Cold, wet and windy are the three words that have dominated the World Cup so far. More than the players and the results, the weather has become the talking point.
Both England and the West Indies would want to shift the focus back to cricket, when they face off at the Hampshire Bowl on Friday, even with the ominous forecasts of rain.
So far, England has four points in its kitty from three games, whereas West Indies is one behind — its last game against South Africa was washed out — and for both the teams, the fixture at Southampton is crucial as a couple of points here could prove decisive in the longer run.
Shocking defeat
After a shocking defeat against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, England delivered an allround show against Bangladesh to bring its campaign back on track. With Jason Roy — who hammered a breezy 153 — in prime form, England will be bolstered by the positive news on Jos Buttler, who had suffered a bruise in the hip in the earlier match.
With rains leading to abandonment of games, the teams clearly aren’t enjoying the English summer. And West Indies too bore the brunt in its previous fixture. The Jason Holder-led side, which started the tournament with much promise, thanks to its bowlers, lacked application in the batting department, costing it the game against Australia.
While fast bowlers like Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder have done their bit, it’s time for the batsmen to step up.
The last time the two teams met in February this year, the ODI series ended at 2-2. But the series saw Chris Gayle in fiery form as he amassed 424 runs and hammered 39 sixes.
In the World Cup so far, the seasoned campaigner has not been in its element and could only manage 71 runs in two innings. Now, with the team needing some steel in the batting, over to the ‘Universe Boss’!