On the opening day of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, it’s the clash of the 2016 Finalists, as England take on the West Indies at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in match number 14. West Indies have won all five encounters against England in the T20 World Cups, with the last one coming at Kolkata in the 2016 edition of the tournament. We preview both sides ahead of the Super Saturday clash between the two favorites to lift the title.
England
Moeen Ali might not have had great international success in recent times, but his performances in 2021 for CSK, where he scored 357 at a strike rate of 137.3 batting majorly at the number three position, might see him being preferred over Dawid Malan, who is currently the top-ranked T20I batter. Malan, who from the time of his debut had scored 855 runs at a staggering average of 53.43 and a strike rate of 149.47 till the end of 2020, averages just 26.8 in 2021, striking at just 114.52.
In the absence of Jofra Archer, England have added Tymal Mills to their squad, who with his express pace and a deceptive slower ball, is set to handle the pace bowling load along with Mark Wood. On the slow UAE pitches, their extreme pace can be the difference between the two sides. The pace duo will be complemented by spinners Ali and Adil Rashid, with the latter being England’s leading wicket-taker in 2021 with 14 wickets at 7.3 runs per over.
Despite captain Eoin Morgan’s poor form, who has managed to score just 82 runs in seven innings this year to go with a disastrous IPL where he scored 133 runs in 16 innings, he will probably lead England against West Indies.
West Indies
The West Indies might be an aging side, but the team is filled with players who are capable of winning matches on their own. Lendl Simmons, who smashed a match-winning against India in the 2016 Semi-Final, is back into the team and will most likely pair up with Evin Lewis at the top, who has been West Indies’ leading run-scorer in 2021. Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, will bat at three, a position where he hasn’t found much success, scoring 214 runs at an average of 16.46 and striking at 115.67.
Ravi Rampaul, who last played a T20I for West Indies in 2015, is back into the team after a successful CPL where he was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.96. He’ll be teaming up with Obed McCoy, who in just 10 innings in 2021, has picked up 18 wickets at 7.13 runs per over for the West Indies. With as many as six potential bowling options and batters till number eight, West Indies pose a great threat to England, matching their aggressive style.
Probable playing XI
England:
Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (C), David Willey, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood and Tymal Mills
West Indies:
Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh Jr., Obed McCoy and Ravi Rampaul