In their first Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup in St. Lucia, England defeated the host West Indies by eight wickets thanks to the six fours Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow scored in one over.
In Romario Shepherd’s 16th over, Salt (87 from 47 balls) hit three sixes and as many fours, good for thirty runs. This gave the reigning champions the momentum they needed to win at Gros Islet by helping them reach the objective of 181 with 15 balls remaining.
England Triumphs Over West Indies :
Along with Salt, Bairstow amassed an unbroken 97 runs off 44 balls for the third wicket after hitting an unbeaten 48 off 26 balls. In the fifteenth over of play, Bairstow struck three straight fours against left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.
At the beginning of the 14th over, the Yorkshire player also struck two straight fours off fast bowler Alzarri Joseph. England needed 70 runs off 42 balls at first. They ended the powerplay at 58-0 thanks to Salt and Jos Buttler (25 off 22 balls), but the West Indies rallied in the middle overs.
Based on net run rate, Buttler’s squad leads Super 8 Group 2 over South Africa. They play the Proteas on Friday at 3:30 PM UK and Ireland time in St. Lucia.
The most impressive bowler for England was the spinner Adil Rashid (1-21), who dismissed the dangerous Andre Russell (1) in the 17th over while giving up just two runs. Jofra Archer, a fast bowler, bowled 16 overs, giving up just four runs while dismissing Nicholas Pooran, who had 36 off 32 balls. The West Indies were limited to 180-4 thanks in large part to these overs.
During the powerplay, the hosts enjoyed a strong spell from Brandon King (23 off 13 balls), who hit a 101-meter six off Reece Topley. But he may miss the remainder of the competition due to a side strain.
The West Indies, who felt horrible about losing Salt’s catch off Hosein’s bowling, will take on the USA in their upcoming game on Saturday at 1:30 PM in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Salt shines in St. Lucia as England leaves its mark.
At the beginning of the 16th over, Salt blasted Shepherd over covers for a four to complete his half-century in 38 balls. Then, off a slower delivery, he blasted an uppercut four over wicketkeeper Pooran and a six.
After hitting sixes over long-off and deep backward square, the opener carried on his rampage and finished the over with more runs off a full throw on the off side. With only 10 runs remaining off 24 balls, England was almost certain to win the game.
Earlier, Salt and Buttler shared a partnership of 67 runs off of 46 balls before Buttler was leg before wicket by off-spinner Roston Chase. Russell also removed Moeen Ali (13 off 10 balls), restricting England to just 53 runs between overs seven and thirteen.
Still, Bairstow rekindled the innings before Salt’s spectacular ending.
Using the ball, West Indies skipper Rovman Powell (36 off 17 balls) was blasted for three sixes in four balls by spinner Liam Livingstone (1-20), who eventually removed him from the game. In the eighteenth over, fast bowler Mark Wood let up 19 runs to Sherfane Rutherford (28* from 15 balls).
However, England’s spinners Rashid and Moeen (1-15) kept the run rate low, while top scorer Johnson Charles (38 off 34 balls) batted patiently, keeping the hosts under pressure.
England now appears to be a serious threat for the championship once more after moving on to the Super 8 based on net run rate, ahead of Scotland.
Buttler: England did a great job at batting.
“I thought the performance was excellent. We had a great plan, and we played both bat and ball to earn the victory.
” We were very successful in keeping a potent batting lineup in check. We played smart batting, but chasing that score was still a good task.
” The players were thoughtful in their choices of alternatives, and I found the Bairstow-Salt partnership to be outstanding. With a strong intent, Bairstow restored the momentum, but Salt’s huge over broke the back of the chase.
” Many say you learn from your losses, but I think you can learn from your victories as well. Before moving on to the next game, we must evaluate what we performed correctly.
Powell: The West Indies should emphasize their advantages.
“With the bat, I believe we were short by 15 to 20 runs. Although we normally do well in the final five overs, we must give England’s bowling unit credit for their well-thought-out strategy and flawless execution.
We were not the best bowling group in the world. We were damaged by Phil [Salt], who always scores against the West Indies, but I thought we deviated a little from our game plan. “As a batting and bowling team, we need to reevaluate our performance and concentrate on the positives from this match. Our fate is still in our hands, so we must play top-notch cricket.”
