England VS Westindies ODI Preview !

Adil Rashid has been waiting patiently for his England debut. Now the time is ripe for him to be granted with the honour as England’s woeful winter descends further calling for a fresh and promising change. Especially with such an eventful and anticipated summer around the corner England should have no hesitation to experiment in youth and open the doors for player competition.

Although Adil’s bowling performance in the recent practice match was nothing to write home about surely the threat and mystery of a leg spinner operating overweighs an orthodox off spinner claiming casual figures of 10-0-1-40. To consolidate my point England should plan efficiently for the future rather than focusing on short term replacements. Also Adil can bat and field very well which is a factor that has to come into consideration in the limited over’s format.

On the whole he is a unique prospect who’s got the potential to turn the tables on the fate of English cricket. Therefore I recommend the ECB and Andrew Strauss to invest and provide him with a worthwhile run in the international arena. So that’s where I stand on the Rashid situation. Yes groove him in ASAP.

Elsewhere, Owais Shah is going through a rough patch of form but we should remain faithful over his position as we all know of the brilliance he can offer in the limited overs format. KP seems to be encountering technical difficulty against the drift of left arm spin. Presuming Prior returns he should bat where he belongs and that is in the opening slot with skipper Andrew Strauss. Ian Bell and Stuart Broad don’t strike me as “ one day material” in my books. I certainly approve of Dimitri Masceranas inclusion as he’s one of the most destructive onslaught forces in the world and his dibbly dobbly medium pacers and shuttle variations come as an effective alternative in the bowling department.

Here is my preferred side :

Strauss ( C)
Prior ( WK)
Shah
KP
Colly
Dimi
Rashid
Batty
Khan
Harmison
Anderson.

The ultimate secret success behind the whitewash against the Proteas last summer was the opening seam bowling combination of Anderson and Harmison and therefore back England to continue with that strategy. Like many of our fellow bloggers I’m unsure about Khan but would still experiment in him. I will be tempted to play 2 spinners but regarding England go along with one than Rashid should be given priority.

I am not the best with predictions but although Westindies are carrying the winning momentum back England to win the series 3-2. (Regarding Rashid and Harmison are selected).