The second ODI between England and West Indies was washed out after just 14 balls at Trent Bridge on Thursday but the two sides will try again in the third match of the series on Sunday in the only day game of the five.
England head into the match at Bristol knowing they will secure a share of the spoils with a win. West Indies will give themselves the chance to land the series should they avoid defeat in the game.
England
I would imagine England will have been disappointed that the rain came at Trent Bridge as they had got off to a fast start to the second match. One thing we have seen in this series is how determined England are to win the series. They have been ruthless both with team selection and in everything they have done thus far.
Generally England have become a really crack hot unit in this format of the game. There are a couple of reasons for that. They now go after the opposition with the bat in hand and put pressure on the bowlers they are facing. The other reason is the variation and depth in their bowling attack. If they don’t take wickets with the new ball they now have wicket takers in the middle order.
West Indies
There is no doubt that West Indies will have been delighted to see the rain in the previous match. They probably didn’t want a washout given that they were going to be assisted by DLS but the way they started the match they clearly needed a timeout for a rethink and a chance in approach. They need to start better here.
I would imagine West Indies will be looking forward to this match. I think this ground suits their needs. Their seamers will enjoy life on this ground and the short straight boundaries should in theory play right into the hands of their batsmen. The only thing they won’t enjoy is the temperature which is not expected to be warm.
Team News
Eoin Morgan has said England will not make changes for the sake of it and given that they haven’t put a foot wrong in the series to date we may as well expect them to be unchanged for the contest.
West Indies are likely to have Chris Gayle back. He will come in for Kyle Hope. Keswick Williams is said to be struggling with a back complaint so Alzarri Joseph could deputise in his place.
County Ground, Nevil Road
There have been 15 past ODIs on this ground of which England have played in 10. They have only won four of those matches and lost five though so this is not their favourite ground. One of those wins came against Ireland earlier this summer. West Indies’ record here is even worse. They’ve played three and lost the lot.
You always get a good cricket wicket at Bristol so there should be something in this one for everyone. The seamers are likely to have a bit at their disposal but the short straight boundaries will always keep the batsmen interested.
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Betting
Unfortunately the rain is following this series around and the forecast for later in the day is not the best. Hopefully the wet stuff will miss the ground but the forecast is enough to put me off taking many bets. I’ll chance one even though a void is in play.
That is for West Indies to hit the most sixes. I think this ground plays out perfectly for their batsmen who love hitting the ball straight down the ground. England’s players are more leg side which would be the longer boundary here. I also think the touring bowlers will like this track a lot more with the movement they will get out of it so if there is time for a full game the odds against West Indies hitting most sixes looks good.
Tips
Back West Indies Most 6s for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Paddy Power
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