England Opt to Field First in T20I Opener Against West Indies
England have won the toss and elected to field first in the opening T20I against West Indies in Barbados. The match marks the start of England’s final white-ball series of the year, following their 2-1 ODI series loss to the hosts.
England are looking to bounce back from their ODI disappointment and will be boosted by the return of captain Jos Buttler, who has been sidelined for five months with a calf injury. Buttler will bat at No. 3 and relinquish the wicketkeeping gloves to Phil Salt.
Dan Mousley will make his T20I debut after scoring a maiden international fifty in the deciding ODI. 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, who is serving a two-match ban for storming off the pitch in a temper during the third and final ODI. They have 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.”