England looking for series whitewash in final ODI against Windies
England v West Indies | 3rd ODI | Tuesday 3 June | Kennington Oval, London | 2pm
England have already won the three-game series following victories in the opening two encounters. The first ODI was a walk in the park for Harry Brook and his team, but the second game was a closer affair with England only getting over the line thanks to an undefeated 166 from Joe Root.
England have won three of the last four games between the two teams.
England may have the series in the bag, but it is two Windies batsmen who are bossing the strike-rates, with Jayden Seales (207.14) and Gudakesh Motie (180) leading the way in the hitting department.
With six wickets at an average of 11.5, Saqib Mahmood is the pick of the bowlers in the two games thus far. Alzarri Joseph is not far behind the England man however, he also has six sticks at an average of 16.66.
Venue: Kennington Oval, London
The highest ODI score made at the ground is 398.
The team that bats second at the Oval has a slight advantage. The side batting first has won 46% of the games played at the venue with 51% going the way of the side batting second.
The West Indies have played 13 games at Kennington Oval – of those they have won nine.
England have won three of the five games they have played against the West Indies at Kennington Oval.
The par score at Kennington Oval in ODIs is generally considered to be between 240 and 260 runs.
Weather:
The forecast doesn’t bode well for a day of uninterrupted cricket in Kennington, with rain predicted throughout the day. That’s not to say that there won’t be play, but it could well be a day of interruptions and delays. It will be chilly in the middle with a maximum temperature of 18 and a minimum of 10 degrees.
Form (most recent game first):
England: W, W, L, L, L.
West Indies: L, L, W, NR, L.
Key player:
England, Joe Root:
Root was outstanding last time out as he steered England to a series win with a remarkable knock of 166. His effort perhaps papered over some of the old frailties in the England batting, as without his effort, England were poor. But Root is an exceptional player – mentally strong, technically brilliant and perennially in form. His effort on Sunday saw him pass Eoin Morgan to become England’s leading run-scorer in ODIs – he is already their leading scorer in Tests. Speaking to the media after the game skipper Harry Brook said: “He’s unbelievable and he’s only getting better with age as well.”
West Indies, Keacy Carty:
The 28-year-old from St Marteen is in exceptional form at the moment. He has banged three centuries in his last four innings and is now averaging 50.10 from his 36 ODI’s. There were plenty of other good contributions for the Windies on Sunday, but Carty is the man in form – he is looking confident and determined to make a big impact.
Verdict: England
There is not much to play for now aside from pride, but it is hard to see the England letting go of this one – they are in a rebuilding process, and developing a winning culture is key to that; expect them to finish the job at the Oval on Tuesday.
