In a gripping series decider, the West Indies cricket team maintained composure in the crucial last over to secure a 3-2 victory over reigning world champions England in their Twenty20 series on Thursday.
Despite England setting a modest target of 132, their bowlers displayed resilience in the final moments, injecting tension into the match at Brian Lara Stadium.
Reece Topley removed West Indies captain Rovman Powell in the 17th over, while Sam Curran dismissed Andre Russell in the 19th over, raising hopes for England.
However, it was captain Shai Hope’s inning of 43 runs of 43 balls and then later on Sherfane Rutherford’s conservative inning of 30 runs of 24 balls is what lead the West Indies team to win the match by 4 wickets and seal the series 3-2.
Batting first, England, falling well short of their Tuesday record of 267-3, managed only five sixes on the challenging pitch. Phil Salt, the top scorer for England, couldn’t replicate his previous heroics and was dismissed for 38 off 22 balls after hitting his first six in the seventh over.
Despite an unchanged lineup, England faced a collapse, losing key wickets in quick succession. West Indies’ precision in bowling and fielding, particularly showcased by Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein, played a pivotal role.
Motie and Hosein, both left-arm spinners, claimed five wickets for 44 runs, dismissing five of the top six batters.
The contributions of Moeen Ali (23 off 21) and Liam Livingstone (28 off 29) weren’t enough to salvage the innings, as their dismissals triggered a collapse of the last five wickets for a mere 11 runs. Russell and Holder also made significant contributions, each taking two wickets.
