England vs West Indies | Gayle to Resume Offence Against Archer-Powered England

England and West Indies will resume their traditional rivalry when the two sides face off again at the 2019 ICC World Cup game in Southampton on Friday (June 14). One man will once again be in focus in the contest — ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle.

The powerful West Indies opener was simply sensational in the five-match ODI series against England earlier this year, notching up 424 runs in those games with a strike of 134.17 with two centuries and two fifties. His highest score in the series was a 97-ball 162 with 14 massive sixes.

Gayle, in his fifth World Cup for the West Indies, will face a new challenge in the form of Barbados-born Jofra Archer, who has impressed everyone with his searing pace in the World Cup so far. Archer was not yet eligible to play in the ODI series in West Indies but will be one of English skipper Eoin Morgan’s spearhead along with Mark Wood.

In fact, it will be a battle of pace at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton as West Indies will look to give back in earnest unleashing the likes of Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell with the new ball.

England will be delighted by the return to full fitness for Jos Buttler, who injured his hip in the last game against Bangladesh. But WI skipper Jason Holder would still be fretting over the fitness of prolific all-rounder Andre Russell, who is suffering from chronic knee issues and was not part of the team in the rained-out encounter against South Africa last week.

Last Five ODIs

England: WWWLW

Hosts England won the ODI series against Pakistan 4-0 in the lead up to the World Cup. In the tournament, they started off with an impressive win over South Africa but were stunned by Pakistan in the second game and then bounced back with a 106-run win over Bangladesh in their last game.

West Indies: LLWLNR

The men from the Caribbean came into the World Cup after losing the tri-series final against Bangladesh in Ireland. They started off with a sensational seven-wicket hammering of Pakistan in their tournament opener and then lost a hard-fought second game to Australia. Their last game against South Africa at Southampton was a wash-out.

Players to watch out for

England: Jofra Archer: After making his England debut just weeks before the ICC World Cup, the Barbados-born paceman is England’s leading wicket-taker so far with six wickets in three games at an average of 22.5. Archer has consistently bowled at 90+ mph in these games, one delivery in fact clearing the boundary and hitting Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal’s stumps.

West Indies: Chris Gayle: He was a man possessed in the high-scoring five-match ODI series against England just before IPL-12. The West Indies opener pummeled as many as 39 sixes against the English bowlers to tally 424 runs in just four innings in that series. For him, the motto is faster they come, the harder they go!

Team News/Availability:

England: Wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler has recovered from hip injury and should be fit to play against the West Indies. Moeen Ali missed the England training on Wednesday (June 11) for the birth of his daughter but will also be available for the game. The hosts are set to bring back Mark Wood for Liam Plunkett for this game.

West Indies: Andre Russell’s fitness will be their biggest concern after he hobbled off the field against Australia and missed the rained-out South Africa game. Darren Bravo will play again if Russell misses out.

Squads:

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes,James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle,Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas.