ICC World Cup 2019: Match 19, England vs Windies, Preview – English flair to lock horns with Caribbean carnage at The Rose Bowl

This is a battle where teams only try to outscore each other. We have seen what England and Windies are up to in this World Cup. Although they do have good bowling resources, they are predominantly reliant on their batsmen to get them into winning positions. With monsoon approaching early, this could not be the most effective of approaches, but entertainment is guaranteed for the fans.

England’s recent thumping win over Bangladesh helped them get back on their usual service, which was much needed after a surprising defeat at the hands of Pakistan. Their batsmen are looking in great touch and the likes of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are cranking it up with the ball as well. They’re on a roll and it won’t be easy for the Windies to stop them.

The Caribbean lads got off to a strong start against South Africa, only to see the game getting washed away by rain gods. They are currently struggling to keep pace with the other sides in the points table, but if they can stitch a few wins together, they’ll be back in contention soon.

Playing Combinations

England

One of the most settled combinations around, this side only tinkers with one or two positions. Moeen Ali is expected to come back with Chris Woakes likely to miss this game. Jason Roy already has 215 runs this edition and is looking good for some more of it. Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali are the only ones who haven’t shown their blitz with the bat, the rest had their flashes of brilliance. Plunkett, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer will be the three pacers with Rashid being the leg-spinning option.

Probable XI

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Windies

Evin Lewis might have to sit out despite being fit, which could see Windies persisting with an extra fast bowler in Kemar Roach. They have enough batting depth with Ashley Nurse batting at number 8 and Shai Hope can open alongside Chris Gayle. Andre Russell and Carlos Brathwaite should be a little more patient with their approach to ensure they don’t repeat the mistakes which happened against Australia. Darren Bravo should make way for Russell.

Probable XI

Chris Gayle, Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (C), Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas.

Focus will be on

Ben Stokes (England)

The highly rated all-rounder is just about finding his groove and is contributing one way or the other every game. After a fabulous knock with the bat in the first game, Ben Stokes chipped in with some crucial wickets in the next two. Good all-rounders often end up causing more damage than the most and if Stokes continues his good form, a lot of teams would be in trouble.

Chris Gayle (Windies)

It is about time we witness a Gayle masterclass in the tournament. The Universe Boss kickstarted his campaign with a quickfire fifty against Pakistan but struggled to get going against Australia, before getting out in controversial circumstances. The southpaw is determined to make an impact in his final assignment in this format and going by how he performed in the ODI series between these sides a few months ago, England should be wary of his threat.

Head to Head

Matches played – 101 | England won – 51 | Windies won – 44 | No Result – 6

Stat Attack

73 – Shimron Hetmyer needs 73 more runs to complete 1,000 ODI runs.

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports

Live Streaming – Hotstar

Match Timings – 15:00 IST; 10:30 local