Chris Gayle, at 42, is one of the older players around, and batting on borrowed time
Big picture
“Embrace the naivety” was Morgan’s mantra on that 2016 trip, as he encouraged his players to make a virtue of their inexperience, and simply go with whatever flow seemed to fit the needs of the moment. And right up until that volley of sixes at Eden Gardens, their eyes-wide-shut approach had seemed on course to seal their second T20 crown in the space of six years, after a similarly improbable triumph in the Caribbean in 2010.
But instead, the brutality of their missed moment had other, longer-term effects. Stokes, in particular, chose to channel his guilt and frustration into a four-year quest to become the most potent player on the planet, and was able to distil so many of those Kolkata lessons into the clutch moments of the epic 2019 final.
That night was arguably the making of Jos Buttler too, who saw West Indies’ apparently obsessive focus on six-hitting for what it truly was – not simply a macho means of catch-up from a team that couldn’t be bothered to work the singles, but a sea-change in how T20 batting was to be measured in the coming years, a recognition that few targets are out of reach if you know that you can clear the ropes at will… and if your opponents know it too.
3:39
Talking tactics – Should Dawid Malan start for England?
They showcased the importance of projecting one’s dominance in such moments. West Indies played with the poise of favourites throughout the campaign, not least because they had been trained at tournaments such as the IPL to thrive in the clutch moments, and grow into their arenas, not shrink from them. England, at that stage of their white-ball revolution, had had limited exposure beyond the confines of the T20 Blast, a stage that was proving perfectly adept at crafting talented players, but offered little of the situational jeopardy that ultimately sealed the spoils.
And as a consequence, it was West Indies who became the first team to claim the trophy twice, following their first win in 2012, and who go into this delayed rematch as the defending champions – now as then, so long in the tooth you wonder if they can possibly still have it in them, yet so powerful from tip to toe that it rarely comes as a surprise when everything clicks once more.
4:01
Talking tactics – How can West Indies best use Chris Gayle?
They have to contend, too, with the knowledge that this is probably not the golden ticket that the T20 World Cup might have seemed in its pre-pandemic itinerary. The tournament had been due to take place in Australia this time last year, a venue that would surely have been far more favourable to England’s hard-hitting line-up, and which might also have offered Morgan a chance to bow out on his own terms, rather than stretch himself through what has clearly been a trying era of bio-secure bubbles and legacy management.
The subtext is plain, not least in an extraordinarily loaded Group 1, which will also feature Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and probably Sri Lanka. England’s confidence is not quite where they would like it to be for this tilt at twin World Cup titles. But given everything they have achieved in recent years, nor do they have any choice but to go in with their eyes wide open this time.
Form guide
England: WWLWW(last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: LWLWW
In the spotlight
Who dares to tear their eyes away from the Universe Boss? Chris Gayle has been the single most significant batter of the T20 age, but his era could yet be wound up in this coming fortnight. Since the start of 2021, Gayle has made 227 runs in 16 T20Is, averaging 17.46 and at a strike rate of 117.61 – that is more than 20 points lower than his career mark. His solitary fifty in that time was a typically gleeful rampage – seven sixes and four fours in a 38-ball 67 against Australia – but those moments are becoming the exception rather than the norm. He pulled out of the IPL, two matches into its resumption, to stay fresh for this campaign. We’ll soon see if the rest can bring back his best.
Team news
England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 David Willey/Chris Woakes, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Tymal Mills.
West Indies 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Akeal Hosein/Hayden Walsh Jr, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Oshane Thomas/Ravi Rampaul
Stats and trivia
- England have never yet beaten West Indies in five attempts at a global T20 tournament. They lost in consecutive tournaments in 2009, 2010 and 2012 (despite recovering on that second occasion to lift the title) then twice in 2016, including the final.
- Gayle and Bravo are two of only six players to have featured in all six T20 World Cups to date, dating back to the original event in South Africa in 2007. India’s Rohit Sharma, and the Bangladesh trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah complete the set.
- West Indies have played just two T20Is in Dubai, and lost them both, against Pakistan in 2016. England, by contrast, have won four and lost two at the stadium, also against Pakistan between 2010 and 2015.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Source: ESPN Crickinfo