England playing XI Vs West Indies announced: CSK star replaces Luke Wood

England reveal playing XI Vs West Indies [Source: AFP]

England survived by the barest of margins against Nepal in their T20 World Cup opener at Wankhede, and after scrapping past the Asian team, the Three Lions have set their sights on the mighty West Indies as the contest takes place on Wednesday.

With the all-important match against the West Indies taking place, the England side, led by Harry Brook, has announced its playing XI 24 hours before the game. The team has made one change from their previous game, with the expensive Luke Wood sitting out and Jamie Overton getting a chance to shine.

Wood was taken to the cleaners by the Nepal batters as the left-arm seamer looked clueless in the four overs that he bowled. As a result, he was replaced by Overton, who is a better T20 bowler and can also score runs quickly in the lower order.

England playing XI vs West Indies

Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook(c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton

With Ben Duckett still not one hundred percent fit, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt will continue to open the batting for the England side. The duo couldn’t do much against Nepal as they were dismissed cheaply, but under the Wankhede lights, Salt and Buttler are expected to flourish.

Jacob Bethell, who scored a valiant fifty against Nepal will continue to bat at number 3, with Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, and Will Jacks forming the middle-order.

Overton's arrival to boost England's bowling

Wood was expected to deliver the goods against Nepal on a seaming Wankhede deck, but the Nepal batters had their gameplan ready for him as they targeted him in the run-chase and took him for 31 runs in three overs.

The team management brought in Jamie Overton as his replacement, and the right-arm pacer offers a different dynamism. He is quick, deceptive with his action, and is a brilliant bowler in death overs, a trait that Wood lacked.

Apart from his bowling, Overton is also a handy lower-order batter, and has a T20 strike rate of 154, showcasing his hitting prowess, and this skillset will be useful at the Wankhede surface.

Spin department, a concern for England

Adil Rashid is one of the best white-ball bowlers at the moment, and he is exceptional in the T20 format, as England would have hoped for a stellar performance from him against Nepal. However, tables turned as apart from Wood, Nepal batters went after Rashid.

Rashid was only used for 3 overs, but he conceded 42 runs with an economy of 14 runs per over.

While Liam Dawson did well against Nepal, taking up 2 wickets and giving away only 21 runs, Rashid’s form will be a cause of worry as West Indies boasts some of the best strikers of the ball, and they will be targeting the England spinner on Wednesday.