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Big picture: A settled England spice up the series.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. England’s T20 World Cup defense wasn’t quite right in the Caribbean five months ago, but at least, in reaching the semi-finals, they can say they got the better of the hosts. The West Indies were carried into the tournament with rare hopes and expectations, but failed to emerge from the Super Eight – thanks, in no small part, to the last time these two teams met at the Darren Semi Stadium.

It felt like an anomaly at the time: a hugely effective win for England, led by Phil Salt’s 47-ball 87, and a throwback to the dominant style with which they had dominated their previous World Cup rounds. I had changed the fate of my white ball. . But the eight-wicket victory has been followed by two equal wins in Barbados – by eight and seven wickets respectively – which have put England’s T20I team on the brink of only their second bilateral series win in two years.

Salt was once again central to England’s success against the West Indies. His brilliant century in the opener was his third in five innings against them, and when his record was broken by Golden Duck in the rematch, England captain Jos Buttler was in the breach with a no-nonsense 83. were ready to step. 45 balls – which in itself was a good response for his first bowler in a game one.

West Indies’ chances were not helped by two damaging tosses – even after a seemingly daunting 183 in a match, England reached the target with 19 balls to spare. But they also had to contend with some internal turmoil: the two-match suspension of Al-Zari Joseph due to his awkward fit in the ODI series, and the loss of Andre Russell who turned his ankle during the first T20I.

But if England looked tactically adrift during the ODI leg of the tour, they have found an encouraging mix of consistency and confidence in the shorter format. Their prominent line-up of all-rounders is better deployed in 20 overs than 50, at least not in the first match, when the loss of Race Topley to a knee injury barely dented Buttler’s options.

And even if the full depth of their batting is yet to be tested, the fact that Sam Curran, Dean Mosley and Jamie Overton are all waiting for their first hits of the series makes it clearly better. It is necessary for them to carry out endless bailouts. England have three shots to win their first series in the Caribbean in any of the three formats since 2019 in St. Lucia. Judging by the direction of travel so far, it will take a lot of time to commit to denying them in the long run.

Farm Guide

West Indies LLLW (Last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WWWL

In the spotlight: Rowman Powell and Will Jacques

“Are we individually bringing enough to the table?” Romain Powell’s assessment of his team may have doubled ahead of the third match as some self-analysis has been done following a poor run of form over the past month. Low scores are an occupational hazard in T20 cricket, but Powell’s problem has been a series-opening failure: between 13 and 43 in five innings since the opening of the Sri Lanka series in October, a strike of 115.92. At the rate That’s well short of his career high of 140. Top-scoring with 43 off 41 balls in the last match at Barbados, he showed glimpses of his true self – notably when launching Liam Livingstone for a 102-metre six, but by then he was 18 off 28 balls. had made If he can pick up where he left off, England’s challenge will be the biggest.

He was awarded a Central contract last month that doesn’t run him through 2023-24, but Will-Jacks continues to play like he’s on the outside looking in. Slipping to No. 3 is a clear invitation for Jacks to cut loose in a manner that caught Virat Kohli’s eyes in wonder. A 41-ball century for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL earlier this year. But since his half-century against Australia in September, Jacks has scored 101 runs at 14.42 in the seven innings that followed, less than a run a ball. At least with the pressure of places heating up for the Champions Trophy, the time to restore his credentials is nigh.

Team News: Al-Zari returns from suspension

In Schumer, Joseph; Shamar Joseph out… It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for the West Indies over the past few days. All-rounder Schumer (Springer) has been called up as a replacement for Andre Russell, while (Alzari) Joseph’s return from suspension means his closer is surplus to requirements. Terence Hinds made his debut in Barbados in some form, and is likely to.

West Indies: (Probable) 1 Brandon King, 2 Eoin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (WK), 4 Rowman Powell (capt), 5 Sheriff Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer/Roston Chase, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Godakish Moti, 9 Akil Hossain, 10 Joseph, 11 Matthew Ford

England are unlikely to tinker significantly with the series in their grasp, although their options have been limited with Jafar Chauhan and Jordan Cox leaving the squad ahead of their Lions and Test commitments respectively. Rees Topley hopes to be fit after injuring his knee in the first match (and will face a penalty for breaking a chair as he leaves the field). With Jofra Archer’s workload still being closely managed, John Turner – unused since the ODIs – could be in line for a format debut.

England: (probable) 1 Phil Salt (wicket), 2 Jos Buttler (captain), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethel, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Dean Mosley, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jofra Archer/John Turner, 10 Saqib Mehmood, 11 Adil Rasheed

Pitch and Conditions: Wet, wet, wet?

Damp conditions are likely after the recent heavy rains. St. Lucia’s outfield is less known for its drainage, so fingers crossed for a dry one.

Stats and Trivia

  • Shimron Hetmyer needs 67 runs to reach 1000 in T20Is.

    • Quotations

    “England have played better than us in the first two matches, but I rallied St Lucia to come out and be an extra 12th man. We didn’t play the kind of cricket that allowed us to win, but we have The manpower is there to win that dressing room.”
    Darren SammyThe West Indies head coach, however, expects a fightback at the venue that bears his name.

    Andrew Miller is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

    West Indies



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