West Indies tour of England 2012

In-form England look to seal the series

While West Indies will look to peg one back, England will be itching to seal the series and make sure they are performing well before the T20 World Cup. It will be very important for West Indies to win this because they face the risk of losing the ODI series too.

When and where

Thursday 19^th June, The Oval Cricket Ground, Kennington; 10:45 Local, 15:15 IST, 09:45 GMT

Pitch and Weather Conditions

The weather indicates a few showers in the evening and one can expect some interruptions like in the first ODI. The Stadium has an average score of 235 runs and there will also be good amount of swing for the bowlers considering the weather conditions. The batting on this pitch will not be very easy, but for the team that puts his head down and apply themselves, will end up with a good score.

Team form

The ODI series started on a perfect note for the English team. They won and won convincingly. It was a clinical display of bowling coupled with some great stroke play from Ian Bell. They are looking very confident even without their star batsman Kevin Pietersen. Only problem for the England will be to perform consistently.

West Indies did well to stitch a good partnership at the top but for some reason they could not keep going and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The absence of Chris Gayle also showed in their order but Dwayne Smith did very well to fill in his shoes. Darren Bravo was injured in the game and his injury will be a blow if he does not recuperate.

While West Indies will look to peg one back, England will be itching to seal the series and make sure they are performing well before the T20 World Cup. It will be very important for West Indies to win this because they face the risk of losing the ODI series too. This will largely depend on Gayle, Dwayne Smith and the Bowlers.

Players to watch out

England

Ian Bell: Having returned to ODIs with a terrific century, Bell will look to cement his place and perform up to the expectations. He is a terrific batsman with a good cricketing brain and if he gets going like he did in the previous game, it will be a great task to get him dismissed. Bell will love to notch up another match winning hundred in the series.

Tim Bresnan: Bresnan showed why he is a good bowler in the ODI format. Having picked up four wickets in the first innings, he had a great amount of credit for having dismissed the West Indians for a paltry score. His line and length and variations have had the West Indians looking for answers. He is also a very handy batsman down the order and He will be looking to bowl England to a series victory. 

West Indies

Chris Gayle: Having missed the first game, Gayle, if fit, will be looking to give his best to give an all-important win for the West Indian team. His return to the West Indian colors will be important and he must play a long innings to stabilize the batting; especially the middle order which finds itself in a tangle more often than not.

Dwayne Smith: Having returned to the ODI fold after a very long gap, Smith showed why he is a very important person in the side. His fifty was the only saving grace in the dismal batting performance and if he can get going with Gayle in the side, it will be the perfect start West Indies can expect. He is a useful batsman who can bat at any number and West Indies will need him to fire in an important game.

Likely Playing XI

West Indies: Lendl Simmons/Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Darren Sammy (capt), Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara,  Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steve Finn

Quotes:

“I think I still have a lot more to do if I want to get back into the test side. I need to go out there and keep proving myself each game” – Dwayne Smith

“I felt I was in a pretty good nick by the end of the test series, so it was nice to go at the top of the order and play some proper cricket shots. I did not try to slog – which probably in the past I’ve been guilty of doing.” – Ian Bell