T-20 World Cup: England will try to return on winning track

Pallekele (Sri Lanka): Defending champions England will try to back on wining path as they take on a dangerous West Indies in their opening Super Eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 in Pallekele on Thursday.

After starting their campaign on a high with a comprehensive win over minnows Afghanistan, Stuart Broad’s men failed big time against India in their last group match.

English opening combination of Alex Hales and Kieswetter has been inconsistent in the tournament so far. But come on Thursday, the onus would be on them to provide a perfect launch pad against the West Indies, which comprises of a wayward opening attack.

In Luke Wright, England possesses a dangerous number three batsmen who can tear apart any bowling line-up on his given day.

The Englishmen, however, can fancy their chances against an erratic West Indian seam attack, which so far has looked pretty ordinary in the tournament.

Pacer Fidel Edwards has managed to produce early breakthroughs for the West Indies in both the group matches, but he has been accused of bowling far too many lose balls.

Ravi Rampaul, on the other hand, looked pretty ordinary against the Australians but gave good account of his skills in the match against Ireland.

The rest of the West Indies pacers, including skipper Sammy, have been ineffective in the past two outings and would certainly like to make amends against England.

The return of experienced Dwayne Bravo, who missed the last match against Ireland, will certainly boost West Indies’ bowling unit.

The West Indies batting department, led by big hitting Gayle, played well to post a challenging total against a formidable Aussie attack, but they need to address their opening woes ahead of on Thursday’s game.

And the feeling is that the West Indies should open with a genuine opener like Lendl Simmons.

Just like their batsmen, the English attack also had lot to ponder about going into the match, especially after leaking 170 runs against the Indians.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann has, by far, been England’s best bowler in the tournament with figures of 2-22 and 1-17 in the two group matches.

With the Sri Lankan pitches offering considerable amount of turn as the tournament progresses, England might well play left-arm orthodox bowler Samit Patel, who is also a good hitter down the order.