As the Windies miseries continued to go a long distance, in the ongoing five-match One-day international series with England, the hosts are already having the unassailable lead of 3-0, in the first four games.
By utilizing themselves well, the visitors will be eyeing to salvage some pride by winning the dead rubber at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton which wouldn’t be an easy task against the fourth-ranked Three Lions in the One-day format.
The Caribbean side will be led by stand-in-captain Jason Mohammad after regular skipper Jason Holder flew home to attend his uncle’s funeral in Barbados.
England’s Dominance:
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After the off-field saga has hit England cricket badly, Jason Roy was the man who cashed on the opportunity to score his first 50 after nine innings. The right-handed batsman Roy was inducted into the playing XI after opening batsman Alex Hales was suspended for the remainder of the ODI following Bristol win, when all-rounder Ben Stokes smashed the man in a street-brawl, earlier this week.
On the other side, the batting all-rounder Moeen Ali had left a significant impact in the ongoing series with the bat for his match-winning knocks. The left-handed batsman smashed quickfire unbeaten 48 while batting alongside gloveman Jos Butler. The promising batsmen shifted gears to hand England a thrilling win in a bid to register the series win, in a rain-hit game at The Oval in London.
Moreover, bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes for England would be aiming to replicate his Bristol performance if Morgan won’t think of tinkering with the Playing XI. However, Woakes would be feeling to bowl into the right areas, as he went on to concede 71 runs – to bag three wickets on a feather-bed in London.
In the previous fixture, Morgan used six bowlers, and Jake Ball would be raring to go to see himself being among wickets. The dynamic leader in the frame of Morgan would like to lead the side from the front, in a bid to put a big score on the board against a team which is capable of ruining the party of opponents.
Windies Recovery and Misery:
The rookie fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was instrumental with the ball, as he bagged five wickets after conceding 56 runs in 8.1 overs, before England wrapped-up the series on the Duckworth Lewis Method (DLS). The Antigua-born Joseph bowled with a lot of steam to question the ability of hosts’ batters, who did well in the series so far, as a combination.
Moreover, the opening batting sensation Evin Lewis, who is known for walloping the cricket-ball, has been a major fascination for the cricket fanatics, as his innings of 176 in the third ODI, received the plaudits from all quarters. The Trinidad-born Lewis smashed 17 boundaries and seven sixes after facing 130 deliveries.
Seen as the major blow, Lewis retired-hurt after nursing a fractured ankle while digging out the ball, in the dying over of Windies innings at The Oval. The doctors revealed Lewis’ rehabilitation process would take a couple of weeks to see him further again holding the willow for the national team.
The 24-year-old opening batsman Sunil Ambris could also be in contention for the opening slot left open by Lewis’ injury. On the other front, the Windies team management would have had talked to length and breadth about early wickets being as a key. Statistically, the five Windies bowlers went wicketless out-of-six at The Oval including pace portent Jerome Taylor and off-spinner Ashley Nurse following the hosts’ onslaught.
The expectation from the game:
With Windies all-set to make a couple of forced changes, England would be eyeing to make a change or so after clinching the series with Bristol ODI, as Eoin Morgan would be aiming to wrap up the series 4-0. Earlier, the second match in Nottingham was washed out due to the inclement weather.
The hosts could highly likely win the match while considering their side which is indeed a strong force to reckon particularly in the limited-overs format.
However, Windies would be aiming to end the series on a high note, and their performance shouldn’t take us all by surprise if they did it comfortably.
What pitch could offer in the final ODI?
The Rose Bowl in the United Kingdom is expected to be a belter of a patch owing to its record particularly in the shortest version of the game. However, the Ageas Bowl surface has also helped the slow bowlers apart from the seam bowlers.
With both sides having the quality players, who could change the complexion of the game, it’s expected the first innings, scored we be around 280-295 if 50 overs will be sent down. With the chilly weather, the day and night fixture could test the players on the field, as the showers have been expected early.
The Result board:
In the last five games, England won four and Windies claimed a lone victory.
Here’s the predicted probable playing XI’s of both the teams:
England XI: Eoin Morgan (C), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett/Tom Curran and Jake Ball.
West Indies: Jason Mohammed (C), Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope (wk), Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Alzarri Joseph, Ashley Nurse, Jerome Taylor and Miguel Cummins.