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Preview: T20 Series: West Indies vs. England - prediction, team news, series so far

Sports Mole previews the third 2024 T20 match between West Indies and England, scheduled to be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Thursday.

The five-match T20 series between the West Indies and England will head to the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia for match three on Thursday evening.

England hold a commanding lead heading into this fixture, having won the first two T20 internationals over the weekend by eight and seven wickets respectively.


Match preview

Shai Hope is batting for the West Indies on November 3, 2024© Imago

After a remarkable victory in the ODI series, the West Indies have yet to find their best form in the shortest format and are now playing to keep the series alive heading to Saint Lucia for match three.

For the Windies, a lot is not working for them at this moment, but the major concern is their lack of potency on the bowling front, having only taken five wickets across the two games so far.

Unfortunately, things have not been going well for the host nation with bat in hand either, as none of their players have managed to score a half-century as yet and they are in desperate need of someone from the top order to anchor the innings.

Still, the Windies have more than enough quality in their side to blow away any bowling attack with the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd, and the four-day break may have been exactly what was needed to figure out where they have been falling short.

Additionally, the side will also be bolstered by the return of Alzarri Joseph for this match, with the Saint Lucia Kings' quick having now served his two-match ban for the incident with Shai Hope in the final match of the ODI series.

United States v England.49th Match - Super 8 Group 2 on September 5, 2024© Imago

Meanwhile, despite losing the dangerous Phil Salt to the first ball of the chase on Sunday, England put on an excellent performance to secure victory, but the headlines from the match belonged to Jos Buttler.

Following a golden duck in the first match, England's stand-in skipper put on a clinic in brutal hitting, scoring 83 of just 45 balls and by the time he left the crease, it was a canter for Liam Livingstone to get the side over the line.

While most of the acclaim went to the Three Lions' skipper, Will Jacks's innings of 38 off 29 balls was also extremely important to the result, as his calmness allowed Buttler to get after the Windies' attack.

With the ball, Saqib Mahmood posted his best-ever figures in an England jersey of 4/34, while veteran Adil Rashid calmed things down after the powerplay and notched up 3/32 in his four-over allotment.

If England manage to secure a victory against the West Indies in any of the final three matches, it will put an end to their streak of five straight series defeats in all international cricket formats in the Caribbean.


Team News

Shimron Hetmyer of the West Indies on November 3, 2024© Imago

Cricket West Indies has made a few important changes to the T20I squad for this match, as Andre Russell has been ruled out due to a left ankle sprain and will be replaced by Shamar Springer.

As mentioned fast bowler Alzarri Joseph will also return to the squad for this match, taking over for Shamar Joseph, though Matthew Forde is retained and will likely be competing with Joseph for a spot in the starting 11.

For England, uncapped leg-spinner Jafer Chohan is set to return home from the ongoing white-ball tour to manage his workload. His departure is a precautionary measure to ensure he remains fit and ready for the upcoming Lions tour of South Africa.

Aside from Chohan, the Three Lions are likely to remain unchanged for the third T20, with Salt and Jacks at the top of the order, while Rashid and Livingstone will provide the spin options, leaving no place for Rehan Ahmed in the starting 11.


West Indies squad: Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Terrance Hinds, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer

England squad: Jos Buttler, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner


Series so far

T20 1 of 5: England won by 8 wickets
West Indies - 182/9 (20)
England - 183/2 (16.5)

T20 2 of 5: England won by 7 wickets
West Indies - 158/8 (20)
England - 161/3 (14.5)


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We say: England to win

While England struggled to find top gear in the 50-over series, they seem to be in their element in the shorter format, and if their top-order can continue firing in this match, we feel they will be able to wrap up the series with two matches still to play.

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England celebrate taking a wicket against Pakistan on May 25, 2024.
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