On the eve of the West Indies’ ICC World Twenty20 2016 opener against England on Wednesday in Mumbai, Dwayne Bravo dismissed notions that his generation was any less serious about their cricket than their predecessors. According to him, the West Indies dominated Test cricket in the 1970s and ’80s because that was the players’ primary outlet. His generation may not have enjoyed much success in the five-day arena, but they have “dominated” in the Twenty20 arena.
Despite the fact that the West Indies won this competition in 2012, this isn’t a claim borne out by facts. It’s hard to think of two more evenly matched teams than England and the West Indies, two with more similar narratives.
Consider this: England have a 38-38 record in this format. West Indies have a 33-33 record. Both sides have won the World Twenty20 once, England in 2010 and the West Indies in 2012. England’s record in the competition is 11-14, while the West Indies has modest 12-11 numbers.
The West Indies, however, has won all three of its previous matches at the World T20, and boasts of considerable experience in Indian conditions. Eoin Morgan, the only man in the England squad with Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in his resume, spoke repeatedly of a “young”, “exciting” and “inexperienced” squad. The West Indies can bank on the opposite.
The likes of Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle have been integral to the fortunes of their IPL franchises. Jason Holder played under MS Dhoni in Chennai, and even the relatively unknown Carlos Brathwaite, who helped Darren Sammy win a warm-up game against Australia, is now in possession of an IPL deal.
On the England side, Morgan aside, only Joe Root, Liam Plunkett, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have ever played an international match in India. But there are definite signs of a new aggressive style of play under the leadership of Morgan and the coaching combine of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace.
England’s bowlers will be tested in batsmen-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, but they have plenty of big-hitting potential themselves. The top six of Jason Roy, Hales, Root, Morgan, Buttler and Ben Stokes is as dangerous as any in the competition, and Mooen and Adil Rashid, the two spinners, are eminently capable of nudging the score along as well.
Plunkett, who offers extra bounce on account of his height, will most likely tussle with David Willey for the fourth seamer’s slot, with Morgan suggesting that spin would be less of a factor in Mumbai. Reese Topley and Jordan could share the new ball, with Stokes in the allrounder’s role.
For the West Indies, the dilemma lies in fitting in the all-round options that it possesses. Sammy, Bravo and Andre Russell are almost certain to play, leaving the management to choose between Holder and Brathwaite. Both will play only if Jerome Taylor, who once took a hat-trick on this ground against Australia in the Champions Trophy (2006), is left out.
As for spin, Samuel Badree has plenty of IPL experience. Suliemann Benn, all 6’7” of him, will offer a vastly different trajectory, and is difficult to get away, as an economy rate of 6.36 in the format indicates.
The West Indies hasn't played a Twenty20 International since November 2015, while England’s two most recent matches ended in defeat in South Africa. Neither side will underestimate the new boys, Afghanistan, or take Sri Lanka lightly despite the recent downturn in fortunes, but both will be aware that victory here could be a significant step towards the last four.
England (from): Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Reese Topley, David Willey, James Vince, Liam Dawson, Sam Billings.
West Indies (from): Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Andrew Russell, Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Sammy (capt), Ashley Nurse, Samuel Badree, Andre Fletcher, Suleimann Benn, Evin Lewis, Jerome Taylor.
source:icc-cricket.com
loading...
0 Comments
We Will Love to Hear From You! Pls Comment Your Views...........