ENG v WI World T20 Preview: England take on rejuvenated West Indies

England will take on what seems to be a rejuvenated West Indies side in the third match of the Super 10’s in the World T20 2016 on the 16th of March. They will face each other at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. England will be hoping for a better showing in the upcoming World T20 following a horrific tour of South Africa. The West Indies, on the other hand, will be playing their first T20 international of the calendar year and will be hoping to start on a winning note.

England

England’s World T20 dream hangs in the balance. With very little or no experience in the side to boast of, the Brits will be hoping for a near miracle. Joe Root, Alex Hales, and Ben Stokes will be viewed as the alpha and omega of a side that looks extremely feeble on paper. Chris Jordan will be expected to lead a bowling attack with very few match experience. David Willey and Reece Topley will be expected to complete the attack, with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in support. Ben Stokes also will be expected to turn out trumps for the England bowling unit. David Willey, in particular, will be high on confidence following a hat-trick in the warm-up match.

In the batting department, Alex Hales will be perhaps the most important player as he will have to give the Brits good starts and lay the necessary innings foundations. Eoin Morgan and Joe Root will have to bat out of their skins should England have even a remote chance of securing the World T20 crown they won in 2010.

West Indies

The situation of West Indies cricket at the moment is shambolic, to say the least. The Windies had to literally beg the likes of Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, and Dwayne Bravo to rejoin a side they had left in order to play in domestic T20 tournaments in other countries. However, now that they are indeed part of the side, the odds on a West Indies win has increased manifold. With most West Indian stars among the vast expense of the IPL teams, they are certainly no stranger to the conditions.

Chris Gayle will be key to the West Indies hopes against England. Should Gayle get going, an inexperienced England bowling attack can do little to stop him. Darren Sammy’s hard-hitting prowess came to the fore as he single-handedly won a warm-up match for the Windies against Australia. At the moment, on paper, the Windies are the favorites to pull off a win.

Pitch and conditions

The Wankhede wicket has perhaps been the most difficult Indian wicket to decipher thus far. The recent history of Wankhede suggests that the team batting first wins the majority of the matches. With the stadium situated near the Arabian Sea, the sea breeze is expected to play a crucial role in proceedings. In addition, dew is also expected to play a vital role in the later part of the evening. That said, it would be an ideal situation for the toss-winning captain to bat first.

Form Guide: (Last five completed games most recent first)

England LLWWW

West Indies WLLWW

Probable XI:

England: Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Reece Topley, Chris Jordan

West Indies: Darren Sammy (C), Denesh Ramdin (WK), Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Jerome Taylor, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse

Stats:

1. England are yet to win a T20 international in the year 2016.

2. Eoin Moran is England’s highest run scorer with 1333 runs. Chris Jordan is England’s highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets in the current setup. The cumulative number of wickets taken by the England bowlers in T20Is is 39, a country mile behind Stuart Broad’s 65 T20I scalps.

3. England and West Indies have played each other on 3 occasions in World T20s. West Indies have won on two occasions in 2010 and 2014. England won in 2009.

4. The West Indies have lost 2 matches in their last 5, all of which came in 2015. Chris Gayle is the top scorer for the West Indies in T20Is with 1406 runs. He also has 87 sixes to his name.

5. Darren Sammy is the highest wicket taker for the Windies with 43 wickets in 60 T20 internationals.