England v West Indies: Head to head
Opening batsmen
Jason Roy & Alex Hales v Chris Gayle & Johnson Charles
There is very little to choose between the opening acts of the two sides.
Chris Gayle, who is the third-highest six-hitter in the competition, started with a magnificent 100 not out that helped West Indies chase down 183 against England in the Super 10. Johnson Charles proved his mettle in the semi-final win against India, where his 52 formed the backbone of a successful chase of 193. The duo are the highest run-getters for West Indies in the tournament, with Charles aggregating 116 in five innings and Gayle making 109 in three outings – that 100 making up most of those numbers. While Gayle’s strike rate is 194.64, Charles’s is a decent 114.85.
England has been immensely aided by the hitting prowess of Jason Roy, the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament with 183 runs in five matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.23. Roy’s 44-ball 78 in the semi-final win against New Zealand was a massive innings, as he hit 11 fours and two sixes to make the chase of 154 quite easy. Equally impactful was his 16-ball 43 against South Africa that set the base for England to chase down 230 in 19.4 overs. While he is among the top ten six-hitters in the competition, Alex Hales is due for a big score, having got starts in three of his four innings but not carried on.
Middle-order batsmen
Joe Root& Jos Buttler v Marlon Samuels & Lendl Simmons
Roy’s starts have provided England with a solid base, and Joe Root has benefitted the most from it. Root has been in exceptional touch throughout the competition, and currently sits second on the batting charts (for the Super 10s) with an aggregate of 195 in five innings at an average of 48.75 and a strike rate of 145.52. His canniness and the ability to mix caution with aggression has been the standout feature of his batting, and nowhere were his skills best displayed more than in the successful chase against South Africa where his 44-ball 83, which included six fours and four fours, did not have single shot played in anger. Root and Jos Buttler, who has finished jobs with much ease and is one of the three batsmen from the team to feature among the top six in the batting charts, makes England’s middle order look more balanced than that of the West Indies.
Lendl Simmons’s 51-ball 82 not out held West Indies’ chase against India in the semi-final together, and has added depth to the team’s batting line-up. What was exceptional about the innings was that Simmons had just landed in India a few hours before as replacement for the injured Andre Fletcher. West Indies also has Marlon Samuels, who made a crucial 43 against South Africa on the spin-friendly pitch in Nagpur.
All-rounders
Ben Stokes & Moeen Ali v Andre Russell & Dwayne Bravo
England has in its arsenal Ben Stokes, who has scored his runs at a strike rate of 172 and taken wickets at an average of 19.85. He was particularly sensational in the semi-final against New Zealand where he took 3 for 26, not letting the opposition batsmen to hit out in the second half of the innings. Moeen Ali, too, has played a crucial role. With the bat, he finished the job against South Africa, and made a crucial 41 not out against Afghanistan after England was 57 for 6 at one stage. His off-spin has fetched key wickets, the most important one being that of Kane Williamson in the semi-final.
Andre Russell, the only player from the two teams to be among the top ten bowlers of the tournament, has been the standout all-rounder for West Indies. While his two-wicket hauls against England and South Africa kept things under control, the unbeaten 20-ball 43 against India was a high-impact knock. The seasoned Dwayne Bravo, too, has chipped in with handy spells in the slog overs even though he has not had much role to play with the bat yet.
Bowlers
David Willey, Chris Jordan & Adil Rashid v Samuel Badree & Sulieman Benn
Apart from Stokes, England has relied upon the abilities of David Willey and Chris Jordan to do the job with the new ball. Both of them have used cutters to good effect on the slow pitches to pull things back. While Willey has impressed with his swing, Jordan has been exceptional with his yorkers in the death overs. Willey’s strike rate of 14.5 is the best among the two teams, and Jordan’s is 19, and it includes a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka. That Adil Rashid and Moeen have chipped in with handy wickets has ensured that England has won four of its five matches so far.
Samuel Badree has been West Indies’ second most successful bowler, behind Russell, but with an incredible economy of 5.68. The leg-spinner’s ability to mix things up while opening the attack has allowed West Indies to make a good start on the field in each of its five games. Russell and Badree have been well supported by Bravo, who has six scalps, and Sulieman Benn, who has an outstanding economy of 5.78 as well.
Captains
Eoin Morgan v Darren Sammy
Eoin Morgan has been out of form with the bat, one of only three players with two ducks in this tournament, and a highest score of 27 not out in only 47 balls across five innings. But his captaincy and awareness of the local conditions because of the Indian Premier League has been crucial to England’s campaign. In the semi-final in New Delhi, New Zealand was 89 for 1 in ten overs when Morgan introduced Moeen, which proved to be decisive as Kane Williamson was caught and bowled and it broke the flow of the innings.
Darren Sammy, too, has not had a great tournament personally. He has batted in just two innings and bowled in one out of five matches for a combined tally of six runs and one wicket. But the manner in which he has kept the unit together has been crucial to West Indies qualifying for its second final in three editions. In Bangalore, Sri Lanka was 20 for no loss in three overs when Sammy introduced Carlos Brathwaite, and the bowler struck with his first ball, getting Tillakaratne Dilshan out lbw. Similarly, giving Gayle a bowl in the Power Play overs proved decisive in the thrilling win over South Africa and the move to send Lendl Simmons at No. 4 in the semi-final proved to be a masterstroke.
