Big picture: Settled England scent the series
It felt like an anomaly at the time: a riotously effective England win, led by Phil Salt’s hard-hitting 87 from 47 balls, and a throwback to the dominant style with which they had transformed their white-ball fortunes across their previous World Cup cycles. But that eight-wicket victory has since been matched in Barbados by two equally emphatic wins – by eight and seven wickets respectively – that have propelled England’s T20I team to the brink of only their second bilateral series win in two years.
Salt has once again been central to England’s success against West Indies. His outstanding century in the opening fixture was his third in five innings against them, and when his record was dented by a golden duck in the rematch, England’s captain Jos Buttler was ready to step into the breach with a no-less-riotous 83 from 45 balls – which in itself was a good riposte to his own first-baller in game one.
West Indies’ prospects have not been aided by two damaging lost tosses – even after being set a seemingly daunting 183 in match one, England coasted to that target with 19 balls to spare. But they have also had to contend with some internal disruption: the two-match suspension meted out on Alzarri Joseph for his bizarre fit of pique in the ODI series, and the loss of Andre Russell who turned his ankle during the first T20I.
But if England looked tactically bereft during the ODI leg of the tour, they’ve found an encouraging blend of continuity and confidence in the shorter format. Their remarkable array of allrounders have been better deployed across 20 overs than was the case across 50, not least in the first match, when the loss of Reece Topley to a knee injury barely caused a ripple in Buttler’s options.
And even if the full depth of their batting has not yet been tested, the fact that Sam Curran, Dan Mousley and Jamie Overton are all waiting for their first hit of the series is clearly preferable to them being required to perform endless bail-outs. England have three shots in St Lucia to secure their first series win in the Caribbean since 2019, in any of the three formats. To judge by the direction of travel so far, it would take quite the collapse in resolve to deny them in the long run.
Form guide
West Indies LLLLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WWWLL
In the spotlight: Rovman Powell and Will Jacks
Team news: Alzarri returns from suspension
Shamar, Joseph in; Shamar Joseph out… it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for West Indies in the past few days. Allrounder Shamar (Springer) has been called up as a replacement for Andre Russell, while (Alzarri) Joseph’s return from suspension means that his near-namesake is surplus to requirements. Terrance Hinds endured a rough debut in Barbados, and is also likely to make way.
West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer / Roston Chase, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Matthew Forde
England are unlikely to tinker significantly with the series in their grasp, although their options have been limited with Jafer Chohan and Jordan Cox leaving the squad ahead of their Lions and Test commitments respectively. Reece Topley is hopeful he might yet be fit after jarring his knee in the first match (and copping a fine for smashing a chair as he left the field). With Jofra Archer’s workload still being closely managed, John Turner – unused since the ODIs – could be in line for a format debut.
England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Jos Buttler (capt), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Dan Mousley, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jofra Archer / John Turner, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Adil Rashid
Pitch and conditions: Wet, wet, wet?
Damp conditions could be in prospect after heavy recent rain. St Lucia’s outfield is less renowned for its drainage, so fingers crossed for a dry spell.
Stats and trivia
Quotes
“England have played better than us in the first two games, but I rally St Lucia to come out and be an extra 12th man. We’ve not played the brand of cricket that has allowed us to win, but we have the manpower in that dressing-room to win.”
Daren Sammy, West Indies’ head coach, expects a fightback at the venue that bears his name.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket