AS IT HAPPENED: 'Brainless' Windies routed for 55 as England cruise to thumping win

England and the West Indies begin their T20 World Cup campaigns with a rematch of the memorable 2016 tournament final. Join The Roar for live scores from 1am (AEDT).

Five and a half years on, and plenty has changed for both sides on the T20 scene. England, the reigning ODI world champs, sit atop the ICC rankings with a team stacked full of batting power; while the Windies sit a lowly ninth.

However, the Calypso Kings go to another level at the most prestigious T20 tournament of all; they’re the only nation to have won the trophy twice, first in 2012 and then again in 2016. The latter final was one of the most memorable games of cricket in the 2010s, with Carlos Brathwaite smashing four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the final over, turning a 19-run target into an incredible victory.

However, Brathwaite hasn’t even made the squad this time around, while Stokes will also miss the entire tournament with a combination of finger surgery and mental health issues.

Remarkably, despite featuring the likes of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in a power-packed batting line-up, it’s the steadier Dawid Malan who looms as England’s ace in the hole. Malan is currently the number one-ranked T20 batsman in the world according to the ICC rankings, with his steady hand at first drop making him an ideal anchor around which his bigger-hitting teammates can have licence to swing.

However, given extreme competition for spots in the top six, he might even be deemed surplus to requirements after a pair of warm-up games… unless out of form captain Eoin Morgan does the unthinkable and drops himself.

Despite being favourites, England are zero from five against the Windies at the T20 World Cup, losing in 2009, 2010, 2012 and twice in 2016; though in 2010, they did recover to win that tournament, coincidentally held in the Caribbean itself.

Game information
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
First Ball: 1am (AEDT)
TV: Fox Cricket, Foxtel
Streaming: Kayo Sports
Betting: England $1.66, West Indies $2.22 – odds via PlayUp

Squads
England
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

West Indies
Kieron Pollard (c), Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.