Visitors seek to overcome 2-1 ODI series defeat in final white-ball campaign of the year
Jos Buttler speaks to the media ahead of his England comeback • Getty Images
Toss England win toss, bowl vs West Indies
England have won the toss and chosen to field in the first of five T20Is against West Indies.
With play set to get underway in bright sunshine after heavy overnight rain in Barbados, England are seeking to overcome a 2-1 ODI series loss to the hosts as they embark on their final white-ball campaign of the year.
Dan Mousley will make his T20I debut after scoring a maiden international fifty in the deciding ODI, while the visitors also welcome the return of captain Jos Buttler from a five-month lay-off with a calf injury.
Buttler was listed to bat at No.3 while relinquishing the wicketkeeping gloves to Phil Salt. Jofra Archer is out of the side after playing three ODIs in a row, with Jamie Overton, Saqib Mahmood and Reece Topley comprising England’s seam-bowling attack.
“Looking forward to it,” Buttler said of captaining from the field as opposed to behind the stumps. “A different view point, another thing taken off my plate so I can focus on the captaincy and the team.”
West Indies are without quick Alzarri Joseph as he serves a two-match ban imposed by his team for storming off the pitch in a temper during the third and final ODI in Barbados. They’ve opted for two spinners in Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie.
Rovman Powell, their captain, said at the toss: “It’s a case of whether you bat or bowl first, you’ve got to do it well. In years gone by we were just looking to compete as a West Indies team, now we’re looking to beat sides in bilateral series.”
England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Will Jacks, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Dan Mousley, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Saqib Mahmood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley
West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Shamar Joseph
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
