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England and West Indies start their One Day International series with a 50 over match from The Rose Bowl.
England will be looking to keep their good run of form going and win this three match series. The Three Lions whitewashed Pakistan 4-0 in their last ODI series so will be full of confidence going into this one.
Alistair Cook will take charge of the team in this format of the game and he will of course be without Kevin Pietersen after the batsman announced his retirement from all One Day international cricket.
It is now down the like of Cook, Jonathon Trott and Ian Bell to come up with the runs for England.
It is certainly an exciting time to be involved in this squad with plenty of young players coming through and desperate to prove themselves on the biggest stage.
Cook will be want to get off to a winning start here and use this series as preparation for the matches against Australia later in the summer.
As for West Indies, this is the format of the game where they feel they will be able to cause England a few surprises.
Darren Sammy’s side are often very good in spells but struggle to stay consistent over the course of a Test match so the One Day game is suited to them.
They can also welcome back Chris Gayle into the squad who has settled his differences with the West Indies Cricket Board. This is sure to give the team a massive boost as on his day, Gayle can win a game single handily.
Sammy will be hoping that Marlon Samuels who performed extremely well in the Test series can continue his good form as they look to win this first match.
Match Odds
It is no surprise that England are the favourites to win the game on home soil. You can back them at 1.73 (8/11) with StanJames.
West Indies will need to cause an upset to come out on top here, something they are capable of doing. 2.25 (5/4) are the odds with SkyBet on a win for them.
First 15 Overs
With Chris Gayle’s power at the top of the order West Indies are the favourites to have scored the most runs after the first 15 overs with odds of 1.95 (18/19) with BWIN.
England are without Kevin Pieterson so may lack an attacking spark in the opening stages. You can back them come out on top after 15 overs at 2.00 (evens) with VC Bet.
Recommended Bet
Alistair Cook will need to put in a Captains performance if England are to come out on top here. Cook to finish the game as Man of the Match can be backed at 13.00 (12/1) with Bet365.
