GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – West Indies made a timid begin to the Tremendous Eight stage of the ICC Males’s Twenty20 World Cup when their batting did not ignite, and Phil Salt continued his love affair with their bowling and waltzed England to an eight-wicket win on Wednesday.
The Caribbean workforce couldn’t get into gear after they had been put into bat, and opener Brandon King retired damage on 23 with a aspect pressure within the fifth over; their last complete of 180 for 4 from their allocation of 20 overs all the time regarded insufficient on a tough, precise Daren Sammy Cricket Floor (DSCG) pitch.
The pitch below the lights offered little help to their bowlers, they usually had been unable to bail them out. Salt’s completely crafted, unbeaten 87 off 47 balls and Jonny Bairstow’s 48 not out led a profitable run chase for the defending champions.
“After batting first, I believe we left 15 or 20 runs on the market as a batting group,” West Indies captain Rovman Powell mentioned. “However we might have given a greater show with the ball as a bowling group.”
The issues for the event co-host intensified after wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran dropped Salt, on seven, off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein within the third over – an under-edge essaying a reduce – with the England opener not but absolutely into stride.
Powell tried Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Andre Russell, and tempo spearhead Alzarri Joseph within the Energy Play. Nonetheless, none of them might purchase a wicket, and England cruised to 58 with out loss with Salt and fellow opener Jos Buttler, the England captain, ticking alongside comfortably.
Much like the West Indies innings, England struggled for runs between the seventh and tenth overs of the innings, reaching 83 for one on the midway stage after Roston Chase made the breakthrough when he acquired Buttler lbw for 25 on overview, charging down the pitch and enjoying throughout the road within the eighth over.
Andre Russell adopted up with the scalp of left-hander Moeen Ali, caught at deep mid-wicket for 13 within the eleventh over, and it regarded just like the fortunes of the Caribbean aspect had been going to vary. Nonetheless, Bairstow got here to the crease and seized the initiative with some enterprising batting.
Hosein felt the load of Bairstow’s bat within the fifteenth over when he conceded a 4, a six, and a 4 off the primary three balls, however the match nonetheless hung within the steadiness, with England requiring 46 from the ultimate 5 overs.
All of it modified. Romario Shepherd, one in every of two adjustments to the West Indies line-up and a extremely questionable alternative forward of left-arm pacer Obed McCoy, delivered maybe probably the most forgettable over of his profession, and Salt hit him for 3 fours and three sixes to just about wrap up the competition.
“These sorts of probabilities to Salt are all the time tough,” Powell mentioned. “It’s a must to give credit score to Phil. He appears to love enjoying towards West Indies as a result of each time he performs towards us, he all the time hurts us, however we strayed away somewhat bit from our plans, particularly to Phil, and it’s only for us to look again at these plans and re-evaluate.”
Earlier, a handful of batters acquired begins for West Indies, however none of them carried on – hometown hero Johnson Charles led the best way with 38, Pooran hit 36, Powell blasted the identical rating in fast time, and Sherfane Rutherford tried to present the innings a flourish shut with 28 not out.
However the issues for the Caribbean aspect began when King went down attempting to blast Sam Curran out of the bottom simply when it appeared he was stepping into the swing of issues after slashing the left-arm pacer over quick third man for 4, they usually had reached 42 with out loss.
West Indies ended the Energy Play on 54 with out loss, however neither Charles nor Pooran might discover their hitting vary between the seventh and tenth overs, and the hosts limped to 82 with out loss on the midway stage.
Charles was caught contained in the long-on boundary off Ali within the twelfth over after a stand of 52 with Pooran carried West Indies to 94 for one, and Powell got here to the crease and jump-started the innings with 5 sixes in his 17-ball knock.
He was caught at quick third man off the uncomplicated leg spin of Liam Livingstone. He was one in every of three wickets that fell for six within the span of 12 balls, and the massive end that has typified the house workforce in latest instances by no means materialized.
West Indies fly out on Thursday to Barbados, the place they face Group “A” runners-up and fellow event co-hosts United States of their subsequent match on Friday below the lights at Kensington Oval earlier than they head to Antigua for an additional evening match towards Group D winners South Africa on the Vivian Richards Cricket Floor (VRCG).
England meet the South Africans of their subsequent match on Friday morning on the DSCG earlier than they full their Tremendous Eight schedule towards the People on Sunday morning at Kensington Oval.
The event continues on Thursday morning when Group “C” runners-up Afghanistan play Group “A” winners India within the opening match of Group 1 at Kensington Oval earlier than Group “B” winners and double crown world champions Australia collide with Group “D” runners-up Bangladesh in an evening match on the VRCG.
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