England warm up
England team during their warm up ahead of the ODI series against West Indies Getty

West Indies will host England in the first ODI of a three match series scheduled between the two nations at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua on 3 March, Friday.

Where to watch

Match starts at 1:30pm GMT. Live coverage is on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD in the UK. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

England will be looking to get back on track in 50 overs after losing their last ODI series against India 2-1 in January 2017, as captain Eoin Morgan leads his nation out for the first of three ODIs in the Caribbean.

The visitors, ranked fifth in ODIs, will start as betting favourites, having won nine of their last 10 ODIs against the hosts, as they hope to use the series as preparation ahead of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in the summer.

Alex Hales is still battling a hand injury as Sam Billings is likely to open alongside Jason Roy. Hales, however, could make the third ODI in Barbados on 9 March. Tom Curran will also be in the team after replacing Jake Ball, who suffered a knee injury during a warm up match.

Meanwhile West Indies, who failed to make the summer competition due to their ODI ranking of ninth, will be looking to ensure they become one of the eight automatic qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup, despite being likely to play an inexperienced side led by Jason Holder against the tourists.

Poor relations between The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the players mean new coach Stuart Law is unable to call upon players such as Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmon. Dwayne Bravo – who publicly blasted the WICB in 2016 – is still not considered for selection either until he submits a formal apology.

The only survivor from the team that beat England in the Twenty20 World Cup final in 2016 is Carlos Brathwaite, whose memorable 24 runs in four balls bowled by Ben Stokes, saw his nation win the competition in the last over.

This will, however, give a chance for other players to shine such as spin duo Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse, and opening batsman Evin Lewis, who notably scored 148 runs against Sri Lanka in 2016.

Prediction

England to win.

Betting odds (Betfair)

  • West Indies to win: 12/5
  • England to win: 4/11

Team news

West Indies

Possible XI: J Holder (c), D Bishoo, C Brathwaite, K Brathwaite, J Carter, S Gabriel, S Hope (wk), A Joseph, E Lewis, J Mohammed, A Nurse, K Powell, R Powell.

England

Possible XI: E Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, J Bairstow, J Ball, S Billings, J Buttler (wk), L Dawson, S Finn, L Plunkett, A Rashid, J Root, J Roy, B Stokes, C Woakes.