England round off what has been a magnificent 2011 with a two match T20 series against the West Indies in which they will be looking to continue the winning ways they have found over the past nine months.
England of course are the world T20 champions having won the tournament for the first time last year when hosted by the West Indies. Indeed, it was the West Indies who inflicted England’s only defeat in that tournament which came in the opening Group stages, but it did not prevent Paul Collingwood’s men go from strength to strength, who beat Sri Lanka and Australia in the semi final and final respectively.
Unfortunately this latest two match series has been hampered from being a top quality event, due the ‘Windies’ having lost many of its first team players to the T20 Champions League which is taking place in India this week. Players out include the big hitting all rounder, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne and Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmons. Their absences have meant that the team has arrived with a number of unknown and untried players which should, in theory at least, make the job that much easier for England.
England however are also not at full strength; they have lost new T20 skipper, Stuart Broad through injury, the vice captain, Eoin Morgan is also out injured, while Kevin Pietersen, who won ‘Player of the T20 World Cup’ last year has been given time off. The absences of these influential players is by no means a disadvantage however, as it gives the England management to send in a number exciting prospects into the fray and it also provides an opportunity for highly influential spinner, Graeme Swann to take his first bow as an England captain.
England’s line up will include a very strong bowling attack, with both Jimmy Anderson and Tim Bresnan expected to be selected, along with Samit Patel, Jade Dernbach and of course Swann. Opening alongside wicket keeper Craig Kieswetter, will be his Somerset team mate, Jos Buttler, who ironically is also a wicket keeper/batsman and there should be places for Alex Hales, Johnny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Ravi Bopara, who played so well for England in the ODI series against India this summer.
The first of the two games takes place at the Oval on Friday 23rd September, which is followed by the second, also at the Oval on Sunday.
Comparing the two teams it looks almost certain that England will have too much firepower with both bat and ball than the visitors, which probably will mean that the best bet would be to back England to win 2-0 with odds of 5/6 in the T20 Odds for this two game series. West Indies fans however will not be too discouraged by the betting and there will be many who will take advantage of the 7/1 against them winning the series by the same 2-0 scoreline.
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