West Indies vs England – 1st T20I Prediction 13 Dec 2023

West Indies, led by Rovman Powell, will face off against England, led by Jos Buttler, in the first T20I of the series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

• The West Indies team is coming off a successful 2-1 ODI series win over England and will be aiming to continue their dominant form in this T20I series.
• On the other hand, England will be looking to bounce back from their recent struggles, including a disappointing performance in the World Cup and a series loss against the West Indies in the ODIs.
• They will need to find their rhythm and work on their team composition to perform well in the shortest format of the game.

WI vs ENG – 1st T20I – Venue Details

Venue: Kensington Oval, Barbados

Date: December 13th 2023

Time: 22:00 (GMT)

WI vs ENG – 1st T20I – Preview and Team News

West Indies

For the home team, following two disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns in the UAE and Australia, there is a strong sense of urgency to reclaim their dominance in what has historically been West Indies’ strongest format. After the experimental nature of the ODIs, West Indies will welcome back a group of experienced international players for this series.

Holder, Pooran, Mayers, Russell, and skipper Powell have all recently competed in the Abu Dhabi T10 and are expected to seamlessly reintegrate into the team, with the squad largely unchanged from their 3-2 victory over India in August.

The West Indies middle order, consisting of Pooran, Rovman Powell, Hetmyer, and Russell, possesses immense destructive potential, which may pose a significant challenge for England’s bowlers. However, maintaining consistency will be crucial for the West Indies side as they strive to recapture their former glory.

England

After suffering a 2-1 defeat in the ODI series, the team led by Jos Buttler has a lot to prove, especially with the T20 World Cup just around the corner. England is also starting to feel the pressure when it comes to player availability and the global T20 calendar, which has traditionally been dominant in the Caribbean.

In recent times, England hasn’t placed much importance on bilateral limited-overs competitions and will likely believe that their players’ extensive experience in T20 cricket provides them with a solid foundation to prepare for upcoming challenges.

Coach Mott has confirmed that Buttler will move back up to the opening position, where he will be partnered by either Salt or Jacks. Rehan may have to sit on the bench as the senior spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid make their return. Additionally, there is hope that 22-year-old quick Turner will make his debut for England at some point during the series.

WI vs ENG – 1st T20I – Pitch Report and Toss Prediction

The pitch at The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is known to favour the bowlers, particularly the spinners. Teams generally prefer to bat first on this pitch, and a good score would be considered to be over 160.

WI vs ENG – 1st T20I – Probable Playing XI’s

West Indies: K Mayers, S Hope, Nich Pooran, S Hetmyer, R Powell (Cap), A Russell, S Rutherford, R Shepherd, A Hosein, G Motie, A Joseph

England: J Buttler, P Salt, B Duckett, W Jacks, H Brook, L Livingstone, M Ali, C Woakes, S Curran, R Topley, A Rashid

WI vs ENG – 1st T20I – Win Prediction

West Indies are slight favourites going into the game as they have most of their big guns back, while England look like they haven’t fully recovered from their World Cup debacle.