All to play for in the series decider

The young and inexperienced English squad, led by stand-in captain Liam Livingstone, hit back hard in the second ODI, to tie up the series and now we have an exciting series finale lined up for us.

Ahead of the third ODI between West Indies and England, here’s our match preview and predictions.

West Indies vs England 3rd ODI | England tour of West Indies 2024 | 23:30 IST, November 6

After a disappointing batting performance in the opening game, debutant Josh Turner put the hosts in a spot of bother again, as they were 12/2 before captain Shai Hope along with Keacy Carty and then Sherfane Rutherford powered West Indies to 328. Hope himself played a stunning innings to get to 117 while Carty and Rutherford got crucial half-centuries. While the middle and lower middle order for the hosts look like they’ve gotten it together, West Indies will hope that their two experienced openers get amongst the runs in the series decider. With the ball though, the hosts were ordinary as apart from Matthew Forde’s early burst, there was nothing to celebrate. Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie not only struggled to get amongst the wickets but also leaked runs which is something they will need to address and come together stronger as a bowling unit. 

The British side on the other hand, started strong with the ball, as Turner early on was brilliant and while Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid were economical and amongst the wickets, England know that they should have been more clinical at the death. Livingstone used a total of 9 bowlers, and most of his part-timers leaked runs at the hands of Hope, Carty and Rutherford with Forde smashing a couple of big blows at the end too. With the bat though, England were solid as Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell gave England a solid platform after losing early wickets before a sublime century from Livingstone, along with a crucial half-century from Sam Curran saw England home in a high-run chase with little over two-and-a-half overs to spare. England will be hoping for more of the same in the decider. 

The Kensington Oval in Barbados has been a low-scoring ground in recent history and we should expect another low-scoring thriller with the spinners and slow bowlers expected to do well on a tricky track. Expect the hosts to come out on top in a close encounter, as Hope’s squad has the depth and experience to tackle these conditions.

Fantasy XI: Phil Salt, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie

Venue: Bridgetown

Winners Prediction: West Indies