England have already secured the ODI series with the West Indies but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to play for when the two sides meet for the third and final time in Barbados on Thursday.
England are building up to a Champions Trophy which they are hosting later in the year which they will be looking to win while the West Indies need every win they can get and every ranking point that comes with it in order to have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup in 2019.
West Indies
The West Indies have lost both matches in the series so far but they will know they were well ahead of the game at times in both ODIs so they can take some encouragement from that but what they have to do is appreciate the key moments in matches better and perform stronger in them when they come around.
In the first ODI they had England three down for not very many and in the second ODI after England had collapsed they needed plenty of runs six wickets down but on neither occasion did the West Indies go for the throat and that is something that will need to improve if they are to become an ODI force once again. Their top order could do with more runs too.
England
I think it is fair to say that England have been nowhere near their best in this series but they have still got the job done on both occasions and they will definitely draw some confidence from that. It shows when the going gets tough they can still perform and that is good because rarely in tournaments do everything go perfectly.
England’s bowlers have performed with distinction throughout the series with their death bowling being impressive which is an important thing for them and while they have got themselves into trouble both times with the bat the fact that they have had the composure to work their way out of a hole is a very good sign.
Team News
West Indies will be without the injured Shannon Gabriel. Miguel Cummins has been added to the squad but you would think Alzarri Joseph is likely to get the nod given that he was already in the squad. Rovman Powell is pushing for a start.
Liam Plunkett was said to be ill on the eve of the match so Tom Curran or Jake Ball will come in for him should he not be fit on the day of the game. Alex Hales has been passed fit and is set to replace Sam Billings.
Kensington Oval
This is one of the most famous grounds in world cricket. The Barbados venue will be hosting ODI cricket for the 35th time. West Indies have 28 ODIs here in the past with 12 wins to 16 defeats. England have won six and lost just five here.
The wicket here is much truer than the one the two sides have played on in Antigua. Batsmen can hit through the line and the ball comes onto the bat but with that the bowlers have more pace and bounce to work with so this should be a good cricket wicket.
Betting
I’m rarely one to bet on the outcome of a dead rubber and that isn’t changing here I have to say. It is probably natural for England to ease up with the series won and the plane home in sight but even then the Windies aren’t for me.
The bet I like here is the boundaries. They are pretty small here and they are certainly attainable with the extra pace in the wicket. The West Indies are under no pressure from the series point of view so their batsmen can pin their ears back and let the ball fly while England can play their shots and entertain too.
That is what I expect to happen here and if it does then I would expect to see the highest scoring match of the series thus far and one which contains many more than 55.5 boundaries.
I also can’t resist a cheeky punt on Jason Mohammed to be the top West Indies batsman again here. He has come through in each of the first two ODIs so I’m not sure how he is 8/1 anyway but when he bats at five and with the likes of Lewis and Powell looking out of form and Kraigg Brathwaite slower than a snail the opportunity for Mohammad to top score is there again.
Tips
Back Over 55.5 boundaries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
Back it here:
Back J.Mohammad Top West Indies Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 9.00 with Bet365
Back him here:
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