About twelve months ago, at this time, England were in India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, which was by far their most embarrassing tournament in this format since the 2015 World Cup. If that tournament gave a hint that there would be a transition in their white-ball cricket, the 2024 T20 World Cup format gave a stronger argument to initiate that process. A first step in that direction was seen at home this summer during the white-ball series against Australia. This trip to the West Indies is another opportunity for England as they look to build towards the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Jos Buttler’s last-minute departure due to unsatisfactory progress in his rehabilitation means Liam Livingstone is set for his first spell as England captain. The team feels more familiar compared to the white-ball series against Australia last month. The three fresh faces in that regard are Rehan Ahmed, Michael-Kyle Pepper and Jafer Chohan. All-rounder Sam Curran is also back in the ODI format after being ignored for the Australian series. While Chohan and Ahmed are powerful additions in terms of wrist spin, England will be curious to see if they have the temperament to succeed Adil Rashid in the long term.

Pepper’s inclusion has more to do with his unorthodox gameplay that turned heads every time he clicked, be it in the T20 Blast or in The Hundred. He could potentially be in line to open with Phil Salt as England continue to explore their batting depth. With Harry Brook and Jamie Smith rested for this tour, this is an opportunity for the English fringe to stake a claim for the first-choice lineup. The challenge will also be there for Livingstone, who is keen to cement his ODI future after being in and out of the squad in recent years.

For the West Indies, it is an ongoing battle to find the right pace for batting in this format. Given their natural preference for a T20 methodology, the batsmen have often been guilty of not upping their temperament. The recent series in Sri Lanka was a good example of this. Apart from Sherfane Rutherford, none of the batters fought in the first two ODIs of the series, which West Indies lost completely. The final match of the series was marred by rain and West Indies were eventually given a 23-over chase, which they had with an over to spare.

Their inconsistencies in the longer formats are well documented, but the Caribbean stars are known to raise their game against England, especially in home conditions. The two teams battled it out in the West Indies last December in a hard-fought series, which England won by a narrow 2-1 margin. Shai Hope will once again be the glue around which West Indies’ batting revolves, but the way Rutherford has adapted himself to the format will boost morale in the host camp.

Shimron Hetmyer is making a comeback in this series and that further strengthens the West Indies line-up, which also has an efficient bowling line-up for these conditions. A lot would also come down to the type of pitches that would be seen for this series. Despite there being a lot of experience in the West Indies ranks, unlike the England squad of newcomers, it is difficult to label either team as favourite.

When: Thursday, October 31, 2:00 PM local time, 11:30 PM IST

Where: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

What to expect: The highest ever first innings total is 325, which coincidentally was achieved by England in the last series between the two teams in December 2023. It was also successfully chased by the West Indies. Apart from this match, the venue did not score quickly and there were no big totals. Scores in the 275-300 range were competitive and this trend should continue.

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