It has been five years since that high-octane ICC World T20 Final at the Eden Gardens, when Ian Bishop made sure we remembered Carlos Brathwaite for years to come. Defending champions West Indies and runners-up England will battle again half a decade later at the Dubai International Stadium on the first night of the Super 12s of the next edition, now rebranded the ICC T20 World Cup.
With Sri Lanka and Bangladesh qualifying from the first round, the Group A of the Super 12s is the proverbial 'Group of Death'. There will be no easy game for anyone. Hence, Eoin Morgan and Kieron Pollard's men will look to get into the grooves from the onset. And when it comes to white-ball cricket, especially the 20-over format, both teams maintain high standards.
West Indies are coming into this game following defeats against Pakistan and Afghanistan in their warm-up matches. However, when it comes to taking on England in the T20 World Cup, the Calypso Kings maintain a 100 percent record from five meetings.
Power-hitting and the franchise experience of their players make West Indies an incredibly strong unit. The sheer number of all-rounders in the line-up adds to their advantage. However, on the slow, low UAE pitches, the lack of a quality spinner may concern them.
For England, the primary challenge will be to fill the vacuum in the squad, created due to the unavailabilities of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran. Morgan's batting form is a huge concern. However, they have a fantastic side with depth in all three departments. In Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, and Jonny Bairstow, they have three incredible strokeplayers up front, who can take advantage of the field restrictions.
The English management may adapt to some of the strategies taken by the IPL teams. For example, they might try out sending Moeen Ali at No.3 to take advantage of the harder ball.
Likely XIs
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Obed McCoy
England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Fantasy tips
- Pick more batters, who bat in the top-order. Strokeplay will be much harder in the second half of the innings.
- Russell is fit to bowl in the game. His all-round abilities make him a good option as captain.
- Pick Woakes in your XI. He is likely to bowl in the depth and can contribute with bat as well.
Blitzpools Fantasy XI
Jos Buttler (wk), Jason Roy, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle Roston Chase, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan