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29 March 2024

West Indies vs England World T20: E24|7 readers predict winner

Darren Sammy of the West Indies and England captain Eoin Morgan pose with the ICC World T20 trophy ahead of tomorrrow's ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 Final between England and West Indies at Eden Gardens on April 2, 2016 in Kolkata, India. (Getty)

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

It’s a close contest, but West Indies emerges as the favourite team to win this year’s T20 World Cup, according to a poll run by Emirates 24|7.

A majority of the respondents (55 per cent) who participated in this website’s poll see West Indies lift the trophy tonight.

However, those who bet England will take home the cup are also not far behind. Forty-five per cent see England as the winner this year.

England will take on West Indies in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata today at 5.30pm UAE time today.

The earlier favourites and strong contenders – India and New Zealand – were defeated in the semi-finals.

West Indies knocked out India in Mumbai to make it to the final. Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 82 and Andre Russell’s 43 helped in beating India while defeating a decent score.

In the other semi-final, England beat New Zealand and sealed their place in the finals today.

England lost to West Indies at the start of the tournament this year and this could be the reason that most viewers see West Indies as a clear winner in the final game as well.

According to data by www.icc-cricket.com, West Indies lead the overall series (9-4) including a perfect 4-0 in ICC WT20 competitions against England.

England’s spinners have conceded 9.36 runs per over whereas the West Indies spinners have given away 5.73 runs per over.

Samuel Badree will be the key bowler for West Indies, while England pacers will play an important role in their bowling attack. Chris Gayle and Jason Roy are expected to be the top performers in the batting division.

Chris Gayle, who is the third-highest six-hitter in the competition, started with a magnificent 100 not out that helped West Indies chase down 183 against England in the Super 10.

Johnson Charles proved his mettle in the semi-final win against India, where his 52 formed the backbone of a successful chase of 193.

The duo are the highest run-getters for West Indies in the tournament, with Charles aggregating 116 in five innings and Gayle making 109 in three outings – that 100 making up most of those numbers. While Gayle’s strike rate is 194.64, Charles’s is a decent 114.85.

On the other hand, England has been immensely aided by the hitting prowess of Jason Roy, the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament with 183 runs in five matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.23, as per data by the cricket website.