Jos Buttler‘s blistering innings powered England’s chase in the second T20I as the visitors took a 2-0 lead over West Indies with a resounding seven wicket victory at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. A disciplined bowling performance helped England restrict West Indies to 158/8 before Jos Buttler struck a 45-ball 83, which included 8 fours and 6 sixes, to help his side race to the target in 14.5 overs.
Jos Buttler rampaged into form in his second innings back in charge of England’s T20I side, a brutal 83 off 45 balls helping to clinically ice a chase of 159 and give the tourists a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report and Conditions: “We are playing on pitch number 3. Change of pitch means change in dimensions, 61 and 65 meters on either side, 72 down the ground. There is a slight distinction in the pitch color. This is slightly darker because of the rain in the morning. It might do a little bit to the seamers. It is a little bit grey overhead. Dew might also play a part later on,” reckons Ian Bishop.
Toss : England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the playing XI with Reece Topley making way for Jofra Archer. Rovman Powell the West Indies skipper batting first made 3 changes to the playing XI with Andre Russell out due to niggle and Terrance Hinds making his international T20I debut.
Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley impress with ball to stop WI at 158 for 8 in 20 overs
Earlier, after being asked to bat, West Indies were dented by early wickets despite the England bowlers being slightly wayward with their lines. Nine wides were bowled in the first two overs, with Saqib Mahmood bowling eight of those. But he also picked up the wicket of Brandon King, who miscued a loft to depart for 1.
Evin Lewis fell to Jofra Archer, gloving a delivery with extra bounce to the ‘keeper. Roston Chase struck three fours, including two in an over of Mahmood, but fell to the same bowler soon after as West Indies ended the powerplay at 44/3.
There was early evidence of some juice in the pitch, with Bridgetown having been lashed by rain during the morning, as Evin Lewis edged Jofra Archer fortuitously wide of slip while attempting to leave in the first over. Brandon King was in no mood for sighters, though, and tried to thrash his second ball from Mahmood over the top: the ball stood up just enough off the surface to send a spiraling leading edge to mid-off.
Archer had Lewis prodding and poking in the channel, before producing a brute of a lifter to flick the glove through to Salt. And although Mahmood struggled at times to control the amount of movement on offer, conceding 10 wides in his opening three-over burst, he picked up his fifth powerplay wicket of the series when beating Chase on the inside to win an lbw decision that was backed up on DRS as umpire’s call. West Indies were 35 for 3 inside the fourth over – marginally better off than their start to the first T20I, but not by much.
West Indies needed a partnership and they got one from Powell and Nicholas Pooran – but it was not fluent. Pooran soon opted for seeing off the new-ball pair, given the movement on offer, while Powell was also circumspect, seeing off a maiden from Sam Curran in the eighth. The pair put on 35 from 43, with just a boundary apiece, before Pooran was lured from his ground by Livingstone, whose flighted off break left the West Indies No. 3 stranded.
Powell had crabbed his way to 18 off 28 before he found his range, panning Livingstone over the midwicket rope for the first six. He lost another partner in Sherfane Rutherford, England reviewing successfully for lbw, and then somehow managed to muscle Rashid on to the rope at extra cover, despite aiming down the ground.
Another boundary at the end of the over brought up West Indies’ 100; but just as Powell appeared set to unleash through the death overs, he was undone by Mousley’s 116kph/72mph yorker, which dipped under the bat to hit middle stump and give the 21-year-old his maiden international wicket.
England did well to cut off the boundaries from overs 7 to 10, forcing Nicholas Pooran’s attempt to up the pace. But in trying to do so, he was out stumped off Livingstone. Kieran Powell hit a big six off Livingstone but the bowler picked up his second wicket by having Sherfane Rutherford trapped in front, with England having to use the DRS to get the decision in their favour. Powell then hit a six and a four in an over off Adil Rashid but it took West Indies 15 overs to cross the 100 mark.
A watchful innings from Powell (43 off 41) came to an end when Dan Mousley delivered a perfect yorker to shatter the stumps. Gudakesh Motie and Shepherd struck a few boundaries but the former fell to Rashid, leaving West Indies at 126/7 after 18 overs.
The last two overs turned out well for West Indies as Sam Curran conceded 17 runs and Mousley gave away 15, with Shepherd and Matthew Forde coming up with useful cameos. The hosts only managed three boundaries between the end of the powerplay and the start of the 15th over, but after Powell’s dismissal, the lower order heaved away to good effect.
Motie made good use of the extra pace Mousley put on the ball to thrash two fours in three balls, before Shepherd took back-to-back boundaries off Archer and crunched Curran down the ground. Forde also found the ropes three times in six balls, all them sweetly struck, while Hinds hit his second ball in international cricket for four – Mousley’s final over costing 15, including five wides down the leg side. However, the total proved insufficient against a rampaging Buttler who put England in a good position to clinch the series.
Jos Buttler’s 83 of 45 deliveries powers England to 2-0 lead over West Indies.
Only three times had a score of 150 or less been defended in T20Is at Kensington Oval – and none since 2010. West Indies clearly needed to make early inroads with the new ball, and they couldn’t have gone any better in that regard. Akeal Hossein gave his first ball some air, found a little turn, and Salt’s aggressive thump went straight to hand in the covers. Jos Buttler was then late in jabbing down on Hossein’s fourth delivery, the ball deflecting off the toe of the bat before bouncing over the stumps. Might the pitch still be tricky to master.
England had an early setback in the chase as Phil Salt, the centurion in the first game, was dismissed for a duck off the first ball. But Jos Buttler and Will Jacks ensured a good powerplay for England, with both the batters striking regular boundaries and also a couple of sixes. The sixth over was especially productive for England, with Jacks hitting a four and Jos Buttler striking two fours and a six off Romario Shepherd to get 21 off the over.
The short answer was: no. Jacks did the early running, picking off boundaries against Matthew Forde and Hossein, with Jos Buttler scoring just three runs off his first 10 balls. Back-to-back fours off Forde followed, before Jacks deposited Hossein over long-off. England were beginning to feel a little more comfortable as Shepherd came on to bowl the final over of the powerplay – and they were metaphorically in a deckchair sipping from a cold bottle of Banks by the end of it.
Jacks again took the lead, clubbing four high over mid-off, before ceding the stage to Jos Buttler. His first of three consecutive boundaries was something of an ungainly hack that spun away to the rope at deep backward point, but that was followed up by emphatically drilling Shepherd’s slower ball over the sightscreen, then walking across to the change of length and flipping four more over the head of short fine leg, as England reached the end of the powerplay on 56 for 1.
Another bludgeon down the ground off Gudakesh Motie meant a replacement ball had to be sent for, and Jos Buttler went to a 32-ball half-century by smashing Roston Chase into the crowd in the 10th over of the chase.
Terrance Hinds, making his debut for West Indies, was collared for 15 runs as England brought up their 100 in the next, before Jos Buttler went 6-6-4 against Chase. He fell in the next over, three balls after Jacks – and one ball after being dropped in the covers. But the finish line was already in sight for England, Livingstone creaming four boundaries in 11 balls and sealing the result with a six.
West Indies couldn’t restrict the run flow even after the fielding restrictions were lifted as Jos Buttler dealt in sixes and also brought up a 32-ball fifty with a maximum off Roston Chase, helping England to 94/1 at the halfway stage. Both Jos Buttler and Jacks were batting in the 30s when the eighth over was completed but in the next four overs, the England captain had gone way ahead, racing into the 80s.
There was finally some respite for West Indies as Shepherd picked up the wickets of both Jacks (38) and Jos Buttler in the same over to end a massive 129-run stand. But that was short-lived as Liam Livingstone’s 23* off 11, with three fours and a six, got England over the line in the 15th over.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Rovman Powell the losing skipper said : It’s a trend in Barbados. Teams win the toss and bowl because of what it offers in the first six. It’s just a case of us trying to come out of the powerplay not three down. If you look at the stats, if you lose three in the powerplay, you end up on the losing side.
Case of somebody in the top four batting majority of the overs. It’s something we think about and something I try to rectify as captain. St Lucia provides a new challenge. Hopefully guys will be ready with the series on the line. If you find a win, you set up the series nicely.
Jos Buttler the winning skipper and Player of the Match for his 83 runs said : Great to spend some time in the middle. Bit scratchy in the first few balls but managed to come through that period. I’ve got lots of experience. Have batted in different positions. At number three, you can come in second ball or outside the powerplay. He’s got unbelievable talent (Will Jacks).
Can play shots not many others can. He played really smart. Realised I was going after the bowling and gave me the strike. Has played a lot of franchise cricket. On this ground it seems to be an advantage bowling first. There was a bit of movement. He’s pretty unique (Mousley).. Not many guys bowl like he does. One of his biggest attributes is his character. Always wants the ball, always want to be in the hotspots in the field.
Batting once again at No. 3, Jos Buttler followed up the good work of his bowling attack by peeling off the 26th 50-plus score of his career in T20 internationals, eight fours and six sixes ringing off his bat during a century stand with Will Jacks that saw England cruise to their requirement with more than five overs to spare.
Having again won the toss and opted to bowl, England made good use of the conditions to leave West Indies three down in the powerplay, Saqib Mahmood striking twice to continue his prolific start to the series. Rovman Powell provided some ballast for West Indies with a 41-ball 43 but Romario Shepherd was the only other batter to reach 20 as Dan Mousley, in his second T20I, and Liam Livingstone shared four wickets.
Although England then lost their centurion from Saturday’s successful chase of 183, Phil Salt, to the first ball of the reply, Jos Buttler and Jacks dispelled West Indies’ hopes of making a game of it with a domineering stand of 129 from 72 balls. Both fell in the same Shepherd over but there was no reprieve forthcoming for West Indies.
England go 2-0 up in the series after an even more comprehensive win than it was yesterday evening. It was an excellent toss to win with the pitch offering quite a bit of help for the bowlers early on. Seamers got it to nip around, and the spinners found a good amount of purchase thanks to the moisture that was present.
And the visitors made the most of it with the likes of Archer, Mahmood, Livingstone, Mousley and Rashid causing plenty of problems. A late flourish with the bat took West Indies to 158, but with the pitch easing out as the match went on, and dew being a factor as well, it was a struggle for their bowlers. Making things worse was Jos Buttler in full flow. He took a bit of time to get in before taking the bowling attack to the cleaners.
Three more games to go in this series, and West Indies are staring at a difficult task from here. The toss went against them in both matches, which definitely was a factor, but England also made the most of the conditions. Their bowlers were right on the money early on and then Jos Buttler found his rhythm with the bat, hitting it to all parts. The action now moves to St Lucia for the remainder of the series.