Chester-le-Street (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl against West Indies in the lone Twenty20 international at Chester-le-Street on Saturday as visiting skipper Carlos Brathwaite made an 8,000-mile round trip to play in his only match of the tour.
“There’s potentially a little bit of rain around, so hopefully it will easier if we know what to chase,” Morgan told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special. “Conditions are going to be a little bit tough.
“West Indies are a strong side; they have got a lot of experience with guys who have played franchise cricket around the world. It’s a great opportunity for our bowlers.”
This fixture was a repeat of the 2016 World Twenty20 final in Kolkata — a match where Brathwaite hit four sixes in a row off England all-rounder Ben Stokes in the last over to win the game for West Indies.
England, however had chosen to rest Stokes, a regular in all three international formats, from Saturday’s match even though the game was taking place on his Durham home ground.
“We would have probably bowled but we’re going to take the challenge head on,” said Brathwaite.
“Having all the senior players in the dressing room, it’s a good vibe. We need to express ourselves and have fun.
“It’s not ideal flying in and playing straight away. But we fly out for franchise leagues and play day after so it’s similar.”
The big-hitting duo of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were both included as their ‘amnesty’ following a bitter dispute with Cricket West Indies chiefs continued.
The pair both featured in West Indies’ nine-wicket win over India in a Twenty20 international at Kingston in July — a match where Gayle’s opening partner Evin Lewis made a stunning 125 not out off 62 balls.
None of the West Indies side selected Saturday played during the tourists recent 2-1 Test series loss in England.
England Test captain Joe Root, however, was back ‘among the ranks’.
There was no place, however, for Dawid Malan despite the Middlesex batsman making 78 in a 19-run victory against South Africa on Twenty20 international debut in Cardiff in May — England’s last match at this level.
Teams
England: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Adil Rashid, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Marlon Samuels, Chadwick Walton (wkt), Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Jerome Taylor, Kesrick Williams
Umpires: Michael Gough (ENG), Tim Robinson (ENG)
TV umpire: Rob Bailey (ENG)
Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
