| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
Antigua: West Indies face England in a three-match one-day series starting Friday under pressure to reverse a run of poor form that could see them facing the indignity of having to qualify for the next World Cup in 2019.
The top eight teams in the International Cricket Council ODI rankings at the end of September 2017 automatically advance to the event in England. The West Indies -- struggling in ninth spot three points behind Pakistan and a further two adrift of Bangladesh -- have only this series, a return duel in England in September and, critically, three matches against Pakistan in the Caribbean in April to make the cut.
West Indies already failed to qualify for Champions Trophy in June.
West Indies' last victory in a head-to-head series was in 2007 in England under the leadership of Chris Gayle, one of several prominent players now ruled ineligible for regional representative duty due to commitments to lucrative T20 franchise tournaments around the world.
Both teams are coming off series losses, the West Indies failing to advance to the final of a three-nation tournament in Zimbabwe last November that also involved Sri Lanka, and England falling to India in January after being thrashed in the preceding Test series at the end of 2016.
Notwithstanding the favourites' tag, the English will also be wary of the conditions as well as the opposition following contrasting victories in two warm-up matches against what was effectively a West Indies second-string outfit in St Kitts.
While most of the frontline batsmen were able to get decent scores in a commanding performance on Saturday, they laboured on the same pitch at Warner Park two days later, eking out a two-wicket win after the middle-order stuttered against the spinners.
West Indies are likely to play both frontline slow bowlers, Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse.
England, who have summoned Tom Curran from the Lions tour of Sri Lanka to replace fast-medium bowler Jake Ball -- an injury casualty from the second warm-up match -- are likely to counter with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid seeking to exploit a dry, wearing pitch.
Teams from
West Indies: Jason Holder (Captain), Kieran Powell, Ashley Nurse, Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis, Alzarri Joseph, Shai Hope, Shannon Gabriel, Shane Dowrich (wk), Miguel Cummins, Jonathan Carter, Kraigg Brathwaite, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo and Rovman Powell
England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Liam Dawson, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Billings (wk), Tom Curran, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali and Alex Hales
Pitch and conditions
With the surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound expected to be of a similar nature,
Stats and trivia
Steven Finn needs two-wicket for 100 wickets in One day Internationals (ODIs).
Match facts
Friday Mar 3, 2017
Start time 09:30 local (13:30 GMT)
