2016 ICC World Twenty20 Group 1: England face tough test against Windies

Simon Sinclair | March 15, 2016

England v West Indies

England start with tough Windies test

England begin their World Twenty20 Group 1 campaign with a stern test against 2012 champions West Indies.

Trevor Bayliss’ team will be determined to get off to a perfect start following a strong week of preparation in the Subcontinent.

They are slight favourites with Coral for the contest odds-on of 4/5, while Darren Sammy’s men come in at evens for the clash in Mumbai.

Root to meet expectations

Joe Root has delivered on almost every stage for England four years into his career, and will be desperate too add a starring role in guiding his team to their second T20 title.

The 25-year-old has only played in 14 international Twenty20 fixtures, but boasts an impressive average of 34.5 as well as a strike rate in the 130s.

Yorkshireman Root has displayed consistency in all conditions so it is unlikely that he will be fazed by the turning tracks in India.

As a result, Root is a solid option to help England get off the mark in the competition by top scoring against the Windies at 3/1.

Wildcard Stokes to be England’s matchwinner?

Ben Stokes has shown glimpses of his extraordinary talent at the crease following his breathtaking double century against South Africa in England’s Test series triumph over the Proteas.

However, the all-rounder has failed to translate his pedigree into the T20 format at international.

There are a few contributing factors to his struggles as the 24-year-old has often arrived at the wicket with a lack of time to impose his destructive strokeplay.

Stokes has outside odds of 8/1 to lead England in runs against Sammy’s side, which is a luring price for a top talent.

Rashid aims to make his mark

The weight of expectations lies heavily on the shoulders of Adil Rashid coming into the tournament as England’s frontline spinner.

He will be expected to thrive on the turning tracks in India and lead the way with the ball in light of the inexperienced pace attack at Eoin Morgan’s disposal.

Rashid has been in solid form over the past few months and put in an impressive display against New Zealand in a warm-up match, claiming figures of 3-15.

The 28-year-old has had his chance to weigh up conditions in Mumbai, and a repeat of his exploits from the win over the Black Caps will the aim against the Windies with odds of 9/4 to rack up the wickets.

Windies put faith in Gayle force

Chris Gayle has the ability to destroy any bowling attack in world cricket on his day despite his advancing years.

The 36-year-old remains one of the most destructive batsmen even as he approaches the twilight of his career, and the West Indies will be hopeful that he has one last effort to drive them to their second title.

Gayle has modest statistics in international T20 with just one century to his name, although encouragingly his record in the IPL is outstanding, boasting an average of 46.36 and a strike rate in the 150s.

The opener loves the big stage which was proven when he notched 222 runs in his side’s triumph in the tournament four years ago.

Although Gayle has not played international T20 cricket in over a year he should have no problem adjusting to life back on the scene, and will be licking his lips at the prospect of an inexperience England pace attack in Mumbai.

He has odds of 9/4 to top score for the Windies in the two teams’ opener.

Lightning to strike twice with Badree?

Samuel Badree was one of the surprise packages of the 2014 World Twenty20 when he took 11 wickets in five matches.

The 35-year-old has been unplayable in his international T20 career spanning 22 matches, notching 31 dismissals at an average of 14.96.

Off-spinner Badree took advantage of conditions in Bangladesh so you would assume that playing on the turning tracks of India will not be overwhelming, despite his lack of cricket over the past year due to injury.

England have notoriously struggled against spin in the past, which makes Badree a solid bet to lead the Windies’ wicket column coming in at 11/4.

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Coral’s top tip: Global superstar Gayle is a fantastic 9/4 to be top Windies batsman against England.