Is Ben Stokes the lacking piece of white-ball puzzle for Harry Brook’s England?

Harry Brook lauded England’s depth with the bat after they chased down 197 to beat West Indies and clinch the T20I collection with a recreation to spare.

England swept West Indies 3-0 within the ODI collection and made it 5 wins on the bounce in opposition to the vacationers with a four-wicket victory in Bristol as Brook sealed his second collection win having been captain for simply 11 days.

The hosts had been made to work for his or her victory, with the run-rate climbing previous 11 an over at one stage as they chased West Indies’ formidable complete which Brook thought of below-par in gentle of the firepower in his ranks.

“I’ve said plenty of times, we have a lot of depth” he informed Sky Sports activities. “With small boundaries here, we felt West Indies were under par by about 30 runs.

“It offers us nice confidence realizing we have Will Jacks, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell batting 5, six and 7. The highest order can go on the market all weapons blazing.

“It is a great start from the boys in the T20s. We had a lot of fun out there. We chased the score beautifully.”

Atherton: England very assured of run chase

Brook fielded two seamers within the type of Brydon Carse and Luke Wooden, a method that instantly paid dividends as Wooden struck with the primary ball of the sport to take away Evin Lewis on his return to the T20 crew.

Parts of the daring choice had been exploited by West Indies, who smashed 82 off their final 5 overs, together with hitting Adil Rashid for 5 sixes in a 31-run nineteenth over – the second costliest by an English bowler in T20s – however regardless of that unwavering confidence persevered.

And England caught collectively to recover from the road, with 5 of their prime six making helpful contributions earlier than Bethell and Banton took the bull by the horns, the middle-order duo hammering 56 off simply 21 deliveries between them to maintain the great occasions rolling for Brook.

“Brook really likes that depth. We saw that in the balance of the ODI side,” Sky Sports activities’ Michael Atherton stated.

“That is how he likes to play. It’s largely how Eoin Morgan went about shaping his side, confidence with the down below to allow the top order to play with great freedom.

“We had [Luke] Wooden within the pod for the primary couple overs of England’s reply, and never for one second did he give off the sense that West Indies had sufficient runs.

“England were very confident that 190-odd was not enough, because this is a very difficult ground to defend on.”

England hanging their hats on Stokes?

If Brook is to stick with fielding such an array of batting expertise, the necessity for a real all-rounder solely will increase.

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull thinks Take a look at captain Stokes – who clinched the T20 World Cup in 2022 on his final look within the format for England – is the person for the job.

“I think England might be hanging their hats on convincing Stokes to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup,” he stated.

“I’m serious! They fully believe in that dressing room, and in that management group, that they will convince him to play.

“He then fills that position meaning they will go in with two real seamers, Stokes after which the spin choices they need within the aspect, which incorporates Bethell, Jacks, Rashid.”

England vs West Indies white-ball fixtures

All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports

One-day international series (May-June)

• First ODI, Edgbaston: England won by 238 runs
• Second ODI, Cardiff: England won by three wickets
• Third ODI, The Oval: England won by seven wickets

T20 international series (June)

• First T20I, Chester-le-Street: England won by 21 runs
• Second T20I, Bristol: England won by four wickets
• Third T20I: Tuesday June 10 (6.30pm) – Southampton

Watch the third T20 international between England and West Indies, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm on Tuesday (first ball, 6.30pm). Stream cricket with NOW