England earned applause from experts after firing the West Indies for just 55 in Dubai before finishing with a six-wicket victory; Nasser Hussain says defending champions of the West Indies must adapt their game to conditions in the Middle East
England had failed to beat the West Indies at the T20 World Cup in five previous attempts.
Mike Atherton calculated that England had come close to producing a 10 out of 10 performance in their opening T20 World Cup match against the West Indies.
Eoin Morgan’s team eliminated the West Indies by just 55 in their Group 1 clash in Dubai with Adil Rashid (4-2), Moeen Ali and Tymal Mills (both 2-17) doing most of the damage.
Moeen’s four-plus spell as the starting pitcher helped restrict the West Indies to 31-4 in the six-plus power play, which Atherton felt was the key to his victory.
England’s batsmen pulled off a six-wicket victory with 70 balls to spare, though they belittled, erased their copy book by stuttering to 39-4, and were tagged a bit by Atherton as a result.
“Fantastic for England,” said the Sky Sports Cricket expert. “The West Indies were very poor, it must be said, but the way England started that first power play – the West Indies were 31-4 of those first six overs – I think only two teams have won games from worse positions than this.
“So you’re seeing a marginal opportunity for the West Indies to win after those six opening overs. That’s why Moeen Ali was the man of the match. That game was made and dusted or really decided on that opening power game.
“He [Moeen] it was excellent. England got their matchups, as the phrase is used in T20 these days, against a heavy left-handed lineup that is the West Indies, and that, of course, allowed Tymal Mills to appear on the back of that. excellent work from Moeen Ali.
“Someone who came back to the England team and was definitely a little nervous, after a long break he was able to come in without too much pressure.”
“Excellent performance from England. They stumbled a bit at the end, so maybe it wasn’t a 10 out of 10, but very close to that.”
Atherton understood England’s reasons for dropping Dawid Malan, whose place has come under scrutiny due to his slow starts, on the order of No. 3 as they sought a quick win to boost their net run rate, but felt they had too. done. so he could not present.
He said: “I thought having the net stroke rate at the forefront of your mind is absolutely correct – at the 1999 World Cup in England they came out with the net stroke rate.”
“I can absolutely see why Jonny Bairstow came in at number three, possibly Moeen Ali [at four]. I thought that when Dawid Malan started to slide lower and lower in the order, that would only create more scrutiny or more comment on this game.
“So I’m not sure if it should have slipped down, but I can see why the net run rate, which could be absolutely vital at the end of this group stage, is at the forefront of his mind.”
Atherton expert Nasser Hussain thought that the West Indies had paid the price for not adapting their game to the conditions of the Dubai International Stadium.
“This is a great playing area and I think that’s where the West Indies were not smart,” he said. “They were still trying to hit the bigger parts of the ground, so I don’t think the West Indies were smart enough in their hitting area.
“I just noticed that Roston Chase is doing a few laps on the ground. Maybe they need that kind of cricketer. If it’s going to be a lower scoring World Cup, maybe they’ll break those lefties and he’s someone who can hit it. and run strong.
“The problem with that, obviously with some aging West Indian hitters like Russell and Gayle and Pollard, will they be able to do that style of cricket and run one and two and be busy?
“So the West Indies have to get smarter and play with the conditions that England and Morgan have talked about.”
A slight concern for England was the absence of Mark Wood with an ankle problem and Hussain says the fast pitcher, with whom he spoke before the game, should not be rushed back to the side, with the team’s next game against Bangladesh on Wednesday.
“I was a little disappointed [not to be playing] to be honest, because he played wonderfully in that warm-up game against New Zealand, “Hussain revealed.
“He said that in the third he felt his ankle a little and that he had that jab. I think he is also being a little cautious. He has been through many injuries, many. Ashes too.
“Mark Wood is so valuable on and off the cricket field, so you don’t rush him back. You don’t rush any fast bowler back. You just can’t do that. And England have other options, as they have shown here. . “
Watch the ICC Men’s World Cup T20, in the United Arab Emirates, live on Sky Sports from now until November 14.
