Windies vs England, 2nd ODI Preview: Another run-fest in store as hosts eye to level series

Bowlers are expected to come under the cosh yet another time.

Published - 21 Feb 2019, 18:54 IST | Updated - 21 Feb 2019, 18:54 IST

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The pitch at the Kensington Oval in Barbados turned out to be a bowlers’ graveyard and both Windies and England were able to haemorrhage runs with sheer authority. The bowlers didn’t have any respite whatsoever as the batsmen went hammer and tongs at whatever was thrown at them. In the end, the Eoin Morgan-captained team won by a comprehensive six wickets with eight balls to spare.

The Caribbean team looked good for a victory after amassing 360 runs courtesy of Chris Gayle’s masterful century and some handy knocks from the other batters. However, their hopes were thrashed by the belligerent Three Lions’ batting lineup. Jason Roy and Joe Root racked up centuries to make the game a one-sided affair. The Windies’ bowling looked short of firepower so did England’s.

Both teams also dropped quite a few catches for which they had to pay a hefty price as there were as many as three centuries in the high-scoring affair. However, with four matches left in the five-match series, Jason Holder’s team has every chance of making a comeback. The second encounter is scheduled to be played tomorrow at the same venue and another run-fest can be expected.

Team Combination

Windies

Albeit their batting dictated terms, the bowling looked out of sorts. The home team may rope in Fabian Allen in place of Devendra Bishoo as the spinner. Allen can also wield magic with the bat in hand. Nicholas Pooran would want to make amends after bagging a duck. The contest is also a chance for John Campbell to get another decent score and thereby give Evin Lewis competition at the top of the order.

Probable XI

Chris Gayle, John Campbell, Shai Hope (WK), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo/Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas

England

Despite the victory, the Poms may make a few changes. Liam Plunkett went for a few and Tom Curran may replace him. Curran was outstanding in the previous Big Bash League (BBL) and he would be desperately waiting for a chance. Roy and Root would look to help their team to another victory. Moeen Ali had an off-day yesterday, but he remains a crucial element of the national team.

Probable XI

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran/Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Focus will be on

Oshane Thomas- Windies

The Windies bowler burst on to the scene in the limited-overs series against India where he got rid of some of the big batsmen doing the rounds. Subsequently, he received a lot of accolades from the cricketing fraternity. However, he couldn’t quite weave magic in the first match. He got rid of Morgan but ended up giving away a substantial 72 runs at an alarming economy rate of eight.

Jonny Bairstow- England

Bairstow made a good start in the first match with six scorching boundaries. Unfortunately, he couldn’t carry on and got out to opposition skipper Holder after scoring 34 runs from 33 balls. The pitch had nothing for the bowlers and the right-hander would’ve been disappointed that he couldn’t carry on and convert his start. He won’t want to let another opportunity pass by though.