England vs West Indies preview: Runfest in the offing as fire meets fire in St Lucia

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Today's T20 World Cup match preview

England v West Indies, Super Eights

Where: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

When: June 19, 08:30pm local time

England and West Indies will meet in their first Super Eights clash of this World Cup in St Lucia on Wednesday. The best batting track in the competition meets two of the most power-packed outfits in the world; fireworks are to be expected.

England were unconvincing entrants to the Super Eights, although that was largely down to their match against Scotland being washed out. Their poundings of Oman and Namibia provided a strong reminder of the explosiveness in this unit, and we would do well to remember they won this trophy less than two years ago. They did look fragile against Australia though, and West Indies will be out to exploit any potential chinks in the armour.

In terms of big names, the co-hosts are perhaps not as stacked as they once were. But that is a blessing in disguise, as it gives more than a few a chance to write theirs into the history books. Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie are doing so already, and along with Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell they form one of the most formidable T20I cores in the world. The West Indies collected four wins out of four in the group stage, and put up the tournament's highest total last time out. More of the same, please, is what the home fans will say.    

T20 World Cup results: Who won yesterday's match?

South Africa vs United States: South Africa won by 18 runs.

ENG vs WI: Who are the key players?

Harry Brook

England have not had much game time in this tournament, with the middle-order being even more undercooked. Harry Brook batted beautifully against Namibia to score 47 off 20, a promising sign. As one of the standout players against spin, he will be crucial if England are to counter the threat of West Indies' spin twins Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie in the middle overs. The winner of this contest will likely shape the direction of the result.

Andre Russell

It is very rare that Andre Russell is not a player to watch out for when he is in action. 2024 has been one of the best years of his career, and he looks fitter than ever. He is yet to light this tournament on fire, but that is partly because he simply hasn't been required to. Russell is probably worth an extra 20 runs with the bat and is a proven wicket-taker especially at the death, making him worth his weight in gold in this format. 

ENG vs WI team news

England

Liam Livingstone picked up an injury England's last match and missed training ahead of this game with a stomach bug. He is still a slight doubt. Will Jacks could come in for him. Another decision England will have to make is whether to stick with Chris Jordan and/or Sam Curran, both of whom played against Namibia.

West Indies

West Indies went through the group stage with an almost unchanged XI. Romario Shepherd missed the Afghanistan game to attend the birth of his child, and is available for selection now. Obed McCoy will likely drop out, despite his three-wicket haul. They do not have any injury concerns, and will almost certainly play the same lineup as the last game, barring potentially the Shepherd-McCoy swap.

ENG vs WI: Predicted playing 11

England

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone/Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.

West Indies

Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shai Hope, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.

Pitch report and ground conditions

St Lucia has been by far the best track to bat on in this World Cup. Three matches here have seen first-innings scores of 180, 201 and 218, the latter scored by West Indies in their previous match. The boundary dimensions here are uneven, with an almost 10-metre difference between the square boundaries (63m vs 72m). As of the morning of June 19, there is no rain expected during the match time in St Lucia.

Team form

England: WWLWW

West Indies: WWWWW

Odds and match prediction

The favourites for this match, according to Dafabet, are England with odds of 1.90. West Indies are valued at 1.95 to win.

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