Windies all out for 278 a couple of overs before the 50.

128 for Ramdin, nothing huge for anyone else though.

Much better than playing the Aussies, isn't it?

Well bugger me (just a phrase!!), we go and actually win something. I've checked outside, there is no Blue Moon and can't see any Flying Pigs, must be the Devils' work!

T20 games up next, 7/1 for England to win 3-0? anyone??

It's the first T20 match this evening from Bridgetown, Barbados, and time for final preparations for the World T20

The West Indies & Darren Sammy win the toss and decide to bat first, Stuart Broad said he would have batted first also, but now they will have the chance to chase down whatever target they allow the W-Indies to get...

England make three changes from the side which played the 3rdl ODI. Alex Hales, Luke Wright and Jade Dernbach come in for Moeen Ali, Joe Root (who is injured) and Stephen Parry.

For the West Indies, they have Chris Gayle back, even if he isn't 100% fit, he can still whack the ball out of the park... Also included are in the squad are Samuel Badree, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell and Krishmar Santokie who come in to replace Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller and Kieran Powell.

Come on England, show us what you can do...

Team News
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy (Capt), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree.

England: Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Luke Wright, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler (wk), Ravi Bopara, Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad (Capt), James Tredwell, Jade Dernbach.


West Indies are around 4/6 favourites with England 6/5.


Ahem, first ball from Broad and Smith whacks it out for 6, seems clear as for the W-Indies intentions then... 6,0,4,4,4,nb,0. 19 from the first over, looks a nice batting wicket, and Chris Gayle yet to face a ball...
It all settles down a bit then, 56-0 from the PowerPlay, Smith (27), Gayle (27).
Half way point, 78-1 from 10 overs, Smith fell right after the PowerPlay..... Gayle (38), Samuels (10)

That's it 20 overs finished, West Indies 170-3

Easy maths, 8.55 per over required for England....
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Not such a good start for England as Alex Hales falls for 3 in the 3rd over, 13-1, in comes Luke Wright... who lasts just 1st ball as he is stumped, a tricky decision for the 3rd umpire but it does look out, and yes. he's given out, 13-2... Let's see what Eoin Morgan can do then shall we...

End of the 6th over and the PowerPlay, and England manage 36-2, a little way behind at the moment... Lumb (18) & Morgan (13)... 135 more to get from 84 balls...

That's Lumb gone, caught by Rampaul, 36-3, Badree now with all 3 wickets...... Here we go again....
Fuckin' hell.... 40-4 as Jos Buttler also goes for a duck, Narine with his 1st wicket of the day...

Come on down Ravi, time for you to save the day again me old mucker.....

Almost at the half way point and Morgan tries for a maximum but is caught on the boundary for 19... He's hanging around but you have to go Eoin, it was a clean catch...

Half way through the England innings and it's 58-5 Bopara (15) & Stokes (1) 113 more to get from 60 balls...

Ravi & Samuels are having a few words, if it's about the English shitty play it's well deserved!!!!
Saying that Ben Stokes then wildly flashes at a ball, misses and another stumping, 73-6 in the 12th over..... Will they manage to bat out the full 20???

Ravi won't be finishing off this time as he skies one and Bravo catches it off his own bowling... 101-7 in the 15th over

Even worse as Broad gets himself run out 123-8 with 2 overs to go, they need 4 runs a ball now, still gettable right?!?

Egads... 133-9 as Tredwell gets run out as well... 6 balls remaining, they obviously have no chance of the win, but can they bat out the full 20...

GAME OVER ENGLAND 143-9 lose by 27 runs.. Take your pick, bad selections, bad bowling and bad batting....

Well Bopara is gone for 42 and that leaves England in big trouble. They are 101-7 and still require another 70 runs. Bresnan and Broad at the crease and only 5 overs left

Bopara (42) and Bresnan (47no) the only ones who got to grips with the slower deliveries and tactics the West Indies employed. Lumb (18) and Morgan (19) made a start but gave their wickets away along with the rest of them. Even though they may have miscalculated the pitch and got the bowling wrong, what then is the excuse for the dire batting again?
James Tredwell had figures of 4-0-16-1, so I guess that shows the need for another spinner/slow bowler.

Broad misses the next two T20's as he aggravated a knee injury, so Eoin Morgan will lead out the side on Tuesday... Can he do any better? They've had a look at the pitch now, so they ought to know what they need to do, but let's see if they do it.

The W-Indies too had a few injury scares, Sunil Narine is to have a scan after only bowling 2 overs, and Samuel Badree was also limping around.

Based on that performance, England will not go far in the upcoming World T20...

Tune in tomorrow for hopefully a better result...

If England can iron out these issues now then they will have a good T20 world cup. Personally I think the batting is missing a stand out player who can take charge and lead from the front.

They already have more than enough batters who can play a big game, Hales, Lumb & Wright has just played in the big bash and did well, they and Buttler, Morgan, Bopara has IPL and other T20 experience and we know they can bat like demons when they get it right. It's the bowling that's the worrying aspect.

But they seem to go to pot when they get together in the England line up! It's all flustered and almost amateurish in their way they play especially chasing a total, I just don't get it. Perhaps the team and back room guys are more fractured than is being said, still then doesn't mean they should go all namby pamby who can't do their job if Mummy & Daddy are fighting!!!

It's been said they are lacking confidence and spirit?? Fuck me, professional sportsmen!!! they all need a good slapping and then a decent Captain who can get them back on track and for me that ain't Stuart Broad...


Anywho... we'll see later on this afternoon if they can do better, can't really do much worse I suppose, so they only way is up...

(11/03/2014, 02:10)jj007 Wrote: Personally I think the batting is missing a stand out player who can take charge and lead from the front.

Someone like KP perhaps? :D

(11/03/2014, 10:18)RussyRover Wrote: they all need a good slapping and then a decent Captain who can get them back on track and for me that ain't Stuart Broad...

Sort of got your wish there Russy. He'll miss the remaining two games against the West Indies after aggravating his patellar tendonitis (sounds complicated) in Sunday's defeat. Take it away Stu: "I've had a patellar tendonitis problem in my right knee for quite a long time.

"With the workload I've had all winter, I've not really had any breaks, so it's got worse and worse.

"I just caught my knee in the sandy ground at Antigua and got a lot of inflammation and fluid on it. It was touch and go today, but I won't be playing the next two games and I'll have to have some kind of injection to get me through the World Twenty20, I'd think."

Eoin 'Captain Fantastic' Morgan will deputise. :)

Time for the 2nd T20 and a good start, we win the toss and Morgan says, we'll have a bat thank you very much...

Moeen Ali and Stephen Parry are to come in to replace Broad and Ben Stokes who has been left out it seems.

Sunil Narine has been left out for the W-Indies...

and here's the TEAMS...
West Indies: Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy (Capt), Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree, Krishmar Santokie.
England: Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan (Capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Ravi Bopara, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, James Tredwell, Stephen Parry, Jade Dernbach.




Urrrrrrmmmmm, guess what? It's already 21-2 in the 4th over, Lumb the first to fall, out lbw, missing a straight delivery, and now Moeen Ali also out lbw, Santokie takes both wickets.
Bad becomes worse as Morgan goes for the maximum, but top edges it instead and caught on the boundary, 26-3 from 5 overs... England will probably be hoping for this supposed rain cloud that is around to start emptying itself over the ground...

PowerPlay and 6 overs completed - ENGLAND 30-3 lool, Bumble just called it the 'PowerlessPlay' too true cocker...

Time for the W-Indies to make a mistake as Ramdin misses a catch (misjudging it quite comically actually) sent high in the sky from Hales...
Half way through the innings,10 overs gone and ENGLAND 61-3, lucky not to be 4 down, but seem to be batting a bit better now... 10 an over from here gives them 160, they'll need at least that methinks...

Buttler and Hales start to get their act together, playing some nice shots and getting those boundaries, but then Hales goes and gets caught down at cow corner, mind he has survived a few dropped chances, 3rd time unlucky Alex... 102-4, and time for Bopara to shine again..

and here comes the rain, it should just be a shower, but it's a heavy enough shower, so they're off, the covers are on and England would probably want to stay at the mo, 107-4, Buttler (49) and Bopara (2) and a little break... 5 1/2 overs still to go...

It's stopped raining, the covers are coming off, albeit slowly, so D/L shouldn't need to be worried about... Just need the men on the field now...

Buttler and Bopara continue their attack after the break until Jos Buttler gets a thick edge and easily caught by Sammy, 137-5
, Santokie with his 3rd wicket, and a nice 67 from Jos. Here's Luke Wright to keep Ravi company, only 9 balls left, time for a thwacking...
Oo-er, a thwacking straight into the hands of Bravo at long off and Ravi has to walk off, 143-6, Santokie with 4 now... Here's Brezzie....
Last ball and an edge to the keeper, Bresnan gives Dwayne Bravo his 2nd wicket...

That's it, 20 overs are up, ENGLAND 152-7

The consensus! is that this is about a par score, well it all depends on how well you bowl now lads.