10:02 pm: England captain Eoin Morgan – “It is my back. Roy tweaked his hammy as well. I have had a lot of back spasms as well in the past. It will be 24-48 hours before we get to know about Jason. We have had a really good day at the office. The bowlers stuck to plans and they created chances throughout the game. As a whole, we were brilliant. Root has been our glue. He looked phenomenal. Archer is a pleasure to captain. He is not flustered in any situation. I think our plans have remained the same. We have struggled against Afghanistan in the past and won’t take them lightly.”
9:58 pm: West Indies captain Jason Holder – “We didn’t have enough runs on the board, lost wickets at regular intervals. The toss was a bit crucial. We lost the game in the middle overs. Our batters needed to take more ownership. One or two careless shots. We needed to dig in deep and need to correct it. We didn’t get the short balls high enough. Were a bit erratic as well. We are carrying a few niggles in the dressing room and need to get back fit ahead of the Bangladesh game. We need to tighten up in all three departments.”
9:51 pm: Player of the Match Joe Root – “It was a really good toss to have won today, and it was good to take the opportunity and use the conditions. The rest of the guys helped build big partnerships. It’s just nice to get some time in the park. Tried to hit the gaps, and there’s not much difference between opening and batting lower down. The way Woakes also came in and batted was very good. We spent two days in the indoor nets and there was plenty of short stuff there. You need to have the method and you need to back yourself to do it. We pride ourselves in having our basics covered.”
9:43 pm: Ben Stokes joins the party and slams two boundaries to finish the match. This has been a comprehensive victory for the hosts. West Indies will be bitterly disappointed by their performance today. Jason Holder and his men were poor in every department.
ENGLAND WIN BY EIGHT WICKETS!
After 33 overs, England are 204/2 – Root 101, Stokes 2
HUNDRED FOR JOE ROOT! His second ton of this World Cup and it comes in just 93 balls. The right-hander is at his best at the moment. What a fine knock he has played today. Root has Ben Stokes for company at the crease now. Four runs come from Oshane Thomas’ sixth over.
After 31.5 overs, England are 199/2 – Root 98
WICKET! A breakthrough against the run of play for West Indies as Chris Woakes pulls it straight to substitute Fabian Allen at deep square-leg. This was a fine knock from the right-hander, though. Shannon Gabriel gets his second wicket.
Woakes c Allen b Gabriel 40 (54)
After 31 overs, England are 193/1 – Root 93, Woakes 40
Two wides and a single for Joe Root from Oshane Thomas’ fifth over. England need 20 from 114.
After 30 overs, England are 190/1 – Root 92, Woakes 40
Root gets into the nineties with a firm push down the ground, the batsmen run three. Gabriel, though, comes back well in the over. He beats Woakes with a peach that came back in from length. Just four from the over.
After 29 overs, England are 186/1 – Root 89, Woakes 39
Root is getting closer to his second hundred of the World Cup. He gets another boundary with a beautiful cut shot that goes to the point boundary. Four more singles from the over.
After 28 overs, England are 178/1 – Root 83, Woakes 37
Fabian Allen is a big hit with the crowd and he is cheered on by the supporters every time the ball reaches him. England are knocking it around with minimum fuss and the target is within touching distance.
After 27 overs, England are 171/1 – Root 81, Woakes 32
Michael Holding on air: “West Indies have been pathetic with the bat, useless in the field, and one-dimensional with the ball.” Five runs come from Chris Gayle’s fourth over.
After 26 overs, England are 166/1 – Root 79, Woakes 29
Six more runs added to England’s total at the end of that Carlos Brathwaite over. The only thing worth waiting for in this match is to see if Joe Root can get to his second century of this World Cup.
After 25 overs, England are 160/1 – Root 78, Woakes 24
Chris Gayle wraps Chris Woakes on the pads and the West Indians go up in appeal. The umpire says not out and DRS shows that the impact was outside. Review lost. A wide and four singles come from that over for England.
After 24 overs, England are 155/1 – Root 76, Woakes 22
Five easy runs for England from Carlos Brathwaite’s third over. The West Indians are just going through the motions at the moment.
After 23 overs, England are 150/1 – Root 74, Woakes 20
Another decent over from Chris Gayle. The off-spinner has conceded just four runs in his two overs so far.
After 22 overs, England are 146/1 – Root 73, Woakes 19
Another short ball from a West Indian pacer, another controlled pull from Joe Root, another boundary for England. This time it’s Carlos Brathwaite who disappoints.
After 21 overs, England are 139/1 – Root 68, Woakes 17
Jason Holder brings Chris Gayle into the attack. Perhaps, the final roll of the dice. And the veteran doesn’t disappoint! He bowls his gentle off-spinners to concede just a single in his first over. A bit of a stair at Root to finish the over and the crowd loves it.
After 20 overs, England are 138/1 – Root 68, Woakes 16
Shot! Oshane Thomas returns to the attack and bowls it short and slightly wide, Chris Woakes gets on his toes and crunches it square on the off side for four. Joe Root then finishes the over with a powerful pull past mid-wicket to pick up his ninth boundary.
After 19 overs, England are 125/1 – Root 60, Woakes 11
Two more boundaries for Joe Root! Sumptuous straight-drives from the right-hander. Strange that Jason Holder has kept mid-off so far ahead and wide. This is too easy for England at the moment.
After 18 overs, England are 115/1 – Root 50, Woakes 11
FIFTY for Joe Root! The right-hander gets there in as many balls. This is the third half-century of this World Cup for him. The 28-year-old is massively important for England in their quest for a first title.
After 17 overs, England are 112/1 – Root 48, Woakes 10
A boundary each for Joe Root and Chris Woakes. Root plays a delightful cover-drive and Woakes hits a thumping pull. The Windies bowlers have been poor with their short-pitched bowling today. Among other things, of course. Nine runs come from Shannon Gabriel’s fifth over.
After 16 overs, England are 103/1 – Root 43, Woakes 6
Another good-looking drive from Chris Woakes, this time through covers for two. Three runs come from West Indies captain Jason Holder’s fourth over.
After 15 overs, England are 100/1 – Root 42, Woakes 4
Well, a surprise move from England. With Jason Roy and captain Eoin Morgan injured, they have promoted Chris Woakes to No 3. The right-hander gets off the mark with a beautiful straight-drive for four. Hundred up for the hosts. They’re very much in cruise control at the moment.
After 14.4 overs, England are 95/1 – Root 42
WICKET! Success for the West Indies out of nowhere! Jonny Bairstow mist-times a cut and the ball goes straight to Carlos Brathwaite at third man. Shannon Gabriel has given his team the breakthrough they so desperately needed.
Bairstow c Brathwaite b Gabriel 45 (46)
After 14 overs, England are 88/0 – Bairstow 39, Root 42
Back-to-back overs without boundaries! West Indian captain Jason Holder gives away five runs in his third over.
After 13 overs, England are 83/0 – Bairstow 38, Root 39
Rare economical over for West Indies as Shannon Gabriel keeps a tight line and concedes just three singles in his third.
After 12 overs, England are 80/0 – Bairstow 37, Root 37
Back-to-back boundaries for England! Jonny Bairstow clips one from Jason Holder for four, before bailing out of a pull but getting a top-edge to the fine-leg fence. The runs keep flowing for England!
After 11 overs, England are 69/0 – Bairstow 27, Root 37
Four! Andre Russell bowls it short and Jonny Bairstow ramps it past the slip fielder for four. Russell ends the over by striking Bairstow flush on the grill with a sharp bouncer and then falling on the ground himself in pain. The English opener needs a change of helmet. That was a nasty blow. Fortunately, no physical harm done.
After 10 overs, England are 62/0 – Bairstow 22, Root 36
West Indies captain Jason Holder brings himself into the attack and delivers the most economical over of the innings so far, just a single comes from it. And that’s the end of the powerplay. England have dominated it completely.
After 9 overs, England are 61/0 – Bairstow 21, Root 36
The West Indian pacers refuse to learn from their mistakes and continue bowling short to Joe Root. This time Shannon Gabriel bangs it in and the right-hander pulls it with absolute ease over square-leg for four. As well as the hosts have batted so far, the visitors have wasted the new ball with their poor lengths.
After 8 overs, England are 53/0 – Bairstow 20, Root 31
Wattey shot from Joe Root! The right-hander looks in sublime touch. Andre Russell joins the attack and bowls a wide delivery with hardly any pace in it, Root takes a big stride out and hits an on-the-rise cover-drive for four. Russell is hopping and jumping in pain. As the great Brain Lara once said: “He’s a walking hospital.”
After 7 overs, England are 46/0 – Bairstow 20, Root 24
Shannon Gabriel joins the attack for the West Indies and does well to not concede a boundary. Just the second over of the innings that didn’t see a four being hit. But England still manage to collect six runs from the right-arm pacer’s first over.
After 6 overs, England are 40/0 – Bairstow 20, Root 19
Stunning strokeplay from Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root! England are definitely in a hurry to chase down this modest total. Bairstow hits a thumping straight-drive for four and then Root plays a picture-perfect cover-drive to pick up his third boundary. Ten runs from that Oshane Thomas over.
After 5 overs, England are 30/0 – Bairstow 15, Root 14
Shot! Joe Root with a classy cover-drive to pick up his second boundary in as many overs. The right-hander then cuts it past point to collect two runs. Another good over for England, six runs from it. The hosts are well ahead of the asking rate.
After 4 overs, England are 24/0 – Bairstow 15, Root 8
First boundary of the innings for Joe Root! Oshane Thomas bowls it short with no real pace and the right-hander pulls it away comfortably. England are scoring freely at the moment. Time running out for the Windies!
After 3 overs, England are 17/0 – Bairstow 15, Root 1
Four! Sheldon Cottrell pitches it full and wide, Jonny Bairstow leans in and crunches it square on the off side for a boundary. The right-hander has hogged most of the strike and done almost all of the scoring so far. Eight runs come from the over.
After 2 overs, England are 9/0 – Bairstow 9, Root 0
Shot! Jonny Bairstow punches one from Oshane Thomas past covers to give England their first boundary. The right-hander then cuts one over point but doesn’t time it properly, the ball lands safely and he picks up two. There hasn’t been much movement for the West Indian pacers so far.
After 1 over, England are 3/0 – Bairstow 3, Root 0
Decent start from Sheldon Cottrell, the left-arm pacer strikes Joe Root on the glove with a sharp bouncer. Jonny Bairstow gets off the mark with a push past covers for three.
6:53 pm: Joe Root is coming out to open the batting with Jonny Bairstow. Not an ideal scenario for the hosts. Sheldon Cottrell will open the bowling for the West Indies. The visitors need to strike early, and keep striking. Here we go!
6:30 pm: England have dominated the first half of the match but they have injury worries. Jason Roy cannot bat till No 7, even if he could. Eoin Morgan looked in trouble as he walked out of the field as well. West Indies will still have hope, if they can turn the pace up.
6:28 pm: Jofra Archer (3/30 from 9 overs) – “It’s just another game of cricket but was nice to play against some of my friends. Some of the cross seam balls were getting purchase. Was a good team effort to keep them under 220. Gayle at the top of the order can take the game away, glad we got him early.”
6:24 pm: Mark Wood bowls a sizzling yorker to rattle Shannon Gabriel’s stumps and end West Indies’ innings. The right-arm pacer gets his 50th ODI wicket. This has been a solid effort from England.
WEST INDIES ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 212 IN 44.4 OVERS!
After 43.4 overs, West Indies are 211/9 – Thomas 0
WICKET! Jofra Archer beats Carlos Brathwaite thrice with three fiery bouncers. He then bowls another one and the ball clips the right-hander’s bat and shoulder before flying to Jos Buttler behind the stumps.
Brathwaite c Buttler b Archer 14 (22)
After 43 overs, West Indies are 211/8 – Brathwaite 14, Thomas 0
SIX! Some much-needed runs for the West Indies as Carlos Brathwaite pulls Mark Wood all the way. Let’s not forget, the right-hander has a history with the English team. It was Brathwaite who smashed Ben Stokes in the 2016 World T20 final and won his team the title. He needs to do something similar today as well.
After 42 overs, West Indies are 204/8 – Brathwaite 7, Thomas 0
Another good over for England, just a single from it. Jofra Archer beats Oshane Thomas with a sharp bouncer. The hosts think there was a faint edge and take a review but DRS shows there was nothing.
After 41 overs, West Indies are 203/8 – Brathwaite 6, Thomas 0
Oshane Thomas plays a fine forward defense to deny Jofra Archer a hat-trick. Adil Rashid then comes on and concedes just a single in his final over. The leg-spinner finishes with figures of 0/61 from his 10 overs.
After 39.5 overs, West Indies are 202/8 – Brathwaite 5
WICKET! Jofra Archer is on a hat-trick! He bowls it straight and Sheldon Cottrell gets trapped in front. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena finally gets one right as DRS shows all three reds. England are putting their foot down!
Cottrell lbw Archer 0 (1)
After 39.4 overs, West Indies are 202/7 – Brathwaite 5
WICKET! Jofra Archer gets rid of Nicholas Pooran! The right-arm pacer bowls a short ball and the left-hander tries to drop his hands and get out of the way. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena says not out but DRS shows that there was a feather of an edge. A fine knock comes to an end. Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan has walked off limping and Jos Buttler is captaining England at the moment.
Pooran c Buttler b Archer 63 (78)
After 39 overs, West Indies are 200/6 – Pooran 63, Brathwaite 4
Two-hundred up for the West Indies! Nicholas Pooran does brilliantly to sweep one from Adil Rashid for four. The left-hander needs to bat till the end.
After 38 overs, West Indies are 192/6 – Pooran 57, Brathwaite 2
Eoin Morgan brings Jofra Archer back into the attack and the right-arm pacer gives away just three runs in his sixth over. England would want to keep getting wickets and bowl the West Indies out quickly. They’ve set the platform for a short chase.
After 37 overs, West Indies are 189/6 – Pooran 55, Brathwaite 1
Another fine over from Mark Wood, the big wicket of Andre Russell and just five runs from it. The right-arm pacer has impressive figures of 2/11 from 5 overs at the moment. Carlos Brathwaite is the new man at the crease. West Indies need him to settle in and provide some fireworks.
After 36.2 overs, West Indies are 188/6 – Pooran 55
WICKET! Andre Russell’s short and painful stay at the crease has come to an end. He pulls one from Mark Wood for four and then pulls the next ball straight to Chris Woakes, who doesn’t make any mistake this time. West Indies are in deep trouble now.
Russell c Woakes b Wood 21 (16)
After 36 overs, West Indies are 184/5 – Pooran 55, Russell 17
Joe Root strays in line against Andre Russell and gives away four wides. The burly West Indian, though, is in some pain (YET AGAIN!). He’s limping and also has pain in his left wrist. West Indies need him to power through.
After 35 overs, West Indies are 175/5 – Pooran 52, Russell 16
DROPPED! Chris Woakes, what have you done?! Adil Rashid tosses it up and Russell goes for a mighty heave, the ball goes high up and Woakes can’t hold on to it at deep mid-wicket. He’s usually such a safe fielder in the deep, has taken some fine catches already in the tournament. Massive moment in that match. The right-hander then rubs salt into England’s wounds by smashing two sixes. Fasten your seat-belts, folks!
After 34 overs, West Indies are 161/5 – Pooran 51, Russell 3
Joe Root is firing in his deliveries. The off-spinner is operating above the 90 kmph mark. He has figures of 2/18 from 4 overs at the moment.
After 33 overs, West Indies are 158/5 – Pooran 50, Russell 1
FIFTY for Nicholas Pooran! He gets there in 56 balls. This is the first ODI half-century for the right-hander. He has Andre Russell for company at the crease now. It’s make or break time for the Windies.
After 32 overs, West Indies are 156/5 – Pooran 49
WICKET! Joe Root has another one! What is happening here?! A second caught-and-bowled for the part-time off-spinner. Jason Holder tries to work it on the leg side but ends up getting a leading edge straight back. The West Indian captain had just hit a straight six but couldn’t get off strike after that.
Holder c&b Root 9 (10)
After 31 overs, West Indies are 147/3 – Pooran 47, Holder 2
Another good over for England as Adil Rashid concedes just two runs in his sixth over. Captain Jason Holder is the new man at the crease for West Indies. The visitors need another partnership here.
After 29.5 overs, West Indies are 144/4 – Hetmyer out!
Soft dismissal there. Hetmeyer was trying to hit his way out of trouble and Morgan’s gamble with Root pays off. The left-hander chips a full delivery and Root takes a sharp catch off his own bowling. England have the breakthrough they needed.
S Hetmyer c & b Root 39 (48)
After 29 overs, West Indies are 141/3 – Pooran 44, Hetmyer 38
Hetmyer, now seen sporting a floppy hat, swings wildly and doesn’t connect. He is not reading the turn. He might be getting bogged down a touch. There has been no change in approach from him. Just two from the Rashid over.
After 28 overs, West Indies are 139/3 – Pooran 43, Hetmyer 37
Some of the England players were excited to see the bails come off. We thought Hetmyer had hit the stumps with the bat but it Buttler who had inadvertently knocked it with his gloves. Some turn on offer for Joe Root in the over. This was after a Rashid had bowled a quick over.
After 26 overs, West Indies are 130/3 – Pooran 37, Hetmyer 34
Back-to-back boundaries for West Indies! Shimron Hetmyer finally finds the middle of his bat. The left-hander first pulls a short ball from Ben Stokes between mid-wicket and mid-on for four, before slamming a straight-drive to the fence. Successive overs for the West Indies in which they’ve picked up 12 runs. This partnership is starting to look good.
After 25 overs, West Indies are 118/3 – Pooran 36, Hetmyer 23
SIX! Adil Rashid drops it slightly short and Nicholas Pooran goes bang! That pull traveled a long way. Shows the power the 23-year-old possesses. Good over for West Indies, 12 runs from it.
After 24 overs, West Indies are 106/3 – Pooran 24, Hetmyer 23
Another decent over from Ben Stokes, just three runs from it. England need their star all-rounder to find some confidence with the ball ahead of the business end of the tournament.
After 23 overs, West Indies are 103/3 – Pooran 23, Hetmyer 22
Shot! Shimron Hetmyer dances down the track and drives one from Adil Rashid straight over for four. Hundred comes up for West Indies. Their young left-handers need to keep going and set a base for the likes of Andre Russell.
After 22 overs, West Indies are 94/3 – Pooran 21, Hetmyer 16
Four! Ben Stokes bangs it in and Nicholas Pooran manages a top edge that goes to the fine-leg boundary. Seven runs come from that over.
After 21 overs, West Indies are 86/3 – Pooran 16, Hetmyer 13
Adil Rashid finally gets a go and leg-spinner is on the money right away. He does well to beat Nicolas Pooran’s bat with a delivery that dipped and turned the other way. We can expect him to bowl plenty of googlys to the two left-handed West Indian batsmen.
After 20 overs, West Indies are 82/3 – Pooran 14, Hetmyer 11
Ben Stokes joins the attack for England and gives away three singles in his first over. It’s almost comical how Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer are throwing their bats at almost everything and not connecting on most occasions. The youngsters need to preserve their wickets if West Indies are to remain in this contest.
After 19 overs, West Indies are 79/3 – Pooran 13, Hetmyer 9
Another good over for England, just four runs from it. Eoin Morgan has held Adil Rashid back as his pacers are doing a fine job. The two young West Indian batsmen are throwing their bat at deliveries in every over.
After 18 overs, West Indies are 75/3 – Pooran 12, Hetmyer 7
Strange approach from Shimron Hetmyer in that over. The left-hander takes his front foot out of the way and tries to smash a full delivery from Mark Wood, but he doesn’t connect and ends up breaking his bat. Not sure if that’s the right mindset to have at this moment. Two runs come from that over.
After 17 overs, West Indies are 73/3 – Pooran 11, Hetmyer 7
Shot! Liam Plunkett bowls it slightly short and wide, Nicholas Pooran latches on to it and cuts it stylishly for four. Shimron Hetmyer then pulls the last ball powerfully for a boundary. The two left-hander are not holding back. Good over for West Indies, 12 runs come from it.
After 16 overs, West Indies are 61/3 – Pooran 4, Hetmyer 3
Nicholas Pooran survives! Mark Wood gets the left-hander’s outside edge and the ball flies inches past a diving Joe Root at first slip. Another top over from the right-arm pacer, just a single from it.
After 15 overs, West Indies are 60/3 – Pooran 3, Hetmyer 3
Nicholas Pooran hits a pretty cover-drive but gets just a single for it. Liam Plunkett is doing well to mix up his lengths and keep the batsmen guessing. Four runs come from the right-arm pacer’s third over. Time for a drinks break.
After 14 overs, West Indies are 56/3 – Pooran 1, Hetmyer 1
A wonderful over by Mark Wood as he gets the important wicket of Shai Hope and concedes just two runs. West Indies have two left-hander Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer at the crease at the moment. They need a big partnership here. England are threatening to run away with the contest.
After 13.2 overs, West Indies are 55/3 – Pooran 1
WICKET! England are on a roll here! Mark Wood bowls it full and straight and the ball crashes into Shai Hope’s pads. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena says not out but England take DRS and it shows all three reds. Another poor umpiring decision as that looked dead straight. West Indies are in deep trouble.
Hope lbw Wood 11 (30)
After 13 overs, West Indies are 54/2 – Hope 11
WICKET! Big, big moment in the game as Chris Gayle is gone! Liam Plunkett bangs it in and the left-hander pulls it straight to deep square-leg. Good catch from Jonny Bairstow. England on top at the Hampshire Bowl!
Gayle c Bairstow b Plunkett 36 (41)
After 12 overs, West Indies are 47/1 – Gayle 36, Hope 6
Mark Wood comes on to have a bowl and delivers five dot balls against Chris Gayle, but the left-hander taps the last one past point to pick up a single. Wood had dropped Gayle’s catch earlier and needs to make up for it big-time. The right-arm pacer has started well with the ball.
After 11 overs, West Indies are 46/1 – Gayle 35, Hope 6
Liam Plunkett joins the attack for England and concedes five runs in his first over. Shai Hope hits yet another gorgeous drive that goes straight to the fielder. The right-hander has faced 27 balls so far.
After 10 overs, West Indies are 41/1 – Gayle 33, Hope 3
Jofra Archer strikes Shai Hope on the glove with a 93 mph thunderbolt! The right-hander has absolutely no clue about that delivery. That’s the end of the powerplay. Just the three singles come from Archer’s fifth over. England have the upper hand at the moment but they’d want to see the back of Chris Gayle soon.
After 9 overs, West Indies are 38/1 – Gayle 32, Hope 2
SIX! Brilliant from Chris Gayle! The left-hander is having a go at anything short and pulls Chris Woakes over mid-on for four. He then preempts a full delivery and drives it straight back for a maximum. West Indies need him to keep going. It’s a one-man show at the moment. Good over for the visitors, 12 runs come from it.
After 8 overs, West Indies are 26/1 – Gayle 21, Hope 1
Big blow for England as Jason Roy has limped off after pulling his hamstring. The hosts will be praying it’s nothing serious. The right-handed opener is very important for their campaign. James Vince has come on as the substitute fielder. Meanwhile, Chris Gayle pulls Jofra Archer for another boundary as West Indies pick up five runs from that over.
After 7 overs, West Indies are 21/1 – Gayle 16, Hope 1
Chris Gayle survives! Huge moment in the game! Chris Woakes pitches it full and the left-hander throws the kitchen sink at it. The ball hits the edge of the bat and flies towards third-man, Mark Wood runs forward and catches the ball with a dive but the ball pops out as his hands crash into the ground. Woakes is distraught. Hope then plays a couple of gorgeous drives off the front foot but doesn’t get any run.
After 6 overs, West Indies are 19/1 – Gayle 15, Hope 1
Back-to-back boundaries for West Indies! Chris Gayle decides he has had enough and goes after Jofra Archer. The first one is a bludgeoning drive down the ground and the next one is a pull. The English pacer comes back well to beat Shai Hope’s bat and then strike Gayle’s glove with a sharp bouncer. A good over for the Windies, though, 11 runs from it.
After 5 overs, West Indies are 8/1 – Gayle 5, Hope 0
Second maiden over from Chris Woakes, this time against Shai Hope. This is top-class bowling from the right-arm pacer. He isn’t giving the batsmen an inch. There isn’t big swing on offer but Woakes is bowling full and straight.
After 4 overs, West Indies are 8/1 – Gayle 5, Hope 0
West Indies get their first boundary but it’s a lucky one. Jofra Archer bowls five dot balls to Chris Gayle, the left-hander manages to get an inside-edge off the last one to fetch four. The right-arm pacer is bowling every ball around the 90 mph mark. Shai Hope is the new man at the crease for the Windies.
After 3 overs, West Indies are 4/1 – Gayle 1
WICKET! What. A. Ball. Chris Woakes, take a bow. The right-arm pacer bowls the perfect yorker to rattle the left-handed Evin Lewis’ stumps. This has been a dream start for England. Their pacers have been bang on the money.
Lewis b Woakes 2 (8)
After 2 overs, West Indies are 2/0 – Gayle 0, Lewis 1
Jofra Archer runs in to bowl his first over and touches the 90 mph mark. Easy. It’s just amazing how he generates such pace with such a languid action. Chris Gayle is yet to get off the mark after facing nine deliveries.
After 1 over, West Indies are 0/0 – Gayle 0, Lewis 0
Maiden over to start! Chris Woakes beats Chris Gayle’s bat twice with beautiful deliveries that were angled straight but cut away from the left-hander. Just the start England were looking for. There’s plenty in it for the pacers at the moment.
2:59 pm: Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis are striding out to the middle to open the batting for the West Indies. Chris Woakes has the new ball in hand for England. Match No 19 of this World Cup promises to be an absolute cracker. Here we go!
2:54 pm: Right, we’re ready for some cricket at this 12th edition of the World Cup. The sky is clear, the sun is shining (kind of). The players have taken the field at the Hampshire Bowl. It’s time for the national anthems. First up, it’s West Indies.
2:41 pm: West Indies captain Jason Holder – “We would’ve bowled first as well. Opportunity for our guys to get some runs first. There is a lot at stake. We guys have planned well for this game and we are up for it. It is a matter of adapting to particular individuals on that day. We have got three changes. Evin Lewis comes in, Russell comes back and Shannon Gabriel is making his first appearance.”
2:38 pm: England captain Eoin Morgan at the toss – “The wicket has been under covers for last 24 hours. There has been a lot of rain around and we feel there would be some moisture in it. The World Cup is about adapting to conditions. This is a tough challenge for us. We have got the same team.”
2:35 pm: West Indies playing XI – Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (c), Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Oshane Thomas.
2:33 pm: England playing XI – Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (w), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
2:32 pm: TOSS – Eoin Morgan wins the toss and England will bowl first!
2:27 pm: Pitch report by Ian Bishop: “It has been under the covers all day yesterday. The grass has been cut below than other tracks. The hardness will help someone like Jofra Archer. Even the West Indies won’t mind it as their plan has been to get it up at the heads of the batsmen and bounce them out.”
2.23 pm: Eoin Morgan knows a thing or two about playing against a country who you could be playing for...
Playing against the nation of his birth, all eyes will be on his 24-year-old fast bowler Archer, who has made an explosive start to his international career.
“Jofra has been very consistent over a long period of time, since he came to Sussex. It is great he is in an England shirt. It does feel different the first time you play against a side you could have played for. I am sure he will handle it,” Morgan said.
Morgan himself played 23 ODI matches for Ireland before switching allegiances.
“I did not find it difficult [against Ireland for the first time]. It was a different challenge, rather than a difficult one.”
2.17 pm: The biggest battle today that promises to be exciting indeed is Barbados-born Jofra Archer taking on the Caribbean stars. There was a superb moment in the press conference of Jason Holder’s. “Would Jofra make it to the Windies team?” “He’s English, so no!”
2.15 pm: Hello all and welcome to another day in what has become the wettest World Cup in cricket history. It’s England and West Indies in Southampton today... a day after India-New Zealand became the fourth match to be washed out due to rain (and third to be abandoned without a ball being bowled).
West Indies captain Jason Holder says his resurgent side are using their brains as well as brawn ahead of their clash against the hosts.
The West Indies have already shown what they are capable of, bowling Pakistan out for just 105 thanks to a barrage of bouncers on the way to a seven-wicket win in their opening game.
The two-time World Cup champions lost narrowly to Australia after being well-placed to beat the reigning title-holders, before rain wrecked their match against South Africa, with the sides taking a point each
But they will enter their match against England in Southampton with confidence as the only team at the World Cup not to have lost their previous one-day international series to Eoin Morgan’s men, drawing 2-2 in the Caribbean earlier this year.
With pace in abundance from the likes of Oshane Thomas, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, as well as Holder himself, the West Indies have an attack to worry every team.
But Holder believes it is their ability to outfox batsmen in the middle overs that has sparked an upturn in form since the 2015 World Cup – a four-year period in which they did not win an ODI series.
“We have always got wickets with the new ball,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“But previously we haven’t been able to get wickets in the middle overs.
“And it’s been the talking point over the last couple of months in one-day cricket and now in this tournament we have been able to get wickets in the middle overs, which has definitely broken the back of most teams.”
Following the South Africa no result, the England game has taken on even greater importance for the West Indies.
But Holder is not worried yet and, with all-rounder Russell likely to be fit following a knee injury, he expects his side to throw all they have at the hosts.
“I think the brand of cricket we have been playing so far in this World Cup, you know what to expect of West Indies now,” he said.
“For us, we are not going to back down from the challenge. Most of our guys are always up for the challenge and it is just a matter for us to be smart.
“And I don’t think there is anything else to be said, just be smart and play the brand of cricket we want to play,” he added.