13th Jun 2012 | Cricket
England v West Indies ODI Series: Eoin Morgan
A quick scorer and returned to form with a century for Middlesex at the weekend.
With poor weather already wrecking the domestic season, rain could play havoc with the upcoming One Day International series between England and the West Indies. Conditions could become somewhat of a lottery and I’d be surprised if at least one match wasn’t reduced in overs or decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
We could end up with a series that is part 50-over part Twenty-20 and this affects our approach to the top batsman market. To help with my selection process I have combined career averages from both formats of the game, using ‘runs per match’ rather than the usual batting average as my metric. This favours top order batsman who are likely to get more opportunities at the crease, especially in truncated matches.
Looking at the top-six, Eoin Morgan jumps out. The left-hander is a fast scorer and if any of the games are reduced in overs he could still make an impact. After a disappointing winter for England, there are signs Morgan is returning to form. He scored 116 for Middlesex last weekend and he should carry that confidence into the one-day series. At 6/1 (Bet365) he is the value bet to be England’s leading run scorer.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 15:53 13th Jun, 2012 but subject to change
