BRIDGETOWN — England captain Jos Buttler made a triumphant return from damage with an explosive half-century, main his staff to a powerful seven-wicket victory over the West Indies within the second T20I at Kensington Oval on Sunday.
This commanding win offers England a 2-0 sequence lead within the best-of-five matchup, placing them in prime place at hand the West Indies their first residence T20 sequence loss since 2023.
Requested to bat first, the West Indies once more struggled towards England’s tempo assault, posting a modest 158 for eight. Saqib Mahmood and Jofra Archer rapidly seized management, with Mahmood eradicating Brandon King for only one within the innings’ opening moments. Archer adopted up by dismissing Evin Lewis with a rising supply, placing the Windies in hassle at 20 for 2 inside three overs.
Roston Chase supplied some resistance with a pair of well-timed drives however was trapped lbw by Mahmood for 13, and by the fourth over, the hosts had been diminished to 35 for 3. Makes an attempt at consolidation by Nicholas Pooran and captain Rovman Powell yielded a gradual however gradual 35-run partnership. Nonetheless, Pooran was ultimately stumped after misjudging a flighted ball from Livingstone, and shortly after, Sherfane Rutherford fell to spin as properly, leaving the West Indies at a deadly 80 for 5.
A quick glimmer of hope
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Powell’s efforts, together with an enormous six off Adil Rashid, gave a quick glimmer of hope, however he too was bowled by Dan Mousley for a prime rating of 43 from 41 balls. Temporary bursts of resistance from Romario Shepherd (22 off 12) and Matthew Forde (13 not out) helped elevate the West Indies to their ultimate rating. Mahmood, Livingstone, and Mousley all claimed two wickets every.
In response, England’s chase was spearheaded by Buttler’s dynamic 83 off 45 balls, backed by a 129-run stand with Will Jacks. Though opener Phil Salt fell to Akeal Hosein’s first supply, Buttler rapidly made up for it. He shifted gears within the fourth over with consecutive boundaries off Matthew Forde, and within the sixth over, he hammered Shepherd for 21 runs.
Buttler introduced up his fifty by smashing Chase over midwicket for six, setting England comfortably at 94 for one on the midway mark. Jacks contributed a brisk 38 off 29 balls earlier than being caught by Shepherd, whereas Buttler was dismissed shortly afterward making an attempt one other boundary. By then, the end result was inevitable, and Livingstone sealed the sport with a fast 23 off 11 balls.
The sequence continues with the third T20I in St. Lucia on Thursday, the place England might safe the sequence victory.