Battle-hardened hosts take on England’s young bloods in decider

Big picture: The battle of experience vs potential

It’s been an unlikely clash of ideologies in the Caribbean so far. In Thursday’s one-sided rout, the value of experience was writ large across Evin Lewis’ matchwinning onslaught: 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 barely 25 overs. In the process he rushed past his 2000th run in the format, which is more than twice the tally of England’s most experienced batter in the format [checks notes] … Adil Rashid.

That battle-hardened narrative had seized an iron grip on the series by the halfway mark of Saturday’s second match. Shai Hope is clearly a fine cricketer, but who could have imagined that his ODI record would one day rival those of Chris Gayle, Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes? And yet, his 17th hundred in the format was exquisitely paced as ever, dripping with the sort of belief in better times that England’s T20-trained top four can only guess at attaining, given how rarely they’ve been asked to tough it out through the fallow middle overs of a 50-over game.

Hope encountered nine different bowlers in the course of his innings, which is surely a record of some description. On the one hand, this was a tribute to England’s wealth of options, as a new generation of cricketer arrives on the scene with two professionally serviceable strings to each bow. On the other, it was proof that more is less, as Liam Livingstone’s management became ever more muddled with each new switch in the field.

But then, all of a sudden, those old certainties crumbled and a brand-new narrative took hold. One in which the power of responsibility surged into England’s experience void, to set up an improbable series finale.

Sam Curran had batted higher than No. 7 just once in 32 ODIs prior to this campaign, and Livingstone higher than No. 6 just twice in 30. But both men answered the hour of need with precisely the sort of gumption that the management had hoped to coax out of this experimental squad.

Curran’s run-a-ball 52 was significantly more valuable than it appears on paper, providing the ballast through the middle overs that enabled England to take the chase deep, before Livingstone, the unlikeliest of England’s six captains across formats this summer, dropped bomb after bomb after bomb. He hit nine sixes in total, a tally exceeded by just three England players in a 50-over contest. And if you squinted at the final scorecard, once a daunting target of 329 had been hunted down with overs and wickets to spare, you could almost believe we were back in the team’s pre-2019 heyday, when such feats of self-assurance were a daily occurrence.

So, which philosophy will seize the day – and the series – in Barbados? The stakes are significantly higher than they might have seemed three days ago, with West Indies eager for a first series win since England’s last visit 11 months ago, not to mention vital rankings points as they plot their route back to the top table after missing out at the 2023 World Cup.

As for England, Marcus Trescothick’s gleeful embrace of his captain spoke volumes as the players left the field in Antigua. England’s interim coach admitted last week how tough it has been to strike the right balance between nurturing the squad’s newcomers and cultivating the winning culture that this white-ball set-up once took for granted. An unlikely opportunity now presents itself for both aims to be achieved in one hit.

Form guide

West Indies LWWLL (last five ODIs, most recent first)
England WLLWW

In the spotlight: Shimron Hetmyer and Jordan Cox

Shimron Hetmyer had licence for violence on Saturday afternoon, and he took it … albeit briefly. There were 10.1 overs of the innings remaining when West Indies’ No. 6 strolled out to the middle – the sort of scenario that he habitually relishes in the T20 format. This time, however, his team had 234 for 4 on the board already, and he did his bit to propel them past 300 with three sixes in his first ten deliveries. But then he holed out in search of a fourth, and trooped off for 24 from 11 balls. It was nevertheless the second-highest of his seven innings since his return to the ODI set-up in July 2023, after his 32 from 30 balls, also against England, in December. Much like his England counterparts, his unfamiliarity with the format would appear to be holding him back, but the talent and potential is undeniable.

It’s a big few months for Jordan Cox, one of the most fascinating characters on the fringes of England’s international set-up. His restless ambition is palpable – by his own admission, almost to the point of arrogance – but the England management like what they see on the whole. This opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the rebooted ODI line-up, ahead of three guaranteed Tests as Jamie Smith’s wicketkeeping understudy, means he’s got until Christmas to make a real case for his long-term inclusion in their plans. Four matches into his England career, however, he’s struggling to make much headway. Despite a confident projection of belonging out in the middle, he’s managed 21 ODI runs from 50 balls on this tour, and was bounced out in rather gullible fashion by Shamar Joseph on Saturday. His fabled fielding was off the boil too, which is perhaps a suggestion of pre-occupation. He’s not blown his chance yet, but with so many key batters missing on this tour, he could find himself thrust back down the pecking order unless he shows his true colours soon.

Team news: Few surprises in prospect with series on the line

West Indies could think about bringing back Alzarri Joseph after his namesake Shamar was expensive on debut in the second ODI.

West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Alzarri Joseph/Shamar Joseph, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Matthew Forde, 11 Jayden Seales

England’s temptation to tinker will be tempered with a series on the line.

England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Will Jacks, 3 Jordan Cox, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Liam Livingstone (capt), 6 Dan Mousley, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Saqib Mahmood, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 John Turner

Pitch and conditions: Weather a factor again

Five years ago, England and West Indies tallied 724 runs in an ODI at Kensington Oval, but there have only been two scores above 300 in 11 games since then. Hope said beforehand that the surface “looks like it has a bit of moisture currently”. A forecast for thundery showers could once again lead to interruptions.

Stats and trivia

Quotes

“I’m always preaching consistency. In order to consider us an elite team we’ve got to be consistent, we’ve got to string performances together. It can’t always be one game or two games in a series, we’ve got to make sure we seal it, play good cricket all the way through.”
Shai Hope wants his team to back up their display in the series opener

“After the first game, we spoke about how much time we had and even with the ball, being a bit more patient. It’s not learning on the job but it’s learning from your mistakes and I thought we did that pretty well from the first game. If we can win 2-1 it would be a big achievement for a young group.”
Sam Curran on England’s learning curve

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket