πππππ :βββ England vs West Indiesβ
ππππ : May 29,Thursdayββ
ππππ : 17:30 PM ISTβββ
πππππ :β Edgbaston, Birmingham, Northern Ireland, United Kingdomβ
ππππππππππ : β1st ODI, 2025
A new era begins for England in white ball cricket and the only way is up!
- England have lost their last seven ODIs.
- West Indies come into this series after drawing 1-1 with Ireland.
- West Indies won the last head to head series in this format 2-1.
England vs West Indies
TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar
Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website.
ENG vs WI Match Prediction & Analysis
After England made easy work of their opening men’s international of the summer, a Test match victory over Zimbabwe by an innings, attentions turn to white ball cricket with the start of their three-match ODI series against West Indies at Edgbaston.
Both sides have been very disappointing in this format over recent years with England winning only nine of their 26 ODIs from the start of the 2023 Cricket World Cup onwards and culminating in being dumped out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at the group stage after losing all three games.
With the poor form above, it was no surprise to see Jos Buttler relinquish the captaincy and he will return to the ranks for this game, following his return from the Indian Premier League, with Harry Brook now in charge of the side.
For West Indies, Shai Hope has been their leader for a couple of years in this format but the overall standard of the side has been disappointing. He will hope the iconic Edgbaston can provide the backdrop to a resurgence in ODI cricket for his side.
TEAMS PREVIEW
England Preview
Harry Brook does have experience of leading England previously after stepping up and captaining during the series against Australia last autumn but this will be the first time that he takes on the role for good!
With injuries to Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Reece Topley, the pace bowling attack is likely to consist of Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood and left-arm quick Luke Wood who returns to international cricket.
There is another return to the top level for left-arm spinner Tom Hartley who is a more than handy all-rounder and has dismissed some of the world’s best players of spin.
With the bat, England need to find consistency, and as ever, the quad of Ben Ducket, Joe Root, captain Brook and Jos Buttler will be key!
England Predicted Playing XI:
Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith (wk), Tom Hartley, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
West Indies Preview
With the suspension and resumption of the Indian Premier League, West Indies will begin this series without the services of two key players in Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd who have both opted to remain in India for the playoffs.
This presents keeper-batter-opener and captain Shai Hope with problems for both his bowling attack and his brittle batting line-up with both Rutherford and Shepherd capable finishers who often make a poor scorecard look respectable with lusty blows at the end of an innings!
Without the pair, the experience of Hope, Evin Lewis, Brandon King and Roston Chase will be key if West Indies are to either chase down or post an imposing target against England.
Bowling wise, the left-arm spin of Gudakesh Motie could well cause England’s batters problems with the pair of Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph both capable of running through a top order on their day.
Weather Conditions
Overcast skies are forecast throughout Thursday in Birmingham with the swing bowlers on both sides likely to enjoy the overheads! The temperature will be in the high teens but we do not expect any rain during the match.
ENG vs WI Pitch Report
When the ball gets off the square at Edgbaston it often never stops and batters love to play their shots at this venue. Expect a par score to be over 350 in the first innings of the game.
Toss: To Bowl
The conditions look set to be calm and consistent throughout the match in Birmingham but there could be some rain in late morning and ahead of the toss. Therefore, bowling first looks likely to be the smart move!
