JOIN UST20 WC: Power-hitters clash in England, West Indies face-off
Former champions England begin their T20 World Cup 2021 against defending champions West Indies in Match 14 of the World Cup at Dubai international cricket stadium. The match is a repeat of the last T20 World Cup final in which West Indies beat England to be crowned as the T20 World Cup champions for the second time.
Here is a look at the strengths and the weaknesses of the two teams.
England’s strengths:
England’s top-order is packed with power hitters. Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler are all brutal hitters of the ball. All-rounder Moeen Ali enjoyed a great season with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and could get a place in the playing XI.
England’s weakness:
Eoin Morgan’s form with the bat is a big headache for the team. In the recently concluded IPL season, Morgan managed only 133 runs from 16 innings for Kolkata Knight Riders. The absence of all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran have also pushed England on the backfoot. Both Stokes and Curran have proved to be match-winning all-rounders.
West Indies strengths:
West Indies squad is full of players who play T20 on a regular basis. Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Ewin Lewis and Andre Russell and Oshane Thomas were all part of IPL 2021. Playing T20 cricket at such high frequency have made them used to the shortest format of the sport and these players don’t need to alter their game to match the need of the format. These players just know how to play and win T20 games.
West Indies weakness:
The form of Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran is a cause of concern for the defending champions. The two batters play for Punjab Kings in the IPL. But their IPL 2021 season wasn’t any impressive. While Gayle scored only 193 runs, Pooran had a forgettable season in which he could barely rake up 85 runs from 12 innings.
Head-to-head
Matches played: 18
England wins: 7
West Indies wins: 11
Form Guide:
England: W-W-L-W-W
West Indies: NR-NR-L-NR-W
Pitch and conditions
Thirteen IPL 2021 games were played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In those 13 matches, nine were won by the team batting second. The average first innings total of the 13 IPL games played here this season was 156.23. So, scoring runs at this venue is easier.
The evening will be clear and warm. The temperature is expected to be around 30° C and humidity level will be around 54%.
Team News
Ahead of their opening fixture, West Indies dealt a blow as all-rounder Fabian Allen was ruled out of the World Cup due to an ankle injury. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been named as Allen’s replacement in the West Indies squad.
England don’t face any injury issues ahead of this match.
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI
Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Lendl Simmons, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Tymal Mills
Impact player for West Indies:
Andre Russell: Before he got injured, all-rounder Andre Russell was enjoying a decent run with Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021. The West Indian had scored 183 runs and picked 11 wickets. West Indies would be hoping that Russell is back at the top of his game.
Impact player for England
Jonny Bairstow: Jonny Bairstow had a good first half of IPL 2021 for Sunrisers Hyderabad when he scored 248 runs at an average of 41.33, hitting two fifties. Bairstow has played 57 T20Is for England and scored 1143 runs at a strike rate of 137.05. If Bairstow gets going, then he becomes a difficult batter to stop.