ENG-W vs WI-W Preview | England look to complete whitewash over beleaguered Windies in Chelmsford

A new era has begun in English cricket with long-serving captain Heather Knight paving the way for Natalie Sciver-Brunt, beginning with this three-match T20I series against the West Indies. However, the former skipper continues to be a match-winner with the bat, as she showcased in the first T20I by anchoring a successful chase, but the team did not require her services in Hove after the Windies were bowled out for a paltry 82. Em Arlott led the way with three wickets in just her second international, while it was Natalie that led the charge this time with an unbeaten 55 -- as symbolic a passing of the batton as any.

It is no suroruse then taht the hosts would once again be the clear favourites to win when they meet again for the series final in Chelmsford, to be bookended by an ODI series. The Caribbean outfit's fortunes will largely depend on how their own captain fantaastic Hayley matthews fares, as has been the case for pretty much the last decade now. Even he Herculean 100 in the opener, as part of a team effort of 146, was far from enough for Windies to fight for a win which showcases the sheer chasm in quality between these two sides.  

Form Guide

ENG-W: W W L L L

WI-W: L L W W W 

ENG-W vs WI-W Head to head in T20Is

Since the start of 2014, England Women have only lost thrice against the West Indies in T20 internationals. However, weirdly enough all three of those wins for the Caribbean outfit have come in T20 World Cups, while the bilateral record during this same period reads an audacious 16-0 in England's favour. The latest of WI's wins came in Dubai in 2024, in starkly different conditions to the United Kingdom. In fact, the only time the Windies managed to beat England in their own backyard in the shortest format was 2012, when Deandra Dottin's blitzkrieg set the stage for a famous victory.

ENG-W 21-9 WI-W

Pitch and Weather

The average first innings total at the County Ground in Chelmsford after 13 Women's T20Is is 138, including a lowest of 83 by New Zealand in 2011 and a highest of 226 tallied by Australia in 2019 -- both against England. As for the weather, there is nothing to be concerned about with forecasts of clear skies for the encounter. Even though temperatures at the start of the game are expected to read as high as 37°C, the evening is expected to consistently get cooler as it progresses. The deck here often presents a balanced contest between bat and ball, offering assistance to pacers while the true bounce off the surface allows batter to trust their shots.

The game is forecast to begin in overcast conditions, with intermittent showers predicted around the midway mark of the encounter. However, it is not likely to keep the game from occurring, with temperatures hovering around the 15°C mark and epected to grow cooler as the evening progresses. 

Team News

England Women have so far fielding the same lineup for both the T20Is in the series and are expected to do no different come Monday.

West Indies saw veteran Stafanie Taylor return from injury at Hove after she had missed the series opener and is certain to retain her place. The Windies had also added to their batting with Shermaine Campbell, who top-scored for them with 26 and should make the first XI yet again. 

ENG-W Probable XI: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophie Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Heather Knight, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Em Arlott, Issy Wong, Charlie Dean, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell

WI-W Probable XI: Qiana Joseph, Hayley Matthews (c), Zaida James, Shermaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, Stafanie Taylor, Aaliyah Alleyne, Mandy Mangru (wk), Cherry-Ann Fraser, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack     

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