The visit of England to the Caribbean switches gears as the five-match T20I series gets underway on Wednesday. James Richardson previews the first match.
England’s last T20 series in the West Indies saw them go down 3-2 in a series played entirely in Barbados. This series only starts in Barbados with the second and third matches taking place in Grenada and the fourth and fifth in Tarouba.
The Kensington Oval in Barbados stages this series opener with the ground set to play host to a West Indies vs England T20I for the ninth time.
To Win Match *forecast betting
West Indies 23/20 | Tie 25 /1 | England 72/100
The hosts will want to start well and have an opening batter in decent touch in Brandon King but there are still question marks about his ability to score quickly when required.
There are no such concerns about Nicholas Pooran, who is a proven finisher for the West Indies and at franchise level but he will need some sort of platform to work with.
The return of Jason Holder is great news for the West Indies who can always use an all-rounder of his quality to bail them out of a jam.
Romario Shepherd looks like the form white-ball bowler in West Indies cricket right now and will pose a real danger.
Jos Buttler wasn’t really able to express himself in the ODIs but will welcome the shift to his favoured format and likely a move up the order to have a go at the new ball.
Harry Brook just has to come into the England T20 setup but how they use him remains a question that needs to be answered.
Adil Rashid is the ace up England’s sleeve in the bowling attack and on that Barbados wicket could be lethal.
Sam Curran also enjoys mixed-pace wickets and his love of the scrap is a great lift for England when they need to turn the tide of a match.
Verdict: West Indies 23/20
The home team, bolstered by an ODI series win, should prevail at the Kensington Oval.
