Date – Sunday, 1st March 2020
Time – 7 pm (Local Time), 1:30 pm (IST)
Venue – Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney
After the inaugural match of the tournament between the hosts Australia and India, the action returns to Sydney for the final matches of Group B. The group, consisting of England, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, and Thailand, is interestingly poised at the moment with England and South Africa both on 4 points and Pakistan and West Indies, both on 2 points. Thailand is the only team that has been knocked out.
Under this backdrop, England now face West Indies in a very important match for the two sides. If England wins the match, they will end on 6 points and seal their place in the semi-finals if South Africa wins the other game. There are also other scenarios that could take place. If England win but Pakistan also manages a win against South Africa, then England, Pakistan and even South Africa could find themselves tied on points by the end of the league stage. A West Indies victory can similarly complicate things but will make it even more difficult for England to qualify.
In short, England would look to seal the win so that they can have one foot in the door of the semi-finals. They will be watching the previous game between South Africa and Pakistan quite closely, though.
England vs West Indies – Head-to-Head & Form Guide
The head-to-head record suggests that we are in for a very interesting match. England have faced West Indies in 18 T20Is with West Indies winning 8 of them while England winning in only 7 games. In fact, their matches have been so close that there has even been a tied match. Two matches have ended up without a result. They have met in World T20s 4 times with England winning only once and West Indies winning thrice. The last time these two sides met was in 2019 when West Indies toured England. Only one of the three matches were possible, with England winning the game quite comprehensively.
England – WWLLW
West Indies – LWLLL
(Last 5 completed matches)
England have had losses against South Africa in the crucial opening game of the tournament. They have also been beaten by both India and Australia on one occasion each. However, their recent strong performances against both Thailand and Pakistan must have given them enough confidence ahead of this game.
West Indies, on the other hand, have endured a difficult period losing their recent home series against India and Australia in 2019. They only have one solitary win in this period, their stuttering win against Thailand. They would also be deflated with their recent loss to Pakistan owing to poor fielding.
Although the history between the sides is in favor of West Indies, considering their strong showing in the games against Thailand and Pakistan, they should be able to trounce West Indies. West Indies will need to take hold of every opportunity in the field if they want to defeat a top side like England.
Teams
England Squad – Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kathryn Cross, Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt, Mady Villiers
England has a good mix of experience and fresh talent coming into the tournament. Amy Jones, while hitting a rough patch, can lay a solid platform for her side with Danielle Wyatt. Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver are very experienced all-rounders who can guide the middle order through the overs and continue to build from the platform provided by the openers. They also possess some strong hitters such as Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt and Fran Wilson who can provide the finishing touches. Their bowling line-up is built around the pace bowler Anya Shrubsole and the spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Much will depend on them along with the bowling of the all-rounders Heather Knight, Nat Sciver, and Katherine Brunt. Sarah Glenn had a decent outing in her two matches. Freya Davies and Mady Villiers will hope to make their debut in the tournament.
England will probably field the same XI that played against Pakistan. However, considering the Sydney track being favorable to the spinners, they might be tempted to give Mady Villiers an opportunity to make her World T20 debut.
Likely XI – Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Danielle Wyatt, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Lauren Winfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Glenn
West Indies Squad – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman
Led from the front by a very able Stafanie Taylor, the West Indian side is packed with match-winners. Stafanie Taylor has been exceptional in this tournament in the past is among the top run-getters and wicket-takers in the history of the tournament. She is supported by Deandra Dottin who also has a good record in this tournament. Her powerful strikes can change the momentum in her side’s favor very quickly. Much depends on these 2 players in building a launchpad of the batting unit. Hayley Matthews has also been a very important member of the side and has made quite a few contributions while batting. The bowling line-up is led by two experienced fast bowlers, Shamilia Connell and Britney Cooper. Anisa Mohammed is their most prolific spinner and is also among the top-wicket taker in the format.
West Indies are likely to retain their XI that faced Pakistan.
Likely XI – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman
Players to Watch out for
Heather Knight (England) – The charismatic English skipper likes to lead from the front and should be playing a very important role with the bat and ball as she has been playing in the past. She can build long innings, having scored a century and 3 half-centuries. Expect her to make a vital contribution while batting and bowling a useful spell for her side and picking up a few wickets. With 71 T20I matches under her belt, her experience will come in handy as England look to work through another tournament as one of the contenders. With her century against Thailand in the last game, she rescued her team from a poor start of 7/2 to lift them to 176 in their 20 overs. She also scored 62 runs from 47 balls against Pakistan.
Natalie Sciver (England) – Alongside her skipper, Natalie Sciver is equally skilled and experienced in guiding her team through the tournament. With her innovative strokeplay, especially the ‘natmeg’, a shot which became famous in the 50-over World Cup in 2017, she is capable of accelerating the scoring in the later stage of the innings in the company of the middle order. She has over 1200 runs including 6 half-centuries in this format and has found her lost form, scoring an important half-century in the game against South Africa and another half-century against Thailand. She also scored in good touch against Pakistan before being dismissed for 36.
Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) – The West Indian skipper and all-rounder has been very consistent for her country. She is experienced, having played more than 100 T20Is to date and is the second-highest run-scorer and the highest wicket-taker in the World T20. She played a crucial role in bringing the title home in 2016. She had a wonderful game against Thailand where she picked up 3 wickets for just 13 runs and made and important 26 runs during the chase. She also scored 43 runs against Pakistan to hold the innings together.
Anisa Mohammed (West Indies) – The leader of the West Indian spin attack, Anisa Mohammed is very effective with the ball. She was the reason behind her side’s victory in the only time that they met in this tournament, with her picking up 3 wickets to break the back of Pakistan’s chase. With 119 wickets, she is the highest wicket-taker in this format with an average of just under 18 and the best bowling figures of 5 wickets for just 10 runs. Considering the pitch at Sydney favoring spinners, she will have an important role in drying up the runs and picking up a few wickets.
Sophie Ecclestone (England) – England’s leading spinner, Sophie Ecclestone has had a great career so far. Having picked up 47 wickets in 33 T20Is and an average a shade over 16 runs, she can be quite effective in taking up wickets and drying up the runs while picking up wickets. She already has 5 wickets in 3 matches in the tournament and will look forward to taking a few more scalps tomorrow considering the slow and spin-friendly nature of the track.
Pitch & Conditions
The match between England and West Indies will be played at the Sydney Showground Stadium. The only T20I match played here was the tournament opener between the hosts Australia and India. The match was won by India batting first on what looked like a wicket that would aid spin bowling. Spinners would be expected to dominate again as the conditions are more subcontinental than a typical Australian pitch which assists faster bowlers. A total of 5 WBBL matches were also played in which teams batting first won twice while the team batting second won thrice. The average score while batting first has been 130 with the highest being 164/3 in 20 overs by Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder.
The temperature is expected to stay between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius, which would not be overly uncomfortable for the players. A bit of cloud cover is expected but there is no rain predicted.
Will South Africa win and end the tournament for Pakistan? Or will Pakistan pull out a win and stay in contention for the playoffs? We can’t wait for this match. Follow us on Twitter for all the updates.