England vs West Indies Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2021 match?

In the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, Carlos Brathwaite pumped Ben Stokes over the rope four times in a final over that is now etched in the rich history of the competition. Five years on, the marquee ICC event has returned, and familiar foes England and West Indies face off in a titanic Group 1 clash on Saturday, October 23 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Stokes and Brathwaite aren't part of their respective national sides for the T20 World Cup, but England and West Indies are arguably the two most power-packed sides in the tournament. With their aggressive batting approach promising entertainment, fireworks are all but guaranteed as the Super 12 stage kicks off.

England have won four of their last five T20Is, but they aren't at their very best heading into the T20 World Cup. Jofra Archer and Stokes are two massive misses for the defending 50-over champions, whose usually carefree batting approach has sometimes backfired in the recent past.

Meanwhile, West Indies have a few concerns of their own. Apart from a T20I series loss to South Africa that saw their explosiveness curtailed, two terribly sedate warm-up matches have cast a damp shadow on one of the most feared shortest-format teams ever.

Nevertheless, the T20 World Cup usually brings the best out of England and West Indies, who have no time to waste in a highly competitive Group 1.

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T20 World Cup 2021: T20 titans look to overcome form concerns in massive opener

Can West Indies captain Kieron Pollard inspire his team to a title defense?

How will West Indies fit so many big hitters into one playing XI? That's the big question Kieron Pollard and the think tank have to answer ahead of the T20 World Cup, especially in the absence of Jason Holder's calm head.

Roston Chase has talked up playing a role similar to that of Marlon Samuels, but the all-rounder has often been sucked into awfully slow phases of run-scoring. With Chris Gayle far from his best as well, West Indies need to get their batting plans in order against an attacking England bowling attack.

Pollard and Nicholas Pooran played a couple of entertaining knocks in the warm-up games, but consistency is something that has eluded them in the T20I format. Shimron Hetmyer was one of the Delhi Capitals' best performers in the 2021 Indian Premier League, and he will look to carry his good form into a role higher up the order.

Meanwhile, England's playing XI picks itself for the most part. Dawid Malan's starting woes have finally caught up to him, and he seems set to be sacrificed in favor of more dynamic batters. The middle order of Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow is exceptionally dangerous, and the Three Lions will hope that captain Eoin Morgan somehow finds a way out of the miserable run of form he's in.

The returning Tymal Mills will be crucial to England's chances in the T20 World Cup, as will wicket-taking options Mark Wood and Adil Rashid. Wood's express pace will be the closest England can come to replacing Archer, while Rashid picked up three wickets in the second warm-up game to assuage concerns over his form.

Overall, England's players seem much more capable of adjusting to the UAE's conditions. A settled opening pair, a well-rounded bowling attack and a comparatively good performance in the warm-up games mean that the white-ball kings could start their T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note.

Every single member of the West Indies playing XI could win them the game single-handedly, but it's tough to see them coming up with the goods after the practice games they had. The defending champions might need to wait a little longer to resume their dominance over the T20 World Cup.

Prediction: England to win Match 14 of the T20 World Cup