West Indies v England, 1st ODI - 5 Talking Points

Team England were all set to take on West Indies in the Caribbean Islands for a short 3-match ODI series. One might question the significance of an ill-timed short series, but the answer to the same remains pretty direct. Most teams are eyeing a perfect combination before they get into the ICC mega event Champions Trophy this year. Coming in to the game, West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first. English batsmen Sam Billings and Ben Stokes hit vital fifties to support skipper Eoin Morgan’s timely and masterly century.

A late blitz from Moeen Ali towards the end helped the visitors post a decent 296 runs on the board. On a sluggish track at the North Sound, Antigua, the total looked just about par for the game. For the inexperienced West Indies setup, the run chase was always going to be daunting.

Here are the 5 Talking Points from the match:

1. Mixed start for England – Billings hits, Root misses

England had a mixed start to their innings. Jason Roy fell cheaply and Sam Billings looked in a good touch. Billings is not even the first choice opener for the English side in limited overs side. He got his opportunity in absence of regular opener Alex Hales. The young lad made the most out of the opportunity that he got and sealed it with both hands.

Also read- WI v ENG, 1st ODI Review: Morgan and bowlers give England 1-0 lead

He batted beautifully and a crucial 67 run stand with the skipper Eoin Morgan in the middle overs. He was eventually dismissed on 52 that came off 56 deliveries and was studded with 7 boundaries. He was sent packing in the 22nd over of the game and by all means, he had done the task of giving a good start to his side.

Meanwhile, the stalwart of this batting line up – Joe Root – had a rare failure at the office. Root has been the most consistent batsman for England in the recent past. He survived just 5 deliveries on the day and Shannon Gabriel disturbed his woodwork to send him back to pavilion.

2. Captain Marvel leads from the front

Skipper Eoin Morgan walked in to bat in th 8th over with the team looking on a shaky ground with 29/2. He took his time to settle in and adapted to the situation with ease. He nurdled the ball around early on to get the feel of the wicket and understand the bounce of the track.

Once he got set, he started to take the odd risks and hit his boundary shots too. This kept the scorecard running. The way he paced his knock was worth commending. He added a fifty run stand with Sam Billings that then steered the English side to a huge total riding on an 110-run stand with Ben Stokes. In the process, Morgan reached his 10th ODI century as well.

He brought up his century in the 48th over in grand style. A slap down the ground for a maximum that potentially set the tone for an English win. He was run-out in the last over but the damage had been done. His 116-ball 107 (11 fours, 2 sixes) helped the visitors post a sizeable 296/6 in their 50 overs.

3. Ben Stokes fills in with a fitting cameo

Coming into the match, all eyes were on Ben Stokes. There were a couple of reasons for the same. The last time these two sides had met in an international game, it was in the finals of the World T20 2016 in India. During the match, he was taken away for 24 runs on the last four deliveries by Carlos Brathwaite and England had subsequently lost the finals.

The other reason for him grabbing the eyeballs was because of his recent picking at the IPL auction. He was the most expensive buy of the season auctions. Coming into the game, he put on a century-plus stand with Eoin Morgan. The partnership helped the visitors accelerate in the middle overs.

Stokes played the perfect cameo of 55 runs that came in quick time of just 61 deliveries. He hit three sixes in his innings. The final blitz was provided by Moeen Ali, who remained unbeaten on 31 off mere 22 deliveries to see England post close to 300-run mark.

4. West Indies middle order gives hope

The run chase for the West Indies team started on a shaky ground. Their top three failed to make an impact on the day. Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Evin Lewis were sent back to the hut by Chris Woakes. Kieran Powell, who made a comeback after almost two years, was dismissed on 1 by Liam Plunkett. At 39/3, things looked bleak for the hosts.

However, it was a fightback from the middle order that gave them some hope. The hosts managed to stay in the hunt and kept the scorecard ticking. Shai Hope and Jason Mohammad added 69 runs for the 4th wicket. Hope perished after a resilient 31. Jonathan Carter then proved to be the accelerator for them. Carter and Mohammed put on a timely 82 run stand for the 5th wicket to keep West Indies in the hunt.

Both batsmen reached their respective fifties. Carter perished in his attempt to slog. He scored 52 off just 47 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes before being dismissed. Mohammed looked steady during his 91-ball 72 that included 7 boundaries. However, their efforts were just not enough on the day.

5. English seamers make the ball do the talking

When the England team was batting, the pitch seamed to offer little or no help. The Caribbean pacers looked lackluster with the ball. Things were highly contrasting in the second innings. English seamers exploited the conditions very well. Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett bagged four wickets each to break the back of the hosts.

Woakes started the procession by getting rid of both the openers. He later dismissed the big-hitting Carlos Brathwaite and tail-ender Ashley Nurse to eventually return with figures of 4/47 in his 9 overs. Plunkett went a shade better with his economy rate.

He had dismissed the dangerous looking Kieran Powell and then capped off with the wickets of skipper Jason Holder and number eleven Shannon Gabriel. Earlier in the match, he had dismissed Kieran Powell. He returned with figures of 4/40 in his 8.2 overs.