In an exhilarating encounter on the Brian Lara Stadium on Thursday, Shai Hope displayed nerves of metal as he struck an important six off the second ball of the ultimate over, main the West Indies to a hard-fought four-wicket victory over World champions England. This victory secured a 3-2 collection win for the Caribbean facet within the five-match Twenty20 Worldwide collection.
Chasing a modest goal of 133 runs, the West Indies discovered themselves in a precarious place, slipping from a powerful 95 for 3 within the fifteenth over to 123 for six within the penultimate over. The collection decider was finely balanced.
Going through the daunting process of 9 runs required from the final over bowled by left-arm pacer Sam Curran, the West Indies received off to a dramatic begin, managing to scramble three runs off the primary ball because of a lucky under-edge by Jason Holder to deep-square.
The match-winner
Hope, who proved to be the match-winner, relieved the mounting stress by expertly slicing the subsequent supply, a large full-length ball, for a six. His unbeaten 43, scored at a run-a-ball, secured the victory for the West Indies.
West Indies captain Rovman Powell counseled Hope’s resilience, stating, “We saved on shedding wickets at key occasions, however we all the time knew that Shai Hope was going to be the essential man on this wicket.” He emphasised the importance of getting a participant who may grind out runs in difficult situations.
Contributing to the West Indies’ profitable run chase had been Sherfane Rutherford, who contributed an important 30 off 24 balls, and Johnson Charles, who made 27 off 22 deliveries in his first match of the collection.
England had struggled to a below-par complete of 132 all out
Earlier within the match, England had struggled to a below-par complete of 132 all out within the closing over. Opener Phil Salt top-scored with 38 from 22 balls, whereas Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali contributed 28 and 23 runs, respectively. Nevertheless, England’s innings declined quickly from 110 for 4 within the fifteenth over, with their final six wickets falling for simply 22 runs within the span of 30 deliveries.
The standout performer with the ball for the West Indies was Gudakesh Motie, who delivered a outstanding spell of three for twenty-four in his 4 overs, accounting for key wickets, together with Salt, Livingstone, and Harry Brook.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged that adapting to the situations proved difficult for his crew, stating, “We most likely didn’t fairly handle to adapt rapidly sufficient. I believed 160 would’ve been a good rating to attempt to defend.”
Regardless of just a few early setbacks, the West Indies secured a significant victory, making certain a collection win, with Hope enjoying a pivotal position within the decisive moments of the match.
