England (Women) vs West Indies (Women) Prediction: West Indies' struggling batting takes on all-around English might

The Women’s T20 World Cup has begun and we have already witnessed some memorable performances with Chamari Athapathtu blazing away against the South Africans to showcase her tremendous touch. Now, we head to a game where the odds are again tilted heavily on one side. In this World Cup match, England Women takes on the West Indies Women in a group stage affair.

England has a lot to offer in terms of both batting and bowling. During the Warm-Ups, there was no stopping highly rated Sophia Dunkley who was lighting up bowlers at a strike rate of better than 150. Danni Wyatt is her potential opening partner which provides the potential for quick starts even on tricky tracks. Young Alice Capsey comes at number three and plays with a lot of authority, Heather Knight is a stabilizing force in the middle and so is Maia Bouchier. Whereas Amy Jones can blaze away too. Then we can play Nat Sciver anywhere and there are few batters who can match her. The England batting has a lot of intent and title-winning potential.

Coming to the bowling, the height and pace of Lauren Bell is sure to play a crucial role on the dual-natured and yet pace-friendly South African tracks. Then we have the experienced Katherine Brunt who is explosive in nature and bowls lovely lengths. Sophie Eleccstone is one of the best spinners to play the game and Sarah Glenn as a leggie brings great off-leg spin texture alongside Sophie. Freya Davies and Kate Cross provide bowling depth and England has a deep pool to choose from in all regards. They hav electric fielders and it will b a surprise if they don’t at least make it to the Semis.

West Indies has been in woeful form to enter the tournament and wins have dried up for them. The only singular reason for that is their lack of batting. It seems like that only Hayley Matthews is the only batter who can score and the rest of the batting lacks both the intent and performance to counter tough bowling attacks. The West Indies batting has even struggled to reach 100 at times and even when they hit the mark, they seem to be dragging themselves. This is a serious issue for the squad.

Bowling-wise, West Indies has shown control. Spinners Hayley Matthews and Karishma Ramharack both have striking and controlling abilities, having proven themselves repeatedly. Shamilla Connell and Chinelle Henry are effort bowlers and bowling-wise, they have tried hard. The fielding can be sloppy but athletic too. Batting-wise they have a lot of issues to sort and this is where they may end up crashing earlier in the tournament. Expectations are low when it comes to the squad.

• Top Wickets-Takers: Sophie Ecclectone(2+ wickets), Katherine Brunt(2+ Wickets);
• Top Run-Getters: Sophia Dunkley(40+ Runs), Danni Wyatt(33+ Runs), Hayley Matthews(29+ Runs).

England is the obvious favorite here and it seems rather impossible to bet against them in this scenario. They have both top batting and bowling, and they are blessed with multiple match-winners. It will be tough for the West Indies women to put up a fight here and I expect a masterclass from England.