Wisden
Tour review

West Indies in England, 2011

Twenty20 internationals (2): England 1, West Indies 1

A series that initially seemed like two games too many ended up feeling like one too few. Tagged on to the end of the English season a week after the last of the one-day internationals against India, the matches were a sop to broadcasters whose schedules had never found a replacement for the defunct Stanford Super Series. The ECB's claim that they wanted to give Stuart Broad more captaincy experience ahead of the defence of the World Twenty20 in 2012 felt less significant - and became totally irrelevant when Broad pulled out with a shoulder injury - while the ostensibly philanthropic desire to boost the ailing finances of West Indies cricket came even further down the list.

In the end, the Oval crowds were treated to a mini-series in which England romped home in the first game - a reversal of an England XI's ten-wicket loss to the Stanford Superstars in November 2008 - then contrived to lose the second after being bowled out for 88. A decider might have been worth watching. Led by Graeme Swann, their fifth captain of the summer and sixth in 2011 alone, England opted for youth, handing Twenty20 international debuts to four players, and asked for turning tracks in preparation for their tour of India the following month. West Indies, without several top players because of Champions League commitments and political strife, had little choice but to follow suit: six of them had not previously played any form of international cricket. In the circumstances, a share of the series was a minor triumph.

Match reports for

1st T20I: England v West Indies at The Oval, Sep 23, 2011
Report | Scorecard

2nd T20I: England v West Indies at The Oval, Sep 25, 2011
Report | Scorecard

© John Wisden & Co.