre Russell after he spun an ankle in the first T20I.
But if England looked tactically lacking in the ODI leg of the tour, they found an encouraging blend of continuity and confidence in the shorter format. Their notable all-rounders were better placed over 20 overs compared to 50 overs. This was especially true in the first game, when Reece Topley’s loss to a knee injury had little ramifications for Buttler’s options.
And even if their batting depth is yet to be tested, the fact that Sam Curran, Dan Mousley and Jamie Overton are all waiting for their first hit of the series is certainly better than having them have to bail out endlessly. England had three chances in St Lucia to secure their first series win in one of the three formats in the Caribbean since 2019. Judging by the way things have gone so far, any resolve to deny this in the long term will require a significant breakdown.
Form Instructions
west indies LLLLLW (Last 5 T20Is, most recent 1st)
uk WWWLL
Spotlight: Rovman Powell and Will Jacks
Team News: Alzarri returns from suspension.
Shamar, Joseph Inn; Shamar Joseph out… The last few days have been a bit of a roller coaster in the West Indies. Allrounder Shamar (Springer) has been called up as a replacement for Andre Russell (Alzarri) and Joseph’s return from suspension means his namesake is surplus to requirements. Terrance Hinds has endured a difficult debut in Barbados and is likely to collapse as well.
West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer / Roston Chase, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Matthew Ford
England have limited options with Jafer Chohan and Jordan Cox leaving the squad ahead of Test commitments with the Lions respectively, but are unlikely to make much of a dent with the series in hand. There is hope that Reece Topley will not yet be fit after creaking his knee in the first game – and being fined for smashing a chair as he left the field. With Jofra Archer’s workload still being closely managed, John Turner, unused since ODIs, could be set to make his format debut.
uk: (possible) 1 Phil Salt Co., 2 Jos Buttler (capt), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Liam Livingston, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Dan Musley, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jofra Archer/John Turner, 10 Saqib Mahmoud, 11 Adil Rashid
Pitch and conditions: wet, wet, wet?
Wet conditions may occur following recent heavy rain. St. Lucia’s outfielder is less famous for his drainage, so fingers crossed.
Statistics and Trivia
quotes
“England played better than us in the first two games. But I collected Saint Lucia and became an additional 12th player. We have never played winnable cricket, but we have the personnel in the dressing room to win.”
Darren SammyThe West Indies head coach is hoping for a fightback at the stadium that bears his name.
