Watch cricket video highlights of England tour of West Indies 2024. Fourth Twenty/20 between West Indies and England. Venue of the match will be Gros Islet.
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In their last Twenty20 International match against England, West Indies achieved a record-breaking consolation victory because to an incredible exhibition of ball-striking by openers Shai Hope and Evin Lewis. With 10 sixes and 11 fours between them, the two put together a 136-run partnership off just 55 balls to overwhelm a significant portion of their 219 target. Rovman Powell’s 23-ball 38 then made further inroads, and Sheraine Rutherford saw them home in the most successful run-chase in T20Is at Darren Sammy Stadium and their second-highest in all T20Is.
England reached the joint-highest first-innings score at the stadium, matching West Indies’ 218 for 5 against Afghanistan in this year’s T20 World Cup, thanks to half-centuries from Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell. That came after England had reached fifty runs in the first five overs of the match thanks to a fast start from Salt and Will Jacks on a great surface. However, West Indies possessed the firepower to equal them this time and salvage something from a series that England had already decided after winning the first three games.
During the ODI portion of this trip, John Turner began the bowling and gave up only five runs off his opening over, marking his T20I debut after his first two England outings. Turner’s second went for an incredible 25, beginning with Lewis’s six over deep backward square and concluding with 4, 4, 6, 4 from Hope as West Indies showed they were ready for battle. Saqib Mahmood followed up with a maiden. Hope maintained his superb form with a stunning drive off Sam Curran after back-to-back fours from Mahmood, who has given the hosts a lot of grief this season.
Three balls after smashing Rehan Ahmed over deep midwicket for six, Hope blasted a brilliant four in front of the square to reach his fifth T20I fifty and third this year in only 23 balls. After Liam Livingstone joined the attack, Lewis launched into action with a six over long-on and a four to reach the West Indies’ century off 7.3 overs. At 105 meters, Lewis’s second six was really stunning as he caught Livingstone’s leg-break and sent it down hard over long on.
He then completed a 30-run over with another six, avoiding Bethell as he flung himself futilely just inside the rope at deep midwicket. Before holing out to Dan Mousley, who was rushing in from the cover boundary off Rehan, Lewis reached 68 from just 31 balls and achieved his fifty in 26 balls with a four off Curran. As Livingstone hit the ball into the bowler with Hope still backing up, Nicholas Pooran pushed a Rehan delivery to mid-on and sent Hope back, resulting in Hope being run out the following ball.
Pooran then edged a googly, Rehan’s subsequent delivery, onto his off stump. West Indies needed 81 runs in 60 balls and had two new batsmen at the crease after 10 overs, which put them at 138 for 3, their best score at the midway stage in a T20I innings. It hinted at more surprises to come. Shimron Hetmyer was removed by Livingstone’s superb catch over his shoulder as he ran back from mid-on, although he departed the field after seemingly jarring his knee during the effort.
The fact that Powell, the captain of the West Indies, was looking all business after racing to 27 in 14 balls was equally worrying to England at the moment. He was trapped on the back thigh in line with off stump, giving his team 23 runs to score from 21 balls and being Turner’s first T20I wicket. If there was any more proof that it was the night of the West Indies, Rutherford’s curran, which he had skied far over the bowler’s head, fell in the center of four convergent fielders.
With seven balls left, Rutherford’s six off Mousley put his team within one boundary of victory as he and Roston Chase held fast. After taking just one, he won by hitting the very next over deep midwicket for yet another maximum. Obed McCoy’s costly opening over included two fours off Salt’s bat, nicked in front of square and rocketed over mid-off, and four leg byes due to some dubious fielding. When he was introduced in the third over, Akeal Hosein did not fare any better.
Salt hit two consecutive short balls for four runs over the covers and a thunderous six over midwicket before Jacks added a straight six to make it 18 runs off the over. As England’s openers led their side beyond fifty in 4.2 overs, Jacks continued to attack McCoy and Alzarri Joseph, hitting the latter for an 89-meter six over long-on. When Joseph dismissed Jacks with a short ball, top-edged behind square leg, there was no celebration.
Pooran went about to get everyone comfortable, while Joseph just scowled, lowered his head, and strode off to take his place in the outfield. However, Salt continued, hitting back-to-back fours off Powell to raise his fifty, hammered right down the ground, and skillfully cut through backward point. In addition to his undefeated 103 in the opening Twenty20 International, it was his third half-century of the trip.
A few seconds later, Salt held his breath when he miscued Hosein in the direction of McCoy, who did well to sprint in from a distance to meet it as it dropped just short of his dive. After trying a pull shot off Chase, he was dismissed shortly after. The ball brushed his glove and went down the leg side to a waiting Pooran for a 35-ball 55. After hitting boundaries off of Gudakesh Motie and Chase, Jos Buttler was destined to carry on England’s outstanding start. However, the two of them collaborated to finish Buttler’s innings on 38 when he reverse-swept Motie to Chase at backward point.
Livingstone was then easily dismissed by Motie, who was caught by Hetmyer at deep midwicket. However, Salt was already back in the changing room when Bethell grabbed the lead. In the first game of this series, Bethell’s half-century had been in a supporting position to Salt. Bethell, who was born in Barbados, reached his third fifty of the tour at 22 balls following three consecutive sixes from Chase. He was not out at 62 off just 32 balls, having hit four fours and cleared the boundary five times overall.
