West Indies Clinches T20I Series Victory Against England in Tense Final Match
Windies make it back-to-back white-ball wins over England
Fireworks from Shai Hope helps Caribbean team seal T20I series success over old foes
Rovman Powell, who until recently was only a semi-present pick in the one-day format, skippered the West Indies to a thrilling 3-2 T20I series triumph over England on Thursday.
The powerful all rounder from Jamaica played a captain’s role with an explosive innings to get the T20I series off with a bang in Barbados. With the series all square until the final T20I contest in Trinidad & Tobago, the intricate planning and individual performances helped push West Indies past the finish line inside the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
Shai Hope’s sizzling six guided the Caribbean side to a deserved 5th T20I victory with four deliveries to spare, to send the squad and their supporters ecstatic.
Hope’s exploits with the bat seem effortless in the one-day format. Having played a major role as the Windies ended a 25-year wait to win an ODI home series over England, the brilliant Bajan assisted the Caribbean side mastermind a 3-2 T20I victory.
Chasing a small total, having surprisingly rattled England out for 132, the West Indies were always expecting to clinch a morale-boosting win.
England seemed to have hit cruise control in the early stages to reach 70-3 after eight overs. They then crumbled. Wickets rapidly tumbled once Moeen Ali was dismissed, to leave the tourists at 110-5 in the 15th over.
The response saw rapid runs on the scorecard for the Windies, but Hope’s introduction in the fourth over at 33-2 was the turning point. A slow 41-run fourth wicket partnership with usual lower order batsman Sherfane Rutherford left the West Indies desperately needing to up the ante.
Powell and Andre Russell made little impact, which left former skippers Jason Holder and Hope at the crease. It was Hope’s unbeaten 43 in 43 balls that turned the tables, belting Chris Woakes over cover for his only six to seal the series in style.
Powell admitted: “We kept losing key wickets, but we always knew Shai Hope was going to be the important man on this pitch. When England batted on it we knew it was not going to offer a lot of shots.
“We had someone in Shai who could graft in the middle overs and get to 40 off 35 balls that would serve us as a batting group well.”
With their tails up following the 2-1 ODI series success, the Windies made it a hat-trick of one-day format triumphs at Barbados’ Kensington Oval in Bridgetown with a four-wicket win in the 1st T20I.
Before Phil Salt was dismissed in the seventh over, the Windies were second best. But then Alzarri Joseph and Andre Russell tore through the England innings to each bag a three-wicket haul as the tourists were whittled out for 171.
Hope (36), Kyle Mayers (35), Powell (31no) and Russell (29no) were fearless with the bat as the Windies reached their set target.
The cavalier batting displays from Jamaican duo of Brandon King (82no) and Powell (50) helped set up a solid knock of 176-7 in the 2nd T20I in Barbados.
This proved too hot to handle for England, with Sam Curren’s 28-ball half century the only thorn in the side for the Windies who recorded a 10-run triumph.
England reduced the deficit with a solid seven-wicket win in Grenada. The 3rd T20I became the Phil Salt show, after notching his maiden century in the format off just 51 deliveries before finishing with an unbeaten 109.
Nicholas Pooran’s brilliant 45-ball knock of 82 helped guide the West Indies to a respectable 222-6.
In reply the result was in the balance, with England needing 31 off the last two overs. Joseph only conceded 10 runs, but Russell was unable to hold his nerve with Harry Brook smashing four boundaries off the first three deliveries and bagging 21 runs in the final over.
Salt’s rich vein of form continued in the 4th T20I in Trinidad & Tobago. His 119 included 10 sixes as England finished on 267-3.
Chasing England’s highest-ever T20I total proved too much for the Windies, who suffered a 75-run defeat to level the series.
The West Indies gave it go, bagging 87 off the initial six overs and Russell trying to make amends for his part in the 3rd T20I loss with a quickfire 24-ball half-century.
Following theor 5th T20I victory, the West Indies can end the year devoid of the disappointment of missing the ODI World Cup finals for the first time with back-to-back white-ball series successes over old foes England.
Powell added: “I try to lead from the front and, as a captain, if you do that people will follow.
“A lot of times in the Caribbean we as players are unhappy with the work that goes on with the grounds, but hats off to them they have done fantastic.
“The pitches have been good and credit to the grounds people right across the Caribbean. We had good wickets in Barbados, Grenada and again here in Trinidad.”
T20I Series | West Indies beat England 3-2
1st T20I (12 December)
WI won by 4 wickets
England 171 all out (19.3 overs)
WI 172-6 (18.1 overs)
2nd T20I (14 December)
WI won by 10 runs
WI 176-7 (20 overs)
England 166-7 (20 overs)
3rd T20I (16 December)
England won by 7 wickets
WI 222-6 (20 overs)
England 223-3 (19.5 overs)
4th T20I (19 December)
England won by 75 runs
England 267-3 (20 overs)
WI 192 all out (15.3 overs)
5th T20I (21 December)
WI won by 4 wickets
England 132 all out (19.3 overs)
WI 133-6 (19.2 overs)
ODI Series | West Indies beat England 2-1
1st ODI (3 December)
WI won by 4 wickets
England 325 all out (50 overs)
WI 326-6 (48.8 overs)
2nd ODI (6 December)
England won by 6 wickets
WI 202 all out (39.4 overs)
England 206-4 (32.5 overs)
3rd ODI (9 December)
WI won by 4 wickets (DLS Method)
England 206-9 (40 overs)
WI 191-6 (31.4 overs)
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