Watching the England vs West Indies match now. England got off to a great start, Dan Lawrence looks like a real class player, but the spinners have pulled West Indies back into this one. Alzarri Joseph was the real pick of the bowlers. He bowled with pace and a good consistent line.
It's great to see the ICC send over an all-star cast of commentators, including Ian Bishop, Pommie Mbangwa, Paul Allott and Alan Wilkins.
I am surprised by just how orthodox the English batsman have played. They have played just 3 reverse sweeps in the entire innings so far (and all three resulted in dot balls).
West Indies have used 8 bowlers so far. Only the captain, wicketkeeper and Carty have yet to turn their arm over.ย
Keemo Paul, who Ian Bishop likened to Dwayne Bravo, bowled very well at the end.
England finish on 282/7, an above average score, although at one stage, they would have had their sights set on a total in excess of 300. The spinners clawed West Indies back in the middle overs and have given themselves every chance of chasing this down. It does look to be a very good pitch to bat on.
England hold on for a 61 run win, although West Indies put up a good fight. Mahmood was again the pick of England's bowlers. He bowls with great pace for someone still so young.
For all the pre-tournament hype, Mason Crane has yet to find a groove.
From the West Indies perspective, Paul, Pope and Joseph were the standout performers.
Based on what I saw, West Indies should have no trouble progressing through to the knockout stages as the group runners up.
Another win for Nepal, this time over Ireland. With New Zealand getting hammered by India, there is a really strong likelihood that they will not qualify for the quarter-finals. If Nepal finish second, they would face England.
Points table to the Qs
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Good spot, ketch. I forgot that teams only play 3 matches in the initial group stages. Zimbabwe could still win Group C if they beat West Indies and England. West Indies will qualify as runners up if they beat Fiji and Zimbabwe. England win the group if they beat Zimbabwe.
The winners of Group C face Nepal, and the runners up get to play India. If things go to plan, that would result in England vs Nepal and West Indies vs India in two of the quarter-finals.