Watch cricket video highlights of England tour of West Indies 2024. Second ODI between West Indies and England. Venue of the match will be North Sound.
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England has won the toss and will bowl first against the West Indies in the second ODI in Antigua, hoping to reverse a 1-0 deficit in this three-match series. West Indies cruised to an eight-wicket DLS victory at this venue on Thursday – today’s match will be played on a central fresh surface – and have made only one alteration to their lineup. Shamar Joseph, a fast bowler, replaces Alzarri Joseph, who is out for precautionary reasons. Victory would be the West Indies’ first 50-over series victory this year, following losses to Australia in February and Sri Lanka last month.
It would be their first since overcoming England 2-1 in late 2023. Liam Livingstone’s team is also eager to improve their own dismal record, having not won a series since a disastrous championship defence at the 2023 ODI World Cup. That caused a personnel change, which, along with schedule issues, resulted in four players making their debuts in the opener. Three of them return for their second appearances in the format, with Saqib Mahmood replacing Jamie Overton as England shifts to a three-quick attack.
With the first ODI being a day-night match, Saturday’s 9.30am start should provide more equitable conditions for both innings. Conditions are decent from the start, with rain forecast in the early afternoon. Shai Hope’s 17th ODI century has placed the West Indies in possession at the midway point of the second ODI in Antigua, with England needing 329 to win and even the three-match series. The home captain led from the front with 117, coming at the start of the fourth over and batting till the conclusion of the 47th.
Hope’s first century in ten innings, which came against England at this identical stadium last year, began as a rescue act before aiding a charge that saw England dismissed for 93 in the last ten overs. Liam Livingstone chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and the tourists used early movement to dismiss both West Indies openers in the first 19 deliveries. By the end, the stand-in skipper was scrambling for solutions, as seen by England’s usage of nine bowlers for the second time in ODIs.
The fact that they might have discarded Hope at 60 will also hurt them deeply. John Turner was responsible for both the opening strikes and his first wickets in international cricket. Brandon King was brilliantly caught at backward point, but it was Evin Lewis’ ejection that prompted the most cheers. The hero of the first ODI was caught down the leg side for four after Thursday’s match-winning 94. Hope then entered the crease, teaming up with Keacy Carty in a rebuilding stand of 143. Consolidation was the name of the game at first, albeit Carty may have been withdrawn on eight.
An English squeeze involving three fielders at backward point, but Jacob Bethell, in the center, could only palm a skewed drive from Carty (on eight at the time), which would have resulted in Turner’s third dismissal. The two finished the Powerplay on 41 for 2, a score boosted in the tenth over by Hope’s maiden boundary – a superb back-foot smash over extra cover for six from Turner. A couple of straight drives from Saqib Mahmood – the only change to the XI from the first ODI, with Jamie Overton out – and a second six, lofting Adil Rashid over cover, were followed by calm rotation.
Carty ended a seven-over spell without a boundary by cutting Livingstone’s leg spin past point, an over before Hope latched onto a short delivery from Bethell to cross midwicket for his 42nd fifty-plus score in 66 deliveries. After the first losses had been compensated, risks were made to increase the run rate. However, it was a poor defensive push that should have ended Hope’s run on 60, allowing Bethell to pass to Salt only for the ball to bounce out of the keeper’s palms. Carty was quickly on his way to his fourth ODI fifty in 62 deliveries, as England’s patience wore thin.
The tone on the field quickly changed as Archer’s well planned short-ball strategy failed at the start of the 30th over. Turner first went over the boundary at deep fine leg on a top-edge, but the fielder then squandered a far simpler opportunity off the following ball. Rashid returned to bowl Carty through the gate at the start of the 31st over, and the miss cost only three runs. But it sent Sherfane Rutherford to the crease, where he set the tone early by lifting the legspinner down the ground for four off the second ball he faced.
The left-hander hit six more boundaries, three of which were sixes, building on his momentum from the previous Sri Lanka series to reach a sixth half-century in just 35 deliveries. Though he was removed a ball later, caught at deep cover while attempting to recreate the six over the same spot that got him to fifty, Shimron Hetmyer’s breezy 24 off 11 kept the pressure on. Will Jacks dropped him on 2 at long-on. Hope hit the pedal when Hetmyer was dismissed, having been caught by Archer at gully off a Rashid googly.
After pushing into a drive off his 118th delivery to reach 100, he smeared Rashid for fours and sixes to wide long-on, removing 13 from the 36-year-old’s last over. It was as much a strategy as a reaction to the cramp that was impeding Hope’s movements that led to his demise. He misunderstood Archer’s slower delivery, which Livingstone took superbly as he charged in from a considerable distance. For a brief period, England appeared to be on track to finish the innings without additional damage, but Matthew Forde hit three sixes in a succession in the penultimate over to take them to an incredible 328 for 6.
