West Indies, England get series underway with an eye on preparations for T20 World Cup

Overview

West Indies vs England, first T20I
Kensington Oval, Barbados
January 22, 4:00 pm local

With the T20 World Cup coming up soon, West Indies are currently in the middle of a rebuilding phase, trying to build up a squad of players to compete at the tournament in Australia. The initial start has been shaky with their 0-3 series loss in Pakistan. The ODI series at home against Ireland also did not go to plan against Ireland, culminating in a 2-1 loss. But skipper Kieron Pollard will keep faith in the current crop of players and a series against England, one of the best white-ball teams in the world will be a big opportunity.

Eoin Morgan has stated that this series will be a chance to introduce some fresh faces in the set-up as they try to recover from the disappointment of the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. The current squad in West Indies will be a mix of some established campaigners and some faces who will have a lot on the line in order to force their way into the reckoning. The visitors though will still fancy their chances of clinching a victory in the five-match series as the build-up to the tournament in Australia begins.

Remember the last time

The two teams last faced off in a T20I series in March 2019, back in the Caribbean. The visitors were completely dominant throughout the three-match series, completing a 3-0 whitewash with some comprehensive performances. They won the first match by four wickets, the second by 137 runs, and the third by eight wickets.

Jonny Bairstow top-scored in the series with 117 runs while Chris Jordan ended up as the leading wicket-taker with six scalps.

What they said

Kieron Pollard (West Indies captain):"We need to improve the way we play because our batting has definitely been a problem for us. The good thing is that we have some new faces in the group, guys looking to make a name for themselves in our international scene. It's like we are starting from scratch, so we need to do the basics right. Play the situation of the game and analyse, assess, and make the right decisions, depending on what the team requires at that point in time."

Eoin Morgan (England captain): "The whole tour is one where the development of our game is more important than a series win. We've gone through this process before, and identifying the level of intensity, and our performance is far more important than the result. Normally the result looks after itself, and going through that process has kept the identity of the team strong. The mantra in which we play has created a very healthy environment, and hopefully, guys that come in can feel comfortable enough to try and apply that."