England is set to clash with co-host West Indies in the second Super Eights match of the men’s T20 World Cup at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, on Wednesday (Thursday morning IST).
England arrives with confidence, having convincingly defeated Associate sides Oman and Namibia. Meanwhile, West Indies will draw strength from its unbeaten streak in the recently concluded group stage.
Adverse weather and one-sided contests have limited England to just 33.1 overs of play so far. The defending champion will be eager for more game time in St. Lucia, which has proved to be a high-scoring venue. While there were passing tropical showers on match eve, the weather is likely to hold up for Wednesday’s match.
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England is currently sweating on the fitness of all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who injured his side while batting against Namibia and did not field. In that match, England dropped batter Will Jacks for all-rounder Sam Curran. It allowed Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook to bat at No. 3 and 4, respectively, where both excelled.
Should Livingstone remain unfit, Curran is well-placed to take his spot. Alternatively, England could also slot in an extra left-hander in Ben Duckett in place of Jacks, given the twin left-arm finger spin options West Indies has in Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein.
This way, England can push right-hand-left-hand partnerships at one drop, unlike against Namibia, where the top four were all right-handers. That said, England openers, especially Jos Buttler, have a positive matchup versus Hosein. In all T20Is, Buttler has scored 65 off 43 against Hosein at a strike rate of 150-plus.
Meanwhile, the West Indies goes into its 200th T20I, having won eight games in a row. Nicholas Pooran’s eight sixes during a stunning knock of 98 against Afghanistan had helped West Indies rack up 218-5 - the highest score of the tournament so far.
England could try to either bounce out Nicholas Pooran or test him against off-spin. | Photo Credit: PTI
Pooran has two clear weaknesses. Short lengths at high pace and away spin. He tends to go hard early in his innings. England will try to target this edginess through Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, and should he survive, finger spinner Moeen Ali could be a favourable matchup for the Three Lions given Pooran’s poor record against off-break — he averages less than 30 against this form of bowling while striking at below 120 in all T20Is.
The ground dimensions, with one square boundary notably shorter than the other, along with the cross-breeze, greatly influence the game’s dynamics here. Therefore, the crucial strategy will be to direct the power hitters away from the shorter side.
The upcoming match against the undefeated West Indies before a small but raucous crowd, should provide a clearer assessment of England’s title prospects this year.
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