 After comprehensively winning the test series, England will be looking
to continue their domination against the West Indies at home as the three-match
ODI series gets underway at Southampton on Saturday.
West Indies, on the other hand, will be hoping that a change in format will also
bring a change in fortunes with it.
Alastair Cook will lead the England side after they decided to have different
captains for each format. Cook has had commendable success, including a series-whitewash
win over Pakistan in UAE earlier this year.
Click for Live Score Card of England Vs West Indies
His own form was very impressive as he scored two centuries in the series and
will be looking to continue in the same vein. For England, the test will be
in terms of adjusting in the post-Kevin Pietersen era after the star
batsman decided to quit international limited overs cricket.
Coach Andy Flower has insisted that the team has enough strength to replace
Pietersen as he looks to give an extended run to the likes of Jonny Bairstow
and Ravi Bopara. James Anderson returns to the squad after being rested
for the final test match.
The West Indies will be hoping for a revival in fortunes after yet another troubled
tour of England. Perhaps the biggest positive for them has come in the shape of
Chris Gayle's return.
The whirlwind opener finally makes a comeback to the team after over a year following
his dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board. Gayle also has had tremendous
success in the various T20 leagues he has played in the meanwhile.
Another player they can count on is Darren Bravo who struck a timely
century in the warm up match against Middlesex. With Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo
and Keiron Pollard in the middle-order and Sunil Narine as one of the
bowlers, the team looks much stronger in the ODI format.
The match will start at 10.45am local time.
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