England v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Bristol

No room for error in short series

May 23, 2009

	Eoin Morgan could be set for his ODI debut at Bristol © Getty Images

Match facts

Sunday May 24
Start time 10.45 (9.45GMT)

Big Picture

This is now a two-match series after the abandonment at Headingley which gives both sides even less room for mistakes. Each team is looking towards these matches as a chance to build some form and momentum before the ICC World Twenty20. West Indies are in desperate need of something to boost their spirits after a miserable few weeks.

The washout on Thursday left officials at Headingley embarrassed and facing a barrage of questions about how wise it was to play the match after the outfield work was delayed over the winter. Bristol, the venue for this game, is another of the six grounds to have used the ECB grant for a new drainage system and have admitted they weren't able to complete the work in time for this season.

"We have still not completed the system," said chief executive Tom Richardson. "Contractors will return at the end of the season to put in sand slits, which will make it more efficient. When everything is bedded in we anticipate that when rain stops the ground will be fit for play within an hour, but we are only halfway towards that situation." The good news, though, is that no rain is forecast for Sunday.

Form guide

England AWWLL
West Indies ALLWW

Watch out for...

James Anderson has been outstanding form early on this season and claimed nine wickets in the second Test victory at Chester-le-Street. He has been a threat with the white ball for a long time now and with Andrew Flintoff out of the side is England's most experienced quick. He is at the peak of his powers and will be aiming to continue his form over the next few weeks of one-day action.

It was a quiet Test series for Shivnarine Chanderpaul who didn't make a half century and struggled against Graeme Swann. However, England would be foolish to underestimate the man who has been the fulcrum of West Indies' batting line-up for years and can switch gears at the drop of a hat.

Team news

England haven't replaced Kevin Pietersen in their squad so are down to 13 players. With an eye on the Twenty20, Eoin Morgan could be given his debut so the selectors can assess his form while Matt Prior will move up to No. 3. The trio of Dimitri Mascarenhas, Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom are probably fighting for two places.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Matt Prior (wk), 4 Owais Shah, 5 Paul Collingwood 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Tim Bresnan, 11 James Anderson

West Indies didn't give many clues as to the way their team selection might have gone before the Headingley washout, but allrounders are likely to place a key role in the middle order. Runako Morton, a late replacement to the squad, and pace bowler Ravi Rampaul are also in the shake-up.

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 10 Fidel Edwards

Pitch and conditions

The forecast is set fair with temperatures set to raise so there shouldn't be any concerns on that front. Previous ODIs at Bristol have produced pitches with pace and bounce, as opposed to the slow surfaces that often greet domestic cricket.

Stats and Trivia

• There have been 11 previous ODIs on this ground and England have lost their last two matches here, against New Zealand in 2008 and India in 2007.
• West Indies have played two ODIs at Bristol, losing to Pakistan by 27 runs during the 1999 World Cup and also being beaten by Zimbabwe in 2000.

Quotes

"We gained some momentum in one-day cricket in the West Indies. We were a little bit Jekyll and Hyde, up and down, but we came through and won the series."
Andrew Strauss wants England to find some consistency in their one-day game.