ST LUCIA – England will be braced for an assault on their senses when they take on a rampant West Indies in their first Super Eight match of this T20 World Cup at Gros Islet.

There’s not many cricket matches that are comparable to a European away game in football. But the old maxim of trying to quieten the crowd early on will certainly apply for Jos Buttler’s defending champions when they step out into a Caribbean cauldron in St Lucia on Thursday evening.

The 8.30pm start local time, 1.30am Thursday morning back in the UK, is primarily so that Indian TV audiences – the biggest concern when it comes to staging global events – have something to watch over breakfast.

But the late start will add significantly to the atmosphere at the Daren Sammy Stadium, the ground named after the current West Indies coach.

The setting in St Lucia is more Death in Paradise rather than “welcome to hell”, but the unique experience of a night game will be a huge test for England, who have yet to play under floodlights in this tournament.

In contrast three of the West Indies’ four matches have been played in the 8.30pm evening slot.

The last of those here in St Lucia on Monday saw the tournament co-hosts hammer 218 for five in their final first-round match against Afghanistan. It was the highest total of the tournament and a significant statement of intent from a team who extended their 100 per cent winning record in this World Cup to four games.

Significantly, this next match will take place on the same pitch, by far the best of a tournament that has been notable for its difficult batting surfaces.

England’s top six will be licking their lips at the prospect of trying to post a huge total under the St Lucian lights after a tournament that has seen their team restricted to just 33.1 overs with the bat.

The bowlers will be less enthused, especially after Nicholas Pooran’s electrifying 98 from 53 balls on Monday night. The Trinidadian power hitter’s eight sixes on the night took his total in T20 internationals past the West Indian record of 124 held by the Universe Boss himself, Chris Gayle.

Another warning for England was the fact West Indies scored 92 in the first six overs of their innings – the highest powerplay total in the history of the T20 World Cup.

England vs West Indies, T20 World Cup Super Eight

• Venue: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia
• Start time: 1.30am (BST)
• West Indies team (probable): BA King, J Charles, N Pooran (wkt), RL Chase, R Powell (capt), AD Russell, SE Rutherford, AJ Hosein, R Shepherd, AS Joseph, G Motie
• England team (probable): JC Buttler (wkt/capt) PD Salt, JM Bairstow, HC Brook, MM Ali, WG Jacks, SM Curran, CJ Jordan, JC Archer, AU Rashid, RJW Topley
• Umpires: N Menon (India), A Raza (Pakistan)
• TV umpire: S Shahid (Bangladesh)
• Weather: 30°C, windy

As Pooran peppered the packed stands at Gros Islet, the atmosphere was as electric as his hitting.

It wasn’t quite a full house – the priciest seats were less populated – but the noise was full on, with the soca music and shouts from the ground DJ blasting out every time a boundary was hit.

Expect the volume to be dialled up come Wednesday night, with tournament organisers telling i the 13,000-capacity was close to a sell-out on the eve of the game.

England are used to playing night games in the Caribbean, with the two T20s in Trinidad last December particularly lively.

But with the pressure of a World Cup semi-final place potentially on the line – there are two more Super Eight games for England after this but defeat here would be damaging – the atmosphere will be another challenge to overcome for a team who have yet to fire at this World Cup.

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Pooran made a point of saying how influential the crowd were on Monday, saying: “Yeah, they were amazing. We know for a fact that St Lucia is very loud.

“We really appreciate it. That’s one of the advantages of us playing a home World Cup. Whenever there’s fans, magic happens.”

There is a belief here in the Caribbean, too, that this team can win this tournament for a third time, with Sammy having led the West Indies to their first two titles in 2012 and 2016.

At Gros Islet on Monday, the sea of maroon was full of fans wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the team’s leitmotif for this tournament – “WI Ready”. And they really do look ready to do something special.

Yet the fact this contest is shaping up to be a slugfest may be no bad thing for an England team who have a batting line-up just as powerful as the West Indies.