West Indies vs England, England tour of West Indies 2019, Today Match Prediction 31 Jan 2019

windies vs eng Match Prediction & Analysis

Hosts West Indies will be looking to maintain their form when they take on England in the second game of the Test series in Antigua on Thursday.

West Indies completely dominated the proceedings with bat and ball to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Jason Holder side will need to maintain their standards with bat and ball to beat England in this Test series. 

On the other hand, England will certainly be given a wake-up call that West Indies are competitive side playing in their home conditions. The batting lineup certainly needs to deliver or else West Indies might clinch the Test series in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

In their previous meeting, West Indies beat England by 381 runs in a Test played at Bridgetown, Barbados.

TEAMS PREVIEW

West Indies Preview

For West Indies, Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell got West Indies off to decent starts in both the innings in the first game played at Bridgetown, Barbados. Brathwaite found form with the bat and chipped in with scores of 40 and 24 for West Indies in the series opener. West Indies will be hoping he can produce a big score in this game.

Debutant John Campbell played with positive intent at the top of the innings in the first game of the series. He scored 44 and 33 in the game played in Barbados. He will be looking to build on his good start to the Test series and get a big score for the side in this game. Darren Bravo did not do much with the bat in his comeback for West Indies. The left-handed batsman certainly has the ability and talent to make a strong comeback in the second game of the series that will be played in Antigua.

Shai Hope produced a crucial half-century in the first innings of the opening game played at Barbados. He scored 57 runs off 148 balls with the help of six fours. Roston Chase also chipped in with a half-century in the first game of the series. West Indies will be hoping that Shai Hope and Roston Chase can continue their good form in this series. Shimron Hetymer also contributed well with the bat for West Indies. The youngster clearly showed that he has ability and aptitude to do well in red-ball cricket.

Captain Jason Holder scored career-best 202 runs to see West Indies post a mammoth score of 627 runs for England to win the game. The hosts were placed in a precarious situation at 120 for 6 before Holder produced a splendid innings to see West Indies take control of the game. He added unbeaten 295-run stand with wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich to see West Indies score 415 runs in their second innings. Holder also produced a probing spell for West Indies and picked up crucial wickets of Joe Root and Keaton Jennings.

Wicket-keeper batsman Shane Dowrich has been consistent performer for the side in the Test arena. He also scored a superb century in the second innings of the game played in Barbados. Pace bowler Kemar Roach produced a breathtaking spell for West Indies and picked up five wickets in his 11 overs. His spell certainly troubled England batsmen, who fell for low scores to be dismissed for 77 runs in 30 overs. Roach will certainly be keen to continue his good form in this Test series. Shannon Gabriel also produced probing spells for West Indies with the new-ball. Alzarri Joseph also chipped in with crucial wickets for the side.

West Indies Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Shane Dowrich (wk), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph.

West Indies Actual Playing XI:

Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Alzarri Joseph, Shane Dowrich, Jason Holder, John Campbell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shannon Gabriel, Roston Chase, Shai Hope, Kraigg Brathwaite

England Preview

On the other hand, England will have plenty of concerns going into the second game of the Test series. Opener Keaton Jennings once again failed with the bat in the opening game played at Barbados. He will certainly need to deliver or Joe Denly might come into the XI for the final game of the series.

Rory Burns showed grit and determination in the second innings to score 84 runs off 133 balls with the help of 15 boundaries. The youngster will be keen to continue his good form in Antigua.

Jonny Bairstow will certainly be tested against the short-pitch stuff that has troubled him in the past. The 29-year old will be keen to turn things around in the next game of the series that starts on Thursday in Antigua.

The middle-order consists of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler failed to produce any runs with the bat. Captain Joe Root will need to lead the way with the bat or else England might lose this Test series.

Wicket-keeper Ben Foakes had a poor game with the bat against West Indies. Moeen Ali bowled well in the second innings and picked up three wickets.

James Anderson picked up another five-wicket haul in losing cause. He was standout bowler for the side in the first game. Ben Stokes also bowled close to 50 overs in the match and picked up six wickets. Stuart Broad might come in place of Sam Curran, who looked unthreatening with the new-ball. Curran might be dropped from the side for the second game of the series

England Predicted Playing XI:

Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes(wk), Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid/Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

England Actual Playing XI:

Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Ben Stokes, Rory Burns, Joe Denly

Weather Conditions

The wicket will provide assistance for quick bowlers on the opening day of the Test match. After that, it tends to get pretty flat as batsmen will enjoy the conditions at the venue. The weather conditions for the game will be mostly cloudy.

Venue

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua has hosted six Test matches so far. West Indies has lost only game at the venue.  The previous two games played between England and West Indies have ended in a draw.

Toss: To Bowl

The side that wins the toss would like to bowl first and make use of the conditions. West Indies have won their previous game played against Bangladesh at the venue.