England tour of West Indies 2022: SWOT analysis of England squad for the T20I series
England, after a disastrous Ashes series Down Under, will tour the West Indies for a T20I and Test series. The T20I series consists of five matches,commencing on 23rd January 2022. All the games will be played in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The visitors are currently the top ranked T20I team in the ICC T20I rankings. They reached the semi-finals of the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where they went down to New Zealand. The visitors have been exceptional in white-ball cricket in the last few years, and will start as the favourites against the Windies.
England and West Indies have faced each other 19 times in T20I cricket. West Indies have won 11 of the 19 games, while the visitors have won eight. The last time the teams faced each other was in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, where England won comprehensively by six wickets.
The visitors have rested a few of their T20 regulars for this series against the West Indies. Here's a look at the English squad:
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, garton" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince.
Preparation complete โ
Let's go ๐ช
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On that note, here is a detailed analysis of the English team ahead of their upcoming series against the West Windies:
#Strengths - Explosive top order and experienced spinners
Despite the absence of Jos Buttler and Bairstow, the visitors have an explosive top order.
To begin with, Jason Roy is one of the most dangerous openers in T20I cricket. Roy has been instrumental in England's recent success in the shortest format of the game. He has an astonishing strike rate of 144.93 in 53 T20I innings. He's the ideal batter to have in power-play overs, as he can take advantage of fielding restrictions.
Meanwhile, Liam Livingstone has had an exceptional start to his T20I career. He has a stunning strike rate of 165.79 in ten T20I innings, and is one of the best young talents in T20I cricket presently.
Tom Banton has been impressive in the limited opportunities he has received with England. He has a strike rate of 143.36 in nine T20I innings.
The pitches in the Caribbean have been conducive to spin bowling, especially in the last few years. England's experienced duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid should be eager to bowl on the sluggish pitches.
Ali averages 27.18 in T20I cricket, while Rashid has an average of 23.31, and has 74 wickets in 68 games. The spinners could play a key role for England in the upcoming series.
#Weakness - Lack of experienced fast bowlers in the Caribbean
England's bowling attack for their T20I series has some experienced names missing. The likes of Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, David Willey and Mark Wood, who are regulars for the team in the T20I format, are not playing this series.
Instead, George Garton, David Payne, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Reece Topley, and Saqib Mahmood are the fast bowlers chosen for the series against the West Windies.
Garton and Payne have not played a single T20I game. Mills, Topley and Mahmood have not played a single T20I match in the Caribbean. Apart from Chris Jordan, none of the visitors' other fast bowlers have experience playing T20I cricket in the Caribbean.
#Opportunities - England captain Eoin Morgan could return to form while the youngsters establish themselves
England captain Eoin Morgan had a disappointing 2021 with the bat. In 11 T20I innings, he scored only 150 runs at an average of 16.67.
Morgan will look to get back into form . His presence in the middle order as a finisher could be vital, as the team will be missing the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes in the middle order.
The presence of regular batters would allow the likes of Banton, Vince and Livingstone to establish their places in the T20I team. Sam Billings will have added responsibility, as he will be the keeper-batsman for the T20I series.
Billings is yet to become a permanent member of the English T20I team. So a few impressive performances in the Caribbean could see him challenge a few senior English batters in the middle order.
#Threat - A dangerous and unpredictable West Indies team
England are up against West Indies, who are ranked tenth in the ICC T20I rankings. However, the Windies are a dangerous outfit. On their day, they can beat any top team, and England are no exception.
The likes of Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder have been proven match-winners for the West Indies. Young players like Fabian Allen, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith and Kyle Mayers have had impressive starts to their international careers. They can change the course of T20I games with both bat and ball.
The series promises to be an exciting one, with the visitors starting as the strong favourites.
Defeat in our series opener.
But a chance to bounce back tomorrow.
Match Centre: ms.spr.ly/6019ZFxcL
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However, West Indies are more than capable of upsetting Morgan and co.