West Indies and England begin the preparations for the T20 World Cup at the end of the year on Saturday when they meet in the first of five T20 internationals which will take place in Barbados over the next week or so.
This is a repeat of the 2016 T20 World Cup final which remains famous for that iconic commentary line and these are two of the better protagonists in this format of the game so we should be in for some exciting cricket in this opening match.
West Indies
I think it is fair to say that West Indies didn’t have the ideal warm up for this series when they went down 2-1 to Ireland in a 50 over series last week. While that was a different format and it might be that their hearts weren’t in that series given that this is a year to focus on 20 over stuff, they would still have been expected to do a job on Ireland, particularly an Ireland side which was impacted by Covid to the extent that they were.
You sense that this will be a much more focused and on it West Indies side but when you think back to the T20 World Cup at the back end of last year, the former world champions flattered to deceive in that competition so it might be that they are simply not the powerhouse that they once were, even in this format. If they are going to win this match and series then the onus is on their batters to deliver a much stronger showing than they have been producing in recent times.
England
This is the part of the world where England won their T20 world title back in 2010 so there will be good vibes among the travelling party here. Unlike in The Ashes, England have had a decent hit out in the lead up to this game which should have got any rust out of their system. A number of their players have been staying active in the Big Bash League over the last month or so which means England go into this match in good order.
England will be smarting from not winning the T20 World Cup last year having been the dominant team in the first stage and they will be eager to make up for it when they get to Australia in October and November and series like these act as the perfect lead up to that tournament. If England are going to win a second world title then their bowling, particularly at the death, needs to improve so this will be a good test of their credentials here.
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Team News
You sense there could be a few changes from the Ireland series for West Indies and with the likes of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo a thing of the past the likes of Kyle Mayers, Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd could get the chance to show what they can do.
England have not picked any of their initial Ashes squad for this series which means that they will be without the likes of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow. That will give Tom Banton and James Vince a chance to shine while Phil Salt could be used in the middle order with Liam Livingstone ill and Sam Billings adjusting after a long-haul flight.
Betting
I’ll take a couple of bets over the course of the match with the first of them being over 11.5 sixes. It doesn’t really matter who West Indies pick in their side they are going to be full of clean hitters of the cricket ball and although they had a mare with the bat against England in the T20 World Cup, in these conditions and in a day game I don’t expect anything like that here. England are heading the same way as West Indies in that they have players who can clear the ropes at will a fair way down. The pitch is usually always good for batting at the Kensington Oval and the boundaries are far from the biggest. I expect more than 11.5 sixes in this one.
I’ll also have a little punt on Odean Smith to get the honours for the top West Indies batter. He has spoken about having a big series here and forcing his way to an IPL deal later in the year and he certainly has the profile to achieve that. He is a big hitter who is in decent form with the bat. He scored 18, 46 and 20* against Ireland last week and these ropes certainly won’t be big enough to contain him. England are at their weakest at the death of the innings and that is when he should be at the crease. I’ll pay to see what he can achieve here.
Tips
Back Over 11.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Coral
Back it here:
Back O.Smith Top West Indies Batter for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with William Hill
Back him here:
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