West Indies seek serious scalp
ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between England and West Indies at West End
Match facts
Saturday, June 16, West EndStart time 1045 (0945 GMT)
Big Picture
The one-day leg of West Indies' tour was widely expected to be the point when the tourists become truly competitive against England. For many they are the favourites, such is the firepower they can now call upon. With the IPL complete and disputes between players and the WICB at a cease-fire, Saturday's XI could feature seven changes from the side that played the first Test at Lord's.Form guide (most recent first)
England: WWWWLWest Indies: LWTWL
Players to watch
He's back: Chris Gayle, whom Ottis Gibson has described as the best one-day batsman in the world. Few would disagree with West Indies' coach. Blessed with an outrageous hitting ability but transferring from the flat tracks of the IPL to the seaming conditions of England is a challenge that will take more than hand-eye co-ordination to overcome.Team news
West Indies' side will bear little resemblance to that which began the Test series. They are stronger for it, with Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle returning to open the batting and Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard back in the middle order. England may decide to leave out one of their few big-hitters, Jonny Bairstow, in order to field a four-man pace attack, with Tim Bresnan occupying the allrounder's role.Pitch and conditions
The forecast isn't brilliant so expect ODI conditions only found in England, with the new ball offering plenty and the totals limited by the bowler-friendly environment. That considered, James Taylor had no trouble in smashing an unbeaten century for Nottinghamshire against Hampshire on the same ground in murky conditions last month. His final 90 runs came off just 32 balls.Stats and trivia
- Before the match, the two main stands at West End will be renamed - one after Shane Warne, Hampshire captain from 2005 to 2007, and the other after the late Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, who captained Hampshire to the 1961 County Championship.
Quotes
"If you hit it just over the boundary or just over the stands it is still six. Maybe if they were counting runs differently for the amount of rows back, then Chris Gayle would definitely win that contest."Darren Sammy, West Indies captain, discusses the English media's preoccupation with how far Gayle hits the ball
Geoffrey Boycott on West Indies' "mystery spinner", Sunil Narine
Alex Winter is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo