England Falter Early as West Indies Take Command in Second ODI
What a fascinating day of cricket we’ve had at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff! The second ODI between England and the West Indies is underway, and it’s already shaping up to be an intense battle — especially with the West Indies batting first and making a solid statement. England had won the toss and, perhaps banking on the recent dominant win at Edgbaston, chose to bowl first again. But this time, it hasn’t quite gone their way.
Right from the get-go, the West Indies came out with intent. Even after losing Jewel Andrew early for a duck — caught by Jacks off Carse — the visitors looked unshaken. Brandon King and Keacy Carty formed a confident partnership that really laid down the foundation. England’s fielding didn’t help either. In fact, it was a bit of a horror show. Three dropped catches in just the first 20 overs — that’s something you don’t often see from this side. One of the most costly misses came when Ben Duckett dropped Carty when he was just on 1. Carty didn’t look back after that, reaching a composed half-century and punishing England’s lapse in the field.
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Brandon King, on the other hand, batted with remarkable fluency, racing toward his own milestone with nine boundaries. He’s been timing the ball sweetly all over the ground and forming the backbone of this innings. At drinks, West Indies were 84 for 1 — clearly the happier side at that point — and by 19.2 overs, they’d reached 110 for 1.
Saqib Mahmood was probably England’s most consistent bowler, maintaining pressure with tight lines, but even he was let down by dropped chances. Jacob Bethell’s brief bowling spell leaked runs, and Potts and Rashid haven’t been able to pull things back yet. There’s some real work to do for the England bowlers in the middle overs.
It’s also been great to hear Roland Butcher’s commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra — providing calm, insightful analysis and praising the control shown by Adil Rashid despite the pressure. But even Rashid hasn’t had much of a chance to change the game so far.
England fans might be hoping this trend — dropping early chances — doesn’t come back to haunt them. Stats suggest that while England have managed to win ODIs after poor starts like this (they did it against Australia in 2024), it’s not something to bank on regularly.
So, with the West Indies well set and looking to post a challenging total, the game is very much alive. The English bowlers need to tighten up, and the batters will need to be prepared for a big chase if things continue like this. It's turning into a real test of character for this young England side.
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