Published: Mar 02, 2017, 09:02 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 02, 2017, 10:04 PM (IST)
Far away from the spotlight which they witnessed in their previous clash in the World T20 2016 final in Kolkata, West Indies and England gear up for their first meet, albeit in a different format. West Indies and England will clash at North Sound Stadium in Antigua, on Friday. At home, rarely do the fans turn up in large numbers to watch West Indies play, which is a complete opposite to the scenes in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). West Indies are two-time winners of the ICC World T20 tournaments, but their fortunes are far inferior in the other two formats. West Indies remain equally pitiable in 50-over cricket as they are in Tests, a fact that is likely to keep the fans away from the upcoming three-match ODI series. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: West Indies vs England, 1st ODI at Antigua
West Indies will take England in the first of the three-match ODI series starting Friday, but the lack of support at home will not be the only factor they need to worry about. The ninth-ranked West Indies are running the risk of losing out on direct qualification to the 2019 World Cup in England. West Indies will have to end within the top eight by the cut-off date, or else, the two-time champions will compete in the qualification round. Thus, for West Indies, winning the series is a necessity.
Let us take a look at the possible combinations these two teams can have for the first ODI at North Sound, Antigua:
Top order: England are far more settled and lethal side than West Indies, but they could be slightly less on firepower for this series. Alex Hales, who was not named in the touring party earlier, has joined the English camp in Antigua and may feature in the first ODI. If he is declared fit to play, Hales will team up with Jason Roy at the top of the order. Joe Root will bat at No. 3, while England have other options in Sam Billings as well as Jonny Bairstow to play in the top-order.
On the other hand, West Indies are likely to open with Kraigg Brathwaite and explosive batsman Evin Lewis. Since there is no Darren Bravo in the squad owing to the controversial fall-out he had with the WICB selection panel, either of Kieran Powell or Rovman Powell can be sent up at No. 3.
Middle-order: England continue to have tremendous firepower in their batting ranks. Eoin Morgan is in terrific form and he will have other batsmen such as Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes following him. England are spoilt for choices, as, in Billings, they have a batsman who can bat at the top as well as in the middle-order.
West Indies will have Carlos Brathwaite batting in the middle-order, and all eyes will be fixated on him to continue producing magic. West Indies are severely depleted as they do not have the experience and solidity which Bravo and Marlon Samuels get to their middle-order, and they will have to depend on the young players to showcase their skills. Trinidad and Tobago all-rounder Jason Mohammed seems to be a strong contender, due to a slow track at the venue. Either of Ashley Nurse or Jonathan Carter are likely to feature in the team as specialist all-rounders.
Lower-order: This is one area in which England can find being challenged to the hilt, if not matched, by their hosts. England will have Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Steven Finn and Adil Rashid in their lower-order. England also have the luxury of fielding a troika of spinners, with all-rounder Liam Dawson being the third spinner after Rashid and Moeen. Since the pitch at North Sound, Antigua is expected to be slow and low, playing a handful of spin bowling options will not be a wrong call.
For West Indies, the young Alzarri Joseph should share the new ball with Jason Holder, with Carlos Brathwaite being the third pacer. It could be beneficial for the hosts if they include a good number of spin bowling options, with Mohammed serving as a specialist spinner. Devendra Bishoo could be the leader of the West Indies bowling attack. With 8 wickets in four matches, Nurse makes a strong case of being more of a bowling all-rounder, especially when he has scored a mere 7 runs in three innings.
Likely XIs for the first ODI at North Sound, Antigua:
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Shai Hope (wk), Jason Mohammed, Jason Holder (c), Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph,
England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales/Sam Billings, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Steven Finn.
