Lords, June 23 (IANS) A top-of-the-table battle awaits at Lord’s on Wednesday when unbeaten England Women take on fellow undefeated West Indies Women in a potentially decisive Group 2 clash of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

England have been one of the stars of the tournament, winning all three of their games and having an impressive net run rate of +2.490. The hosts have looked dominant with bat and ball, recording a commanding win over Scotland overcoming the absence of captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Sophia Dunkley produced a fluent 57 at No.3 and there have been contributions too from Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey and Heather Knight in a batting unit that put on 200 runs in their previous outing. England’s bowling attack has been just as effective with Charlie Dean leading the way and Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone offering wicket-taking threats throughout the innings.

Meanwhile, West Indies have quietly put together their own perfect run and are second in the group. Captain Hayley Matthews continues to be the key with both bat and ball. She hasn’t really exploded in this tournament yet but she is getting there. 48 against New Zealand and 17 against Sri Lanka are signs of her getting into her rhythm. Matthews also has a great record against England including a T20I century. The Caribbean side have firepower in their ranks with experienced campaigners Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle to test England’s credentials.

When: Wednesday, June 24 at 11:00 PM IST

Where: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Where to watch: The England vs West Indies clash will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and live streaming on JioStar.

Squads:

England: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Shawnisha Hector

–IANS

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