Recent Match Report – England vs West Indies 1st T20I 2025

Toss England chose to bat vs West Indies

Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bat in his first match in charge of England’s T20I side. England gave a T20I debut to Matthew Potts on his home ground at Chester-le-Street, while Tom Banton and Liam Dawson were recalled after lengthy absences in the format.

With Phil Salt absent on paternity leave, his replacement Jamie Smith went straight in at opener alongside Ben Duckett. Banton, whose last T20I came in Barbados more than three years ago, was carded to bat at No. 5, above a trio of spinning allrounders in Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Dawson, winning a first cap since November 2022.

England only picked two seamers, Potts making his bow alongside Durham team-mate Brydon Carse, and opted to put a total on the board. “Looks like a good pitch and hopefully we can get a decent score on it,” Brook said.

West Indies were also being led by a new captain, with Shai Hope appointed as Rovman Powell’s successor earlier this year. They were able to call on Andre Russell for the first time since November, while Jason Holder returns after almost 18 months out of the T20I side. They also opted for the experience of another World Cup winner, Johnson Charles, at the top of the order in place Brandon King.

Romario Shepherd went straight into the XI after arriving from his exploits at the IPL for newly crowned champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but West Indies were without the ICC’s No. 2-ranked T20I bowler, Akeal Hosein, after visa issues delayed his arrival into the UK.

Hope was keen to move on after his side suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI leg. “We’ve got a lot of experience and depth, in our batting especially,” he said. “It’s great to see those boys here and they’re ready to go, so hope to turn things around in the T20 series.”

England: 1 Jamie Smith, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Adil Rashid, 10 Matthew Potts,

West Indies: 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Alzarri Joseph