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

Sunday, 8 June 2025 20:20

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

England swept West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series and made it five wins on the bounce against the tourists with a four-wicket victory in Bristol as Brook sealed his second series win having been captain for just 11 days.

The hosts were made to work for their victory, with the run-rate climbing past 11 an over at one stage as they chased West Indies' formidable total which Brook considered below-par in light of the firepower in his ranks.

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"I've said plenty of times, we have a lot of depth" he told Sky Sports. "With small boundaries here, we felt West Indies were under par by about 30 runs.

"It gives us great confidence knowing we've got Will Jacks, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell batting five, six and seven. The top order can go out there all guns 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 confident of run chase

Brook fielded two seamers in the form of Brydon Carse and Luke Wood, a strategy that immediately paid dividends as Wood struck with the first ball of the game to remove Evin Lewis on his return to the T20 team.

Elements of the bold selection were exploited by West Indies, who smashed 82 off their last five overs, including hitting Adil Rashid for five sixes in a 31-run 19th over - the second most expensive by an English bowler in T20s - but despite that unwavering confidence persisted.

And England stuck together to get over the line, with five of their top six making handy contributions before Bethell and Banton took the bull by the horns, the middle-order duo hammering 56 off just 21 deliveries between them to keep the good times rolling for Brook.

"Brook really likes that depth. We saw that in the balance of the ODI side," Sky Sports' Michael Atherton said.

"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] Wood in the pod for the first couple overs of England's reply, and not for one moment did he give off the sense that West Indies had enough 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 persist with fielding such an array of batting talent, the need for a genuine all-rounder only increases.

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull thinks Test captain Stokes - who clinched the T20 World Cup in 2022 on his last appearance in the format for England - is the man for the job.

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

"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 role that means they can go in with two genuine seamers, Stokes and then the spin options they want in the side, which includes 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