T20 World Cup 2024, WI Vs ENG 42nd Match, Super Eight, Group 2 Match Preview

Match Details

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West Indies Vs England
June 19, St Lucia, 8.30pm local time

big picture:

England have ridden the wave of victory in St Lucia after the disappointment they endured in the group stage. Whatever their defence of the T20 World Cup from now on, avoiding a humiliating first-round defeat could be as good as four wins from four. Their campaign can now begin in earnest, which is good, as they are up against a team that has no such worries.

Both England and West Indies are vying for an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title, and events at Beausejour's Darren Sammy Cricket Ground – the venue is named in honour of the man who led the hosts to their first two titles – could go some way to confirming the readiness, or unwillingness, of these two genuine contenders.

West Indies are fit, focused and playing at full strength. They are unbeaten in eight matches coming into this tie, and if two Group C wins over Papua New Guinea and New Zealand showed some nerves early in the tournament, defeats to Uganda and highly rated Afghanistan have put them at ease.

Besides the recent victories, West Indies' many match-winning knocks have put them firmly in the title race. From Andre Russell's 29-ball 71 against Australia in Perth to Brandon King's 45-ball 79 through Roston Chase and Johnson Charles against South Africa in Jamaica, and Sherfane Rutherford's innings-saving unbeaten 68 against New Zealand and Nicholas Pooran's whirlwind 98 off 53 balls against Afghanistan, they have repeatedly demonstrated a batting line-up that relies on each other's strengths and is capable of standing up when needed.

Only captain Rovman Powell has missed out on runs recently, although a 24-ball half-century in the warm-up match against Australia is proof enough that he still has his sights set on the whole. With Sammy appointed as head coach and instilling the same sense of collective responsibility that inspired their double titles in 2012 and 2016, England know there will be no room for slip-ups if their mini-resurgence is to translate into crucial Super Eight points.

Certainly their timid display against Australia in Barbados showed some of that, particularly in the middle order, which found it impossible to play freely after the powerplay fielding restrictions were lifted. At times during the one-sided 36-run defeat, it felt like their clumsy performance at the 50-over World Cup in India, a campaign that Jos Buttler tried to pretend never happened in a media interaction at the start of this trip.

The inconsistent nature of England's preparation is partly the excuse – two matches were washed out at home against Pakistan and they had to bat for a total of 13.2 overs in three matches against Scotland, Oman and Namibia, leaving the middle order short of time, especially with Buttler and Phil Salt in strong form at the top of the order. But these big-match players should have imagined such conditions in their time, to face such dire circumstances. They were saved from being out on a wet pitch when the clouds broke in Antigua. Now it's time to prove they deserve a reprieve.

Form Guide

West Indies: WWWWW (Last five completed T20 Internationals, most recent first)
England: WWLWW

In the spotlight – Phil Salt and Gudakesh Moti

Either work with all your might or go home. Phil SaltThat's the 'mantra' he's used throughout his T20 career and right now, his relentless approach in England's top order has never been more valuable. After hanging around the periphery for several seasons, Salt's international breakthrough came against this same West Indies team in December, when his consecutive centuries in Grenada and Trinidad attacked the world's most aggressive batting order and reminded England of the fearlessness they had clearly lost in their 50-over World Cup defence. Given the abbreviated nature of their 20-over campaign to date, it's hard to predict how the middle order is going to fare, meaning momentum at the top could be more important as they look for their first big win of the campaign.

In a power-packed line-up, there is something that is not unexpected Gudakesh PearlsOne of the more left-arm bowlers, but as England found in December – and as seven wickets at 11.85 now amply attest – his relentless flight and guile have the potential to rein in all manner of free-spirited teams, especially those loaded with right-handed batsmen, like England. In his first T20I appearance for Jos Buttler's side in Grenada six months ago, he took 1 for 9 from four overs, then extended that impact with 3 for 24 in the series decider in Trinidad. Getting the ball to straighten from round the wicket onto the stumps may not seem the most complicated task Modus operandiBut if there is a little bit of help available on a used surface in St Lucia, he is likely to take advantage of it.

Team News

West Indies don't have much to worry about after their impressive showing against Afghanistan, although they do have some selection confusion. Roston Chase and Shai Hope are competing for a spot in the same middle order, while Romario Shepherd missed the previous match due to paternity leave but has returned to the squad just in time for the match. He could join the squad ahead of Obed McCoy.

West Indies (Probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope/Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hossain, 9 Alzari Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Moti, 11 Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd.

England included Sam Curran and Chris Jordan to provide more death-bowling options after rain reduced the Namibia match in Antigua to 11 overs. Jordan's death bowling and extra batting give him an edge over Mark Wood, so both may keep their places. Will Jacks is also likely to return to the XI, possibly at No. 6, with Liam Livingstone having missed training due to illness – but has recovered from the side injury he suffered against Namibia.

England (Probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (c & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

This will be another match on which West Indies made 218 for 5 against Afghanistan on Monday, so a high-scoring encounter is likely. It has a slightly sloppy shape, 63 metres on one square boundary, while the other is 72 metres, but the prevailing wind blows in the long direction, so the big hitters can expect some bang for their buck.

Stats and Trivia

England and West Indies played an entertaining T20 series in December, with the West Indies winning 3–2 with a four-wicket win in the decisive match in Trinidad.

Moeen Ali and Obey McCoy need one wicket each to reach 50 wickets in T20Is, while Akeal Hossain needs two more to achieve the same feat.

West Indies themselves have played ten of the 21 T20 matches at this ground, winning six of them, including five of their last six matches.

Citation

“It's good that we are starting here and actually we will play a match on it before the Super Eights start. We have got a bit used to the bounce and the wicket. Hopefully it will suit us a bit more than the Englishmen.”
West Indies Captain Rovman Powell He wants his team to take advantage of the match already played at the ground on Wednesday

“I think West Indies will probably be trying to get their revenge for their fans who were so incredible… they will try to gather them together and create an atmosphere like that tomorrow night. It's going to be unbelievable.”
Reece Topley St Lucia is predicted to have strong support after England fans outnumbered locals in December's T20I series

Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo's UK editor. @miller_cricket