Article by David Harris

England won the T20I against the West Indies after defeating the regional team by three wickets in a close match at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia on Thursday night. 

Set a target of 146 for victory England scored 149 runs in 19.2 overs. The visitors losing the wickets of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell for 43 runs at the end of the Power Play. 

Opener Will Jacks (32) and Sam Curran (41) steadied the innings with a fourth wicket partnership of 38 runs. Jacks faced 33 balls and counted three fours, after Jacks’ dismissal, Curran and Liam Livingstone (39) added 39 vital runs for the fifth wicket. 

Livingstone received three chances during his stay at the crease. Wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran dropped him on six, off fast bowler Alzarri Joseph returning from his two-match suspension. 

His second chance came when he was dropped by Pooran off left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie on eight, and Shimron Hetmeyer failed to clasp a low chance at midwicket off Motie when Livington had scored 21. 

   Livingstone made the most of his reprieves, he struck Joseph for 16 runs in the 18^th over before being caught at long-off by Ramario Sheperd off Motie, by then England was within sight of victory. Motie was the most successful bowler for the West Indies with four wickets for 27 runs.  

Earlier England won the toss for the third consecutive time and opted to field; the West Indies innings began disastrously losing five wickets for 37 runs in the sixth over, Rovman Powell (50) and Shepherd repaired the damage with 73 runs for the sixth wicket that took the score to 110 runs in the 16^th over. 

The West Indies looked set to make a big score when fast bowler Jamie Overton trapped Shepherd lbw and picked up the wickets of Powell and Motie. 

Joseph 21 not out and Akeal Hosein who was unbeaten on eight added 23 runs in the final two overs to take the score to 145 for eight wickets. 

Man of the Match pacer Saqib Mahmood who took the early wickets at the start of the West Indies innings captured for 17 runs, and Overton picked up three wickets for 20 runs. 

Article by David Harris

England took a 2-0 lead over the West Indies with an emphatic seven wicket victory at Kensington Oval on Sunday night. 

Chasing 159 runs for victory captain Jos Buttler smashed a 45-ball 83 which included eight fours and six sixes to guide England to victory in 14.5 overs; Will Jacks contributed 38, and Liam Livingstone made an unbeaten 23 runs. 

England had an early setback in the chase when opener Phil Salt who made a century in the first match was dismissed by left –arm spinner Akeal Hosein for a golden duck; but Buttler and Jacks shared a massive second partnership of 129 runs that placed the visitors on the road to victory. 

Buttler and Jacks were dismissed by medium pacer Romario Shepherd in the 13^th over with the score on 130 by then England needed 29 runs to win the match, and Livingstone blasted three fours and a six to take the Englishmen over the line in the 15^th over. Shepherd took two wickets for 42 runs from 3. 5 expensive overs. 

Earlier, the West Indies scored 158 for eight wickets after England won the toss and decided to field. Even though England bowlers were wayward with their lines they picked up the early wickets of Brandon King, Evin Lewis and Roston Chase to leave the West Indies wobbling at 35 for three wickets in the fourth over. 

Captain Rovman Powell made 43 and Shepherd got 22 but their score 158 was insufficient to prevent the West Indies suffering a second consecutive defeat by England in two days. 

Pacer Saqib Mahmood took two wickets 20 runs, Liam Livingstone captured two wickets for 16 runs with a mixture of off-breaks and leg-breaks, and off-spinner Dan Mousley picked two wickets for 29 runs.  

Article by David Harris

Opener Phil Salt smashed an unbeaten century (103 off 54 balls) to pave the way for England’s commanding victory over the West Indies at Kensington Oval on Saturday night. 

Chasing a competitive target of 183, Salt shared an unbroken third wicket partnership of 107 with Barbados born Jacob Bethell (58 not out from 36 balls) to guide England to victory with 19 balls to spare. It was the highest successful chase in a T20I at Kensington Oval. 

  Salt grew up in Barbados, he and Bethell played their school cricket at Harrison College, and there were plenty of their friends and family in the stands watching them destroying the West Indies bowlers. 

Salt struck nine fours and six sixes during his innings, and Bethell counted five fours and two sixes. 

England’s run chase began at a rapid rate with Salt and Will Jacks (17) scoring 73 runs before Jacks was bowled left arm spinner Gudakesh Motie off the final ball of the sixth over. 

Captain Jos Buttler’s international comeback did not last long, he was dismissed for a golden duck by Romario Shepherd. 

At that stage the West Indies hoped to get back into the game, but Salt and Bethell thwarted their plans. 

Earlier, the West Indies made 182 for nine wickets after England won the toss and opted to field. They were in deep trouble at 18 for three wickets in the fourth over, after fast bowler Saqib Mahmood took the wickets of Brandon King, Evin Lewis, and Shimron Hetmeyer. 

England’s bowlers continued chip away at the wickets and the West Indies slipped to 69 for five wickets. Nicholas Pooran (38 off 29 balls) tried to hold the innings together but when his wicket at 117 for eight wickets in the 14^th over, the regional side was in danger of being dismissed below a par score. 

Andre Russell (30 off 17 balls), Romario Shepherd (35 not out from 22 balls) and an entertaining 33 not out by Motie from 14 balls give the West Indies a strong finish.   

Unfortunately, the West Indies score was a walk in the park for Salt and Bethell. Mahmood took four wickets for 34 runs, and Rashid picked up three for 32.