WI v ENG 1st ODI, Preview: All eyes on Stokes and Brathwaite as visitors start favorites

Team England are all set to take on the West Indies side 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. The series serves a good purpose of letting the teams tinker with their probable squads and have a look at the players they deem suitable in the longer run scheme of things.

Coming into the tour, the visitors have a power packed line-up and the hosts have left no stone unturned either. The last time these two teams had faced off in an international fixture was during the all-important finals of the ICC World T20 in India. It was a young spirited West Indies side that had overhauled the English lineup that boasted of some of biggest stars of the game. Come the ODI series, the setup seems to be a deja vu of all sorts.

The England players have hit a jackpot in the recent IPL auctions. Ben Stokes, the gutsy all-rounder, bagged the highest bids at the auctions and will be itching to show his worth in the series. Interestingly, it was the same bowler Stokes who was hammered for four sixes in the final over of the World T20 final. His reunion with Carlos Brathwaite, the aggressor in the stated case earlier, will be one hell of a treat to watch.

Team News:

West Indies

West Indies will know that they are against a much stronger England line up this time. Skipper Jason Holder is also wary of the team’s not so impressive ODI run in the recent times. West Indies were drubbed 0-3 by Pakistan in the UAE last year. Prior to that, they had failed to win the tri-series at home that involved South Africa and Australia as the other two participating teams.

Having said that, the times have changed and so the fortunes would – at least a Caribbean fan would hope that way. They will rely heavily on the services of Evin Lewis, one of their most successful limited overs batsmen in the recent past. Kieran Powell has been drafted into the squad after almost two years. He looks like a  certain starter for the game. Rovaman Powell, the hard-hitting batsman, was recently bought at the IPL auctions for a high price and that sets his case for the fans to be following him in the series.

The bowling department that has been the weak link for the West Indies side still looks bleak on paper with no big names to boast of. Having Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel leading the spin and pace attacks respectively should be the proposed plan of action.

England

The visitors had a minor scare in one of the warm-up fixtures when they faced a sudden batting collapse. However, some late blitz from Chris Woakes helped them save their noses and they managed to win by 2 wickets. With two wins in both the warm up matches, England look strong on paper.

They were dented with a few injury blows. Alex Hales, who missed the India tour due to an injury, continues to miss out from the squad. David Willey, the preferred seamer of the English lineup, is also out of the tour following an injury. Tom Curran was drafted in as a cover for Jake Ball in the lineup and the young pacer might get a look in for the first match. The batting order will see Jason Roy have Sam Billings as his opening partner.

Billings has a very good chance of serving a good case for himself in the lineup. In case Hales fails to recover in the future or succumbs to another injury, Billings can well be the first choice replacement provided he impresses in the Caribbean. With Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler stuffed in the middle order, the batting looks a heavyweight. England will start as the favourites going into the game.

Toss: West Indies won the toss and opted to field

Playing XI:

England: Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Steven Finn

West Indies: Evin Lewis, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope(w), Jason Mohammed, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel

Match Facts:

Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

Time: 1330 (GMT), 0930 (local)

Pitch Verdict: Might get slow as the game progresses

StAttack:

1. West Indies have won only one of their last 10 ODI matches against England.

2. Since the ICC World Cup 2015, Adil Rashid is the leading wicket taker for England. He has 48 wickets to his name since the tournament.

3. Team England have had the best run rate among all teams since the World Cup 2015 – 6.03.

4. In the 88 Head-to-Head clashes, both teams have won 42 matches against one another and 4 have gone down with no results.