West Indies v England first T20I: Prediction, Tips and Odds

West Indies and England are set to face off in the first T20 international of the five-match series that follows on from their three ODI contests in the Caribbean.

Unlike in the 50-over game, these two teams are ranked among the top four in the world at the shorter format and have lifted three of the last six ICC T20 World Cups between them.

England will be boosted by the return of their captain Jos Buttler from injury as the series gets underway with back-to-back matches in Barbados over the weekend.

West Indies v England first T20I betting tips and predictions

West Indies to win @ 1/1

The West Indies took the spoils in the ODI series after thrashing England by eight wickets in the decider on Wednesday.

The game took place at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, a venue that has not been a happy hunting ground for England of late.

The Three Lions have lost five of their last six white-ball contests in Barbados, including each of their last four against the Windies.

The situation England faces mirrors a similar scenario from 11 months ago, when they took on the West Indies in the first T20 international, having just lost the deciding match of the 50–over series.

Put in to bat on a good wicket, Buttler’s side squandered a great start after reaching 77-0 at the end of the Power Play.

The tourists should have made at least 200, but were instead bowled out for 171 in the final over, with the returning Andre Russell recording career-best bowling figures of 3-19.

He then displayed his trademark power with the bat to ease the home side to their victory target with 11 balls to spare and Russell remains an option for the Windies after reversing his decision to retire after the 2024 World Cup.

Head coach Daren Sammy has also hinted at the anticipated return of key players such as Nicholas Pooran and Akeal Hosein, who opted out of the recent T20 trip to Sri Lanka for personal reasons.

Pooran is the team’s leading scorer in the format across the last 12 months with over 500 runs, while Hosein is a key bowler, having taken 52 wickets in T20 internationals at an economy rate of 7.31.

Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph will be missing, however, after Cricket West Indies sanctioned him with a two-match ban following poor on-field behaviour during the third one-dayer.

The Three Lions will hope Jacob Bethell’s promising start at international level continues, while all-rounder Liam Livingstone has shown more responsibility since being moved up the order to six.

Jofra Archer, who is now fit enough to play back-to-back matches, will carry the hopes of a tourists’ attack which lacks experience and star quality aside from the Barbados-born quick and veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Taking the relative strengths of the two teams and the conditions into account, the West Indies look the more likely winners of this opening clash.

Openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis both made centuries in the ODI series and appear to be in great touch, while the form of Buttler, who has not played any competitive cricket since June, is a big question mark for England.

England - Opening Partnership Total - Over 23.5 @ 10/11

Although Buttler is likely to lead the tourists on Saturday, he may not be fit enough to keep wicket, with Phil Salt expected to retain the gloves for the first two matches of the series.

They will open the innings for England, whose recent issues have been in the middle order where good starts have been wasted as batters have thrown their wickets away.

As an opening pair Buttler and Salt have been very consistent in T20 internationals. The average opening partnership when they have batted together in this format is an impressive 56.13.

The Lancashire duo have laid some solid foundations for the team of late, including the superb unbroken 117-run partnership that saw England beat the United States by 10 wickets in the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup in June. 

Prior to that in the tournament, they had put on 67 for the first wicket against the West Indies and built an opening stand of 73 against Australia.

Read more cricket betting tips and predictions

West Indies v England first T20I odds

West Indies - 1/1
England - 4/5

View the full market and more odds for West Indies v England first T20I on site

Read West Indies v England T20I series how to watch, TV channel, head-to-head stats, team news and more

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.