World Cup 2019: England vs West Indies - Three players who can win the game for England
England take on the West Indies at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in the nineteenth game of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. While England come into this game after winning comfortably against Bangladesh at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, the West Indies endured a narrow defeat to Australia at Trent Bridge in Nottingham in their last game.
The Eoin Morgan-led side looks favourites on paper but there is no saying how the men from the Caribbean will react after their close defeat to the Australians.
We pick out three key players who can win the game for England on Friday at the Rose Bowl.
#1 Jason Roy
The first name on this list, without any question, is England's opener Jason Roy. The Surrey batsman comes into this game on the back of a mammoth 153 he scored off just 121 balls against Bangladesh on Saturday. Roy is a real threat and the West Indies must keep him in check.
If Roy gets going in the first few overs, then it will become very difficult for the West Indies to stop him. They must bowl short to him and into his body to stop him from freeing his arms. The Durban-born batsman will be licking his lips in anticipation of another run feast on Friday at the Rose Bowl.
#2 Jos Buttler
England's limited overs wicketkeeper Jos Buttler is another player who poses a lot of threat to the West Indies' bowling attack. The Lancashire batsman comes into this game on the back of a quickfire 64 he scored against Bangladesh in England's last World Cup game.
The dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman can be very explosive in England's middle order and is someone who can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of minutes.
Buttler is a brilliant hitter of the cricket ball who can clear boundaries at will. The West Indies need to have a specific plan in mind while bowling to him.
#3 Jofra Archer
Barbados-born fast bowler Jofra Archer returns to play against the team of his birthplace and will be keen on getting a few over them. Archer is a skillful exponent of bouncers, reverse swing and yorkers and will be looking to try them all out against the West Indies.
Archer comes into this game on the back of a brilliant spell which yielded him 3 wickets for a mere 29 runs against Bangladesh in England's previous World Cup match.
The West Indies need to be wary of the threat Archer poses to them and will have to play out his overs very carefully if they are to have any chance of dominating the game.