England will lock horns against the West Indies in the last fixture of the three-match ODI series between the two nations at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.
The West Indies recorded a spectacular victory over the likes of England in the first match of the series. However, Jos Buttler’s side managed to draft a comeback in the second match as they tied the series 1-1.
What have they done so far?
In the first ODI, played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, England won the toss and decided to bat first. Phil Salt was playing big shots in the powerplay giving the visitors a positive start.
However, the Poms fell into trouble, when they started losing wickets at regular intervals. When the scoreboard read 110/3, Harry Brook emerged as England’s talisman by scoring 71 runs off 72 deliveries, eventually leading the side to a total of 325 runs.
On the other side, Alick Athanaze and Brandon King also gave England a good start by completing the partnership of 100 runs for the opening pair. Moreover, the victory was eventually sealed by a century from Shai Hope who scored 109 runs off 83 deliveries.
The second match of the series took place at the same venue. However, this time, the English side decided to bowl first after winning the coin toss. After seven overs, the West Indies found themselves at 23/4.
However, the partnership between skipper Hope and Sherfane Rutherford helped the home side gain momentum in the middle overs. Nevertheless, both the batters were eventually dismissed by Liam Livingstone as the whole batting line-up of the West Indies collapsed at 202.
England got a decent start in the powerplay but Salt lost his wicket early in the match. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were also dismissed in quick intervals. Nevertheless, half-centuries from Will Jacks and Jos Buttler helped England record a comfortable victory.
Head to Head Record
The West Indies and England have locked horns against each other in One Day Internationals for a total of 103 times. The rivalry has been fairly equal, however, the English cricket team has recorded more victories than the Caribbean Representatives.
England has won 52 matches while the West Indies has managed to record 45 victories while six matches have ended with no result. The two sides last played a five-match ODI series in 2019, and it was won by the West Indies 3-1.
Key Players
West Indies captain Shai Hope has been in great form
Shai Hope (West Indies): The West Indies captain has been the most reliable batter of the team in the series as well as the last few years as the skipper fought valiantly but his side failed to qualify for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
After scoring a spectacular century against England in the first match, he scored a crucial half-century in the second match too, top-scoring for his side in both matches.
Harry Brook (England): Harry Brook is currently playing an important role in the English team. Coming to bat in the fifth spot, Brook has proved that he holds a significant understanding of his position as well as the game.
The middle-order batter has already played two important innings for the Poms and in the second match, he was unbeaten until the end alongside skipper Buttler.
Predicted XIs
West Indies: Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope © (wk), Keacy Carty, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Yannic Cariah, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie
England: Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler © (wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Brydon Carse, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson
Prediction
The West Indies cricket team rejoiced after they defeated England in the first ODI. However, Buttler’s team made a confident comeback in the second game as they took down the Windies by six wickets. Considering all the aspects, England is more likely to win the ODI series but the home advantage rests with the Caribbean side.