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Start of a brand new cycle beckons after World Cup to overlook for England, West Indies

Big image – Caribbean reboot

The return to motion hasn’t been fairly so jarringly rapid because it was for India and Australia within the wake of the World Cup remaining, or certainly for England’s T20 World Cup winners in Australia final winter. And, let’s face it, a four-island jaunt to the Caribbean in December is a fairly palatable project after the indignities that preceded it.

Nevertheless, it is nonetheless solely three weeks since Jos Buttler’s browbeaten squad limped again to Blighty with their World Cup desires in tatters, and fewer than a fortnight since their four-year reign as 50-over world champions was formally led to Ahmedabad. Whatever manner you take a look at it, it appears a curious juncture within the world cycle to be endeavor one other three-match ODI sequence.

And to guage by the inexperienced squad lining up in opposition to them, West Indies could be in broad settlement. Not solely did they miss out solely on the World Cup simply gone, having fallen brief within the brutal qualifying event that befell in Zimbabwe in June and July, it now transpires that that failure has condemned them to onlooker standing on the 2025 Champions Trophy as effectively. The highway to 2027 will really feel all of the extra dim and distant with out that staging put up to goal for.

Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder are among the many massive names who’ve opted out of ODIs for the reason that qualifiers, seemingly indefinitely, whereas Shane Dowrich’s retirement solely days after his recall – having performed his one earlier ODI again in 2019 – was additional proof of the format’s lowly standing throughout the area at current.

Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers and Jayden Seales are among the many different acquainted names lacking for this marketing campaign, and whereas Shimron Hetmyer is again in favour with the selectors, the choice to maneuver on from the veteran Darren Bravo feels peculiar in mild of the explanations given for Hetmyer’s absence in Zimbabwe. Though he’s already 34, and due to this fact unlikely to function in 2027, Bravo was nonetheless the main run-scorer on this 12 months’s Super50 Cup, as he captained Trinidad and Tobago to victory within the remaining.

In the larger image, it feels there will be considerably extra at stake for these two groups come the T20I leg of the tour later within the month, when the narrative shifts from two World Cup also-rans to a conflict of the defending champions versus the approaching hosts of the 2024 event subsequent June. Nevertheless, all revivals need to have a place to begin, and within the 50-over stakes, that begins on the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday afternoon.

From England’s perspective, it is a shot to nothing. An opportunity for a solid of proficient fringe gamers to impress their captain (and indeniable white-ball GOAT, however his latest struggles) Buttler, and make the case for a 2015-style cleaning-out of the stables – even when Ben Duckett, one of many gamers with most to realize within the coming weeks, has performed down the probability that any long-term locations are up for grabs within the coming days.

As West Indies, at the very least it is a return to the fray after their telling absence within the months simply gone. Financially, if not essentially competitively, England’s go to – and furthermore the hordes of supporters which are positive to accompany them – provide important compensation for the latest dents of their coffers. And apart from, it is cricket within the Caribbean with Christmas drawing nigh. What’s to not get pleasure from?

Form information

West Indies LWLLW (final 5 accomplished ODIs, most up-to-date first)
England WWLLL

In the highlight – Shimron Hetmyer and Will Jacks

There are a good few gamers with some extent to show on this sequence, however Shimron Hetmyer’s back-story takes some beating. He’s been powerless to affect not one, however two latest World Cup campaigns. In 2022, he was axed on the eve of West Indies’ T20 World Cup marketing campaign after lacking a connecting flight to New York, then final summer time, he was neglected for the ODI qualifying event in Zimbabwe as a result of the selectors determined to stay with the gamers who had made their mark on the tour of South Africa earlier that 12 months … and everyone knows how that call panned out. Never thoughts that Hetmyer’s absence had been as a consequence of his forceful shows for Rajasthan Royals within the IPL, or that in 2019, on his earlier ODI tour of India (the venue for the World Cup that West Indies missed) his fifth and most up-to-date century had helped to safe a startling eight-wicket win in Chennai. He’ll little question be desperate to make up for that misplaced time.

Of all of the England gamers who would possibly imagine their time has come, few have a greater case than Will Jacks. As a hard-hitting opener for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, he had been outshining the mighty Jason Roy at a home degree lengthy earlier than the selectors determined that Roy’s lock on a World Cup place was untenable. Jacks wasn’t awarded a central contract within the latest spherical of offers, however that truth has the potential to work in his favour at this early juncture – with nothing to lose, he has all the things to win subsequent outing if he can set about making a long-term case. And to guage by his forceful 94 from 88 balls in opposition to Ireland in September, he presents an unfettered perspective to top-order strokeplay that wasn’t adequately replicated in Roy’s absence final month.

Team news – Rookies to the fore

Bravo could have been a notable omission however his Trinidad and Tobago team-mate Kjorn Ottley – solely a 12 months youthful at 33 – is again in favour for the primary time in three years and appears set to open alongside Brandon King. Shai Hope, the captain and wicketkeeper, is by far probably the most skilled man of their ranks, though Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Oshane Thomas provide an honest backbone to a aspect that would function two new ODI caps, together with the proficient allrounder Matthew Forde, 21, who impressed for the Academy aspect within the Super50 Cup.

West Indies (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kjorn Ottley, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 5 Keacy Carty, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Matthew Forde / Gudakesh Motie, 11 Oshane Thomas

All change for England after their World Cup disaster, though how a lot of it is going to be everlasting stays to be seen. For now, solely Jos Buttler stays from the category of 2019, however with the ink nonetheless drying on a bunch of multi-year ECB contracts – together with for the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid – you’d suspect one or two of the outdated guard aren’t fairly achieved but. That mentioned, there must be at the very least seven names on this opening XI who performed no half within the event simply gone, together with the identical prime three who completed the sequence in opposition to Ireland – Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Zak Crawley – and probably a maiden cap for the Lancashire left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley.

England (possible): 1 Will Jacks, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Ben Duckett, 6 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Tom Hartley, 11 Gus Atkinson.

Pitch and circumstances

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is just not historically probably the most high-scoring of Caribbean venues, with simply three scores in extra of 300 in 20 earlier matches, and none increased than the 322 for six posted by Ricky Ponting’s all-time-great Australia within the venue’s maiden fixture in the course of the 2007 World Cup. It’s been an intermittent host for ODIs lately, nevertheless, with simply three matches since 2017. Local data suggests the pitch will take spin.

Stats and trivia

  • England have gained 52 of their 102 earlier ODIs in opposition to West Indies, in opposition to 44 losses and 6 no-results.

  • West Indies, nevertheless, have the sting on dwelling soil, with 23 wins in opposition to 17 defeats since their first ODI assembly within the Caribbean in 1981.

  • England have gained every of their final 4 ODIs on the venue, spanning their excursions in 2014 and 2017, having misplaced their first three, together with two on the 2007 World Cup.

  • England’s final sequence, within the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, led to a 2-2 draw, together with a memorable match in Grenada that featured a world-record 46 sixes.

  • Jos Buttler wants 39 runs to succeed in 5000 in ODIs. However, he has handed that whole simply as soon as in his final 12 innings.

    • Quotes

    “You see the depth of talent of guys coming through and you want to help shape that period of white-ball cricket. That’s something I feel responsibility and motivation for….to get England white-ball cricket back to where it’s been for a long time.”
    Jos Buttler, England’s captain, lays out his mission assertion within the wake of the World Cup.

    Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

    Source web site: www.espncricinfo.com

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