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4th over: West Indies 28-1 (Charles 2, Hope 24) Carse into the attack and he gets the business from Hope as this over goes for 15. A spray onto the pads is clipped fine for four so Carse adjusts his line but it’s in the slot and Hope wallops it down the ground for six. So Carse adjusts his length but it’s short enough for Hope to throw his hands at it and carve it down to deep third for four. Charles is struggling, though, and wafts aimlessly at a slower ball that somehow squirts past Buttler for a bye.
3rd over: West Indies 12-1 (Charles 2, Hope 9) Another top set from Wood, holding a tight line and tucking up Charles. Hope managed a single off the first ball but Charles couldn’t get a run off the next five. Wood was zipping it through between a good length and the occasional yorker. Very impressive so far.
Long delay here as they sort out the sightscreen behind Wood’s arm.
Or is it an issue with an advertisement screen?
Either way, that took a while. They’re back now.
2nd over: West Indies 11-1 (Charles 2, Hope 8) Dawson’s finger spin opens the other end and he’s testing the Windies batters with a full length and a brisk pace. One drag down, though, is thumped over midwicket by Hope for six. Two singles elsewhere.
1st over: West Indies 3-1 (Charles 1, Hope 1) Brilliant opening from Wood. A wicket first ball with a piercing yorker, he kept it full and swining throughout. A beamer first up to Hope meant there was a free hit on offer, but the Windies skipper could only manage a single to mid-on. An inside edge onto the thigh pad gets Charles off the mark.
WICKET! Lewis lbw Wood 0 (West Indies 0-1)
He’s got him first ball! A snorter of a yorker beats Lewis for pace and bangs him right in front. The batter reviews but it’s more in hope than anything. Maybe he thought he made contact with the ball as he attempted to dig it out, but there’s a gap between leather and willow. A stunning start for Wood and England.
The players are now geared up and ready to roll.
Brook leads his troops out and the Windies openers, Charles and Lewis, two powerful hitters, follow.
Wood has his cap off. Looks like he’ll take the new ball first up.
The players are going through their drills.
While we wait for things to get going, why don’t you catch up on some cricket reading:
Josh Hazlewood reckons he’s in the form if his life ahead of the WTC final:
Temba Bavuma tells Don McRae all about his remarkable journey:
And Barney Ronay contrasts the fortunes of two of England’s young stars:
Sue in Southampton is having some technical difficulties.
“Hi there, Is it just me or is there no sound on Channel 5?”
Have you tried turning it off and then on again, Sue?
Anyone else having similar issues?
Teams
Changes for both sides from Friday.
Luke Wood is in for England in place of Matthew Potts. Brook backing him to add pace from that left arm.
Akeal Hosein is straight into the team with Andre Russell missing out with an injury.
England: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (c, wk), Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherfod, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein.
Brook wins the toss and bowls first
“We want to chase”, says Brook, who keeps winning at life.
Shai Hope would have bowled first as well.
I do know that West Indies will be boosted by the return of Akeal Hosein.
The world’s second best bowler – according to the ICC’s metrics at least – had some visa issues entering the UK.
Hosein, and his fellow Trinadadian Jyd Goolie, were unable to travel following recent changes to UK visa entry requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens, which came into effect on April 23 and May 12, 2025. These changes required the players to submit visa applications and attend mandatory in-person appointments.
We’ve got our first correspondence of the day.
Graham Holliday wants to know, “Is Joseph fit for today?”
Not sure. No word on his fitness as far as I can tell.
Toss and teams coming in at 2pm.
It’s been a productive fortnight for English cricket against the West Indies.
The women’s team, thanks largely to Nat Sciver-Brunt, secured a clean sweep over the Islanders in their ODI series.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to this second men’s T20 between England and West Indies.
That was Harry Brook’s fourth win from four matches in charge. And after England’s white ball outfit managed just six wins from 24 ODIs and six from the 14 T20s before Brook’s ascension, it’s just as well “It’s Harry’s team now,” as Will Jacks recently put it.
Not that they’ve been tested much. The Windies really haven’t got out of second gear and, for England’s sake, as well as everyone watching, I hope they manage to raise their standards and show some fight today.
The toss, team news and other bits to come.
Play gets underway at 2:30pm.
