With the dust settling on the ODI World Cup, the gaze shifts towards another ICC tournament with the T20I World Cup only six months away. Both teams have only one series each apart from this one to get their preparations on point.
WI V ENGLAND, 1ST T20I
Multiple subplots to this World Cup preparation for WI, England
The 'defending champions' prepare to defend another title © AFP
That said, this five-match series offers a lot to both teams with the World Cup being played on the same shores later. The defending champions, England, may continue to hate being referred to as that given how their ODI World Cup campaign went southwards but will be eager to make amends to their damaged reputation.
Their white-ball supremacy led by a golden generation of cricketers is up for questioning at the moment, with the ODI series loss against West Indies adding to the ignominy. For Buttler and Co, the series offers a chance to shut out the noise and redeem some of their lost glory.
In that, they would be sailing in the same boat as hosts West Indies, who were at one point trailblazers in this format. The two-time champions, however, have had forgettable back-to-back T20 World Cup campaigns but are showing signs of getting back to their best.
With a series win against India in the format a few months ago they ascertained that they would not be pushovers as a new batch of players look to make a mark.
