The first match of England’s tour in the West Indies will be starting on the 22nd of January at Barbados. After a disappointing Ashes series, England will be looking to rejuvenate their spirit and hunt to bring their A-game in the white-ball format against the West Indies.
Let’s look at what this fixture has in for the cricket lovers.
Head-to-head
West Indies and England have faced 19 times in the shortest format of cricket. England have won eight games, whereas West Indies have won 11. But this record does not reveal the status of their recent duels.
While West Indies is leading in the overall record, their last three encounters against the Englishmen have seen them struggle to score a 75 + team total. Such has been the dominance displayed by the English team against the two-time T20 World Champions.
West Indies have lost all of their last five matches, including their recent series against Pakistan. On the other hand, England have won three and lost two.
Players to look forward to (WI)
Jason Holder
In the early stage of the 2021 World Cup squad, Jason Holder’s omission took everyone by surprise. Nonetheless, his handiness with bat and ball is well known. We can expect some spectacular performances from him, considering the added opportunities in the absence of Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo.
Odean Smith
Another all-rounder on the rise for West Indies is Odean Smith. He took five wickets in the recently concluded series against Pakistan and scored 36 runs. He will look to prove his effectiveness more in this series as well.
Brandon King
Brandon King is undoubtedly a new name, but the way he is going in the shortest format, he is attracting quite a few eyeballs. With a strike rate of 168.18 in 2021, he has displayed some aggressive batting and might be the next T20 superstar coming from West Indies.
England players to look forward to
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone, before 2021, only got two chances to play in T20 Internationals, that too in 2017. But he made sure to get the most out of 2021. Scoring 236 runs, including a century and eight wickets last year, he has established himself as a critical player for England in the shortest format.
Adil Rashid
While Adil Rashid may not have won the World Cup last year, he very well made sure to make 2021 his best year. With 23 wickets at a strike rate of 15.2, he dominated 2021. And if his current form is not ringing alarm bells in the West Indies team, then his record against them should do. Against WI in T20Is, Adil Rashid has picked 15 wickets in eight matches and has never gone wicketless in a match.
Jason Roy
In the recent practice match, Jason Roy scored 115 runs against BCA President’s XI, making his plans for the series clear. With two half-centuries and an average of 30.42 last year, Jason Roy will be looking to improve these numbers in 2022.
What can we expect?
Kensington Oval has favored both pacers as well as spinners. But the fact that the team batting first has been able to win 80% of matches makes it evident what the toss winner will go for. So while the ground is infamous to host low-scoring debacles, there’s a chance we might see a 150+ score in the first innings.
With the West Indies’ recent poor outings in their favorite format and England’s beating in the current Ashes series, both teams will be looking for a fresh start via this series.
Probable Playing XI
West Indies
Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shai Hope, Jason Holder, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith,
England
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy