West Indies surprised plenty when they beat England in the Test series which has recently concluded, and now they will look to do the same to the number one ranked side in the five ODIs which are coming up.
England should be smarting from losing the Test series, not least because of the embarrassing way in which they were beaten in it, and will be looking to come out over these matches and show why they are favourites for the World Cup later in the year.
Schedule
1st ODI: Feb 20 at Barbados
2nd ODI: Feb 22 at Barbados
3rd ODI: Feb 25 at Grenada
4th ODI: Feb 27 at Grenada
5th ODI: Mar 2 at St Lucia
West Indies
Given the talent that is at the disposal of West Indies in limited overs cricket it is almost impossible to believe that they have gone 13 bilateral series since their last win. Admittedly their very best players haven’t always been available in that time, but they have still had enough talent to deliver a much better return than that. They have not won a bilateral series since August 2014 and that was only against an indifferent Bangladesh side at the time.
One of the reasons for the struggles of West Indies is that they have not been able to get a settled side going in this format of the game. We only have to look at their exploits in the 20 over sphere to know what they can do, but the lure of the T20 leagues has deprived them of some of their best players and they have slumped in 50 over cricket as a result.
England
England have gone the other way in recent times. They have gone from being so out of touch with this format of the game it is untrue to being the trendsetters and the side who are now the best team in it, and who begin the World Cup later in the year as the favourites because of their cricket and not just because they are at home in the competition.
The reason for the improvement in this England side has very much been their fearlessness with the bat. They go after the bowling and show a real bravery to play their style, even when conditions are against them, or when it costs them and the inevitable criticism comes their way. They have also improved immeasurably with the ball too which makes for a decent combination.
Head to Head
There have been 21 bilateral series between these two sides with West Indies winning 11 of them and England claiming the spoils in nine of them. There has also been one draw. England have had the better of things in recent times however, with the last six series all going to them. 10 of those series have been in the Caribbean with West Indies winning the last six of them, England the last three and the draw came in between.
West Indies hold a 21-14 lead in ODIs in those series which suggests that generally series between the two out in the Caribbean are quite tight. If the Test matches are anything to go by this series could be too but England are a much more confident unit in this format of the game.
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Betting
I must admit the Test matches have made me approach this series with an air of caution in that while I expect England to come out on top, I’m not going to make the mistake of writing off West Indies or underestimating them, even though they have faded fast in this format of the game, unlike England.
There is one bet I like though. West Indies have been poor at facing leg spin for quite some time now so the 10/3 that Adil Rashid leads the England wicket taking in the series looks like a bit of a gift. I would imagine England might rotate their bowlers as this series goes on, especially if they win the series early on, but Rashid is likely to be a constant. These pitches will suit him nicely and against an attacking West Indies batting line up I think he can be the one claiming the most scalps over the five matches.
Tips
WON – Back A.Rashid Top England Series Bowler for a 3/10 stake at 4.33 with Betway
Back him here:
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