Big picture: Can West Indies deepen England’s white-ball fear?
A lot has happened since Jos Buttler walked his players off the field at Providence Stadium in Guyana after a lopsided loss to India in the World Cup semi-final. Matthew Mott left his role shortly afterwards, leading to the appointment of Brendon McCullum as cross-format supreme and, although Buttler was retained as captain, he has not hit a ball in anger since, due to a nagging calf injury which He lost the Hundred. , as well as ODI and T20I series against Australia and then the one-day West Indies.
Therefore, his return with five T20Is in the Caribbean will have added significance. In the last 12 months, Buttler has overseen two doomed World Cup defenses, and the window is already narrowing for England to put on their white-ball spectacle again in time for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February. (Whether the schedule is helpful in that regard (England have the same split of three ODIs and five T20Is in India as part of their preparation for the tournament) is a moot point.)
Buttler’s enthusiasm for England duty should have been sharpened by his time on the sidelines, as well as, perhaps, his release by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL auction later this month. He joined the team in Barbados earlier this week, and interim head coach Marcus Trescothick described him as “progressing very well” ahead of the T20Is.
At the very least, his return will put an end to the revolving door of substitute captaincy, with three different men (Phil Salt, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone) in charge of the three matches against Australia and the West Indies. And although the England team is the same as the one that lost 2-1 in the ODI match, there is much more T20 experience to draw on, even from the rookies in the group such as Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley.
The West Indies are also carrying some injuries from the T20 World Cup, after failing to reach the semi-finals despite their good form coming into their home tournament. They have already begun the process of moving on, sweeping South Africa 3-0 in August before losing 2-1 in Sri Lanka last month, although Daren Sammy, the West Indies head coach, called it “a measure moral”. victory” for his team. England knows all about that.
Sammy and Rovman Powell, the captain, have gelled very well in managing the complex relationships between the West Indies’ star players and the global franchise circuit. Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hossein were absent from the Sri Lanka tour due to personal reasons but returned to face England. Having failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, the West Indies can now start focusing on the next T20 World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka in early 2026.
However, one player who will not be involved over the weekend is Alzarri Joseph, with the fast bowler suspended for two matches by
cricket West Indies after apologizing for storming off the field during the deciding ODI in Barbados. Proof that even when you’re winning, things don’t always go well.
West Indies LLWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WLLWL
In the spotlight: Andre Russell and Jos Buttler
Andre Russell has not worn a West Indies jersey since they lost their de facto quarter-final against South Africa in Antigua in June; many had assumed that, at 36, the T20 World Cup would be his international swan song. Russell has since confirmed his desire to continue playing until the 2026 edition, although his workload is likely to be carefully managed by Sammy and the West Indies hierarchy. On his last international return, against England in Barbados less than a year ago, he won the Man of the Match award and, judging by a fiery post following Trinbago Knight Riders’ exit from the CPL, the passion for the game remains.
England fans will look no further Jose Butlerassuming he’s fit before the game (and even if he’s not). There has been nothing wrong with Buttler’s T20 form in 2024, although he failed to shape England’s key World Cup encounters against Australia and India, but he had cut an increasingly testy figure as captain, particularly in the preparation of his campaign in the Caribbean. McCullum has noted that cheering up a “miserable” Buttler is his first job in charge of white-ball preparation, and an unrestricted, injury-free return, ideally leading a winning team, over the next nine days would be a good start.
Team News: Big names returning for both teams
The T20 big boys look set to regain their places in the West Indies XI, although there could be a temptation to include some top-class insurance in the form of Shai Hope or Roston Chase. Romario Shepherd was fit to be included in the squad after he was diagnosed with cramps following his fall in the third ODI.
West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (captain), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Roston Chase/Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Matthew Forde, 11 Shamar José
Salt has been confirmed as goalkeeper, with Buttler looking to lighten his load on his return. Mousley could make his T20I debut after scoring a fifty for the first time for England in the Barbados ODI, while the other two members of the uncapped squad, John Turner and Jafer Chohan, will hope to join him at some point during the series.
England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Jos Buttler (captain), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Dan Mousley, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Saqib Mahmood, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Goalkeeper, 11 Reece Topley
Course and conditions: something for everyone, possibly even rain
Kensington Oval was the third highest scoring venue during the World Cup earlier in the year, and one of only two to see a total of 200, when Australia left England behind in their Group B match. The ODI surface offered a Bit for bowling first, but it became much easier to use under the lights. The forecast in Bridgetown is for another hot day with a chance of showers.
“You walk into breakfast and you see the guys they’re bringing back and there are some real superstars: Pooran and Russell. They’re a really strong team and they’ve been a strong team for a long time and they’ve got guys who are well suited to the format. It’s a great challenge.”
butler on facing the West Indies again in the T20
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