Watch cricket video highlights of England tour of West Indies 2024. Third ODI between West Indies and England. Venue of the match will be Bridgetown.
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Preview
Five years ago, England and the West Indies scored 724 runs in an ODI at Kensington Oval, but there have only been two scores above 300 in the last 11 games. Hope previously stated that the surface “looks like it has a bit of moisture currently”. Thundery rains are expected, perhaps disrupting operations once more. With a series on the line, England’s desire to experiment will be limited. West Indies may consider bringing back Alzarri Joseph after his namesake Shamar proved pricey on debut in the second ODI.
Jordan Cox, one of the more intriguing figures on the margins of England’s international squad, has had a busy few months. His restless desire is apparent – almost to the point of arrogance, he admits – but England’s management likes what they see overall. This opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the revamped ODI line-up, ahead of three assured Tests as Jamie Smith’s wicketkeeping backup, gives him till Christmas to make a compelling argument for his long-term involvement in their plans. Four matches into his England career, he’s unable to make any progress.
Despite a confident image of belonging in the middle, he has 21 ODI runs from 50 balls on this trip and was dismissed in foolish manner by Shamar Joseph on Saturday. His legendary fielding was also off the boil, which may indicate preoccupation. He hasn’t squandered his opportunity yet, but with so many crucial hitters away from this tour, he might find himself pushed back down the pecking order unless he demonstrates his real colours soon. Shimron Hetmyer used his license for violence on Saturday afternoon, but only briefly.
There were 10.1 overs left in the innings when West Indies’ No. 6 walked out to the middle, a situation he enjoys in the T20 format. This time, however, his side was already 234 for 4, and he helped them pass 300 by hitting three sixes in his first ten deliveries. But then he holed out in pursuit of a fourth, and he finished with 24 from eleven balls. It was, however, the second-highest of his seven innings since his comeback to the ODI squad in July 2023, after only his 32 from 30 balls against England last December.
Much like his England contemporaries, his lack of experience with the format appears to be holding him back, but his talent and promise are evident. So far, the Caribbean has seen an odd ideological conflict. Evin Lewis’ match-winning onslaught on Thursday demonstrated the value of experience: despite missing out on ODI cricket for three years, his muscle memory was keenly attuned to the challenge, as he rode out England’s new-ball threat to demolish his opponents in a mere 25 overs.
In the process, he surged over his 2000th run in the format, surpassing England’s most experienced hitter [checks notes]. Adil Rashid. By the midway point of Saturday’s second match, that battle-hardened narrative had gained control of the series. Shai Hope is undoubtedly a talented player, but who could have predicted that his ODI record would one day match those of Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, and Desmond Haynes? Nonetheless, his 17th century in the format was as elegantly timed as ever, dripping with the kind of belief in better times that England’s T20-trained top four can only dream of.
Given how infrequently they’ve been required to fight it out through the barren middle overs of a 50-over game. Hope faced nine different bowlers during his innings, which is undoubtedly a record of some kind. On the one hand, this was a testament to England’s abundance of alternatives, as a new generation of cricketers arrived on the scene with two perfectly serviceable strings to their bows. On the other hand, it demonstrated that more is less, as Liam Livingstone’s management grew increasingly complicated with each new change in the field.
But then, all of a sudden, those old certainties shattered, and a whole new story emerged. One in which the power of responsibility flooded into England’s experience void, setting up an unlikely series finale. Prior to this season, Sam Curran had only batted higher than No. 7 once in 32 ODIs, while Livingstone had batted higher than No. 6 twice in 30. However, both guys responded to the crisis with the determination that the administration had intended to elicit from this experimental squad.
Curran’s run-a-ball 52 was far more vital than it seems on paper, giving the ballast through the middle overs that allowed England to push the chase deep, until Livingstone, the least likely of England’s six captains across formats this summer, delivered bomb after bomb. He smashed nine sixes in total, something only three England players have done in a 50-over match. And if you squinted at the final scoreboard, after a challenging goal of 329 had been chased down with overs and wickets to spare, you might almost assume we were back in the team’s pre-2019 glory days.
When such displays of self-assurance were commonplace. So, which ideology will win the day — and the series — in Barbados? The stakes are substantially higher than they were three days ago, with the West Indies looking for their first series victory since England’s last visit 11 months ago, as well as crucial ranking points as they design their return to the top table after losing out on the 2023 World Cup.
As England’s players departed the field in Antigua, Marcus Trescothick’s delighted hug of his captain screamed volumes. Last week, England’s interim coach recognized how difficult it has been to achieve the appropriate balance between developing the squad’s newcomers and sustaining the winning mentality that this white-ball setup previously took for granted. An improbable chance has arisen to attain both goals in a single hit.
