Overview: Caribbean revival
Unlike what happened to Australia and India after the World Cup final, or even to England after winning the T20 World Cup in Australia last winter, the return to activity hasn’t been quite as abrupt. Besides, with the prior humiliations, a December four-island journey to the Caribbean is a rather tolerable assignment.
Still, just three weeks have passed since Jos Buttler’s browbeaten team hobbled back to Britain with their hopes for the World Cup crushed, and less than two weeks have passed since their four-year run as the 50-over world champions was officially terminated in Ahmedabad. Regardless of perspective, it seems like an odd time to be playing another three-match ODI series given the world cycle.
And West Indies may be pretty much in agreement, judging by the inexperienced team that is up against them. They were not only eliminated from the World Cup that just ended, but they were also relegated to spectator status at the 2025 Champions Trophy due to their defeat in the cruel qualifying round held in Zimbabwe in June and July. In the absence of that staging post to aspire toward, the road to 2027 will seem even more bleak and far off.
Famous players like Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran have abstained from ODIs since the qualifiers, seemingly forever, and Shane Dowrich’s retirement, which came just a few days after his recall after playing in his only ODI back in 2019, is more proof of the format’s current low status in the area.
The other well-known names absent from this campaign are Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers, and Jayden Seales. Although Shimron Hetmyer is once again the preferred choice of the selectors, the decision to bench the seasoned Darren Bravo seems strange considering the justifications provided for Hetmyer’s absence in Zimbabwe. Bravo was the leading run scorer in the Super50 Cup this year, leading Trinidad and Tobago to triumph in the championship match, despite the fact that he is already 34 and consequently unlikely to play in 2027.
In the grand scheme of things, there appears to be a lot more on the line for these two sides when they play each other in the T20I part of the tour later this month. The story will then change from being about two World Cup losers to the defending champions playing the hosts of the 2024 event in June. All comebacks, however, must begin somewhere, and in the case of the 50-over stakes, that is this Sunday afternoon at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
As far as England is concerned, it’s a long shot. An opportunity for a group of gifted bench players to make an impression on their captain (and unquestionable white-ball great, despite his recent setbacks) Buttler, as well as to argue for a 2015-style stable purge. However, Ben Duckett, who stands to gain the most in the upcoming weeks, has downplayed the possibility that any permanent spots are up for grabs in the near future.
In terms of the West Indies, at least they are back in the fight after a notable absence in the previous several months. Financially speaking, if not necessarily competitively, England’s visit and the throngs of fans who will undoubtedly accompany them make up for the recent hit in their finances. In addition, with Christmas approaching, it’s cricket season in the Caribbean. What could one not like?
Form handbook
West Indies LWLLW (the most recent of the last five finished ODIs)
WWLLL in England
Will Jacks and Shimron Hetmyer in the spotlight
In this series, a number of players have a lot to prove, but Shimron Hetmyer’s background narrative is unmatched. He has not been able to have an impact on either of the last two World Cup campaigns. He was cut in 2022 on the eve of the West Indies’ T20 World Cup campaign due to missing a flight to New York. After that, selectors chose to stick with the players who had proven themselves on the tour of South Africa earlier that year, and he was left out of the ODI qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe last summer. and everyone is aware of how that choice turned out. Never mind that Hetmyer’s IPL absence had resulted from his aggressive performances for the Rajasthan Royals, or that during his 2019 ODI tour of India (where the West Indies missed the World Cup), his fifth and most recent century had contributed to an unexpected eight-wicket victory in Chennai. He will undoubtedly be motivated to make up for the time he missed.
Will Jacks is one of the few England players who has a stronger case than any other that may feel like his time has arrived. Long before the selectors determined that Jason Roy’s lock on a World Cup spot was untenable, he was dominating the powerful batsman for Surrey and the Oval Invincibles. Jacks didn’t get a core contract in the most recent round of deals, but that may work to his advantage right now. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain the next time around if he can start putting together a long-term case. And based on his powerful 94 off 88 balls against Ireland in September, he provides an unrestricted approach to top-order strokeplay that Roy’s absence from the game last month didn’t fully reproduce.
Team news: Focus is on the rookies
Bravo’s exclusion may have been noteworthy, but Kjorn Ottley, a teammate from Trinidad and Tobago who is only one year younger than Bravo, is back in the mix for the first time in three years and appears certain to start with Brandon King. Although Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, and Oshane Thomas provide a solid spine to a side that may feature two new ODI caps, including the gifted all-rounder Matthew Forde, 21, who impressed for the Academy side in the Super50 Cup, Shai Hope, the captain and wicketkeeper, is by far the most experienced player in their ranks.
1 Brandon King, 2 Kjorn Ottley, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), West Indies (probably). 5 Keacy Carty 6 Matthew Forde / Gudakesh Motie, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Oshane Thomas, and 11 Shimron Hetmyer
After their World Cup disaster, England has undergone complete transformation, albeit it is unclear how much of it will be long-lasting. As of right now, the only member of the 2019 class still in place is Jos Buttler, but you would think that one or two of the established players aren’t quite done yet because multi-year contracts for players like Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid are still being finalized. Nevertheless, at least seven players in this starting eleven should not have participated in the previous tournament. These players include Will Jacks, Phil Salt, and Zak Crawley, the top three players who concluded the series against Ireland, as well as Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who may receive his first cap.
Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Zak Crawley, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Sam Curran, and England (probably) 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Tom Hartley, and 11 Brydon Carse.
Pitch and circumstances
There’s no indication that the match would be impacted by the 5.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Antigua in the early hours of Saturday morning. Historically, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has not been the highest scoring venue in the Caribbean. Out of 20 previous matches, only three teams have scored more than 300. The highest score ever recorded by Ricky Ponting’s legendary Australia in the venue’s inaugural World Cup match was 322 for 6. However, it has only hosted three ODIs since 2017. It has been an inconsistent host for these series in recent years. Local wisdom indicates that the pitch will require some spin.
