Shaky England face West Indies in Super 8s

Stuart Broad’s England will take on an upbeat West Indian side in their first Super 8s game at Pallekele on 27^th September, 2012. The defending champions were thoroughly outclassed by India in their group stage match where Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla ran through the English line-up. For them to retain their title, they will need to have a positive start in the super 8s. With the likes of New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their group, an early win will be what Broad would be eyeing. As far as the Windies are concerned, not too much of their weaknesses have been exposed so far. Captain Darren Sammy will be hoping his boys can continue their good form with the bat and replicate it with the ball as well when they face England.

Stuart Broad and his men will be fully aware of the fact that they have a lot of spin bowling coming their way. On the slow turning wickets of Sri Lanka, where their batting has already fallen prey to some quality spin bowling, they will have their backs to the wall. Whether they decide to counter spin with attack, or stay back and read it better will be something to watch out for. While they figure that out, Broad will also need to find a counter for the threat called Chris Gayle. The man is yet to lose his form, and one often wonders if he ever will. Broad will need a strategy to get him out early, as if he manages to stay on at the crease for anything more than six or seven overs, he can take the game away from the English. Stuart Broad will need to believe in his strengths and his bowlers, who had a great day against Afghanistan. He will have to mix it up well to contain and dismiss the West Indian batsmen, who have a penchant for big hitting.

West Indies have had a decent start to their campaign. Despite losing their first game to Australia, Darren Sammy will be content with the way his team’s batting has performed. They piled on 191 runs against a strong Australian bowling attack. Against Ireland, it was his bowlers who did well to contain the Irish batsmen and bowled them out for 129. In all, Sammy should be happy with his team’s all-round form and expect them to do well in all departments when they go out to face England.

Head to head: The two sides have met on eight previous occasions. West Indies have been the better side of the two, winning five of those. However, these numbers will have no bearing on their super 8s game on the 27^th.

Players to watch

Chris Gayle: There is nothing this man can’t do on the field. He even ticked off ‘dancing in Gangnam Style’ off his list in the previous game. It is hard to put in words how destructive he is with the bat, and as we proceed to the business end of the tournament, his impact and importance will only increase. Against England, he will be crucial with both bat and ball. England’s failure to read spin bowling should prompt Broad to throw the ball to Gayle as early as possible too.

Sunil Narine: If I was Darren Sammy, I would blindly hand the new ball to Sunil Narine and expect him to weave his magic. The ‘mystery’ bowler has all that it takes to run through England’s batting line-up. That will put England mentally on the back foot. It will be a brave move and England might even consider ‘offence as the best form of defence’ against Narine. But it is a gamble that Sammy should be able to take.

Marlon Samuels: Not many noticed that in the game against Australia, this man scored his half century as quickly as Gayle did his. Marlon Samuels is very crucial to this West Indian setup. If Gayle falls after a quick blitz, the onus of consolidation falls on this man. He did it well against the Aussies, and Sammy will expect him to step up again, against England.

Luke Wright: If Luke Wright can get going, he will be Broad’s answer to Chris Gayle. Luke Wright on his day can be as devastating as the West Indian opener, and Broad would love to see some fireworks from Wright.

Eoin Morgan: Another big hitter, Eoin Morgan will also be very important for England if they are involved in a high run chase. Broad will expect him to come down the order and give him a burst towards the end.

Steven Finn: Quick bowler Steven Finn will be the key against West Indies. With his immaculate line and length, he should be able to frustrate Gayle and force him to go for an expensive stroke and throw his wicket away. If he finds his rhythm, Finn can be very effective against a line-up filled with big hitters.

Prediction: Expect West Indies to come out and attack from the word go. My money is on the Windies, whose aim will be to go as far as possible in this tournament. A good start against England will only help their cause, and they will be hoping to further dent the confidence of an English side which could be a bit tentative when they come out to play on the 27^th.