West Indies vs England, 1st ODI Match Preview

After a dismal performance in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, England have a point to prove. Skipper Jos Buttler faced a lot of criticism and there were talks of England changing their skipper but the management decided to stick with the stumper-batter as England need something extraordinary to turn things around. West Indies, on the other hand, are at their lowest in ODI cricket history. The Shai Hope-led side failed to qualify for the mega tournament in India for the first time in their history and in order to change the future, the upcoming two years will be very important.

A lot of top West Indies cricketers have an issue with the board and that needs to be sorted out immediately for the betterment of their cricket. When it comes to the current squad, they have a good balance but the X factor seems to be missing. Shai Hope will have to lead by example while Shimron Hetmyer and Alick Athanaze will be key for the side against England.

When it comes to Three Lions, they have named a young side, which probably is an indication of how things will be in the future. The likes of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow Joe Root and a few others have been dropped while Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone Sam Curran and Dawid Malan have retained their places. The inclusion of Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope is interesting as they are yet to prove themselves in white-ball cricket.

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Pitch Report

The surface will be on the slower side as both teams will struggle to score freely. Spinners are likely to play a huge part as anything over 265 will be a good total on the board.

WI vs ENG Probable Playing XI, England Tour of West Indies

West Indies (WI):

There’s a lot of experience in the batting unit, which will have to step up in the series. They have a point to prove and the series against England is a perfect opportunity. When it comes to the bowling unit, they lack flair but have quality.

Predicted XI: Shai Hope (c/wk), Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Yannic Cariah, Matthew Forde, Oshane Thomas

England (ENG):

The newly built England ODI team lacks firepower in the top order. It indicates that the team management has decided on a change in approach, which is a welcoming sign as far as ODI cricket is concerned.

Predicted XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Brydon Carse, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson

ENG vs WI ODIs Head-to-Head Records:  

WI vs ENG Broadcast details