(CMC) – The West Indies found themselves outclassed yet again by a rejuvenated England, with opener Phil Salt lashing a second successive hundred to power the visitors to a comprehensive 75-run victory in the pivotal fourth Twenty20 International at Brian Lara Stadium.
Chasing a record 268 after the right-handed Salt carved out an astonishing 119 off 57 deliveries yesterday, the West Indies never quite got their act together and folded for 192 all out in the 16th over. Nicholas Pooran (39) and fellow left-hander Sherfane Rutherford (36) produced explosive knocks but failed to carry on, and the result was already a foregone conclusion by the time Andre Russell flexed his shoulders in a rapid 51 off 25 balls at number seven.
The defeat—the West Indies’ second on the bounce—set up a series finale tomorrow at the same venue. “Credit has to be given where credit is due. I think Phil Salt and Jos Buttler batted really well up front,” said West Indies captain Rovman Powell. “Having said that, we didn’t hit our plans, but those things do happen. Thursday gives us an opportunity to come and do better.”
He added, “The boys like a final, it seems. We’ll come Thursday with brand new ideas and brand new plans and see how best we can entertain our fans at home.” Sent in, England were handed a phenomenal start by Salt, who belted seven fours and ten sixes as he laid the foundation for his side’s total of 267 for three—the highest T20I total by a Full Member nation in T20Is.
Crucially, he put on 117 for the first wicket with Captain Jos Buttler, who struck 55 off 29 balls with half-dozen fours and three sixes, the pair posting their second consecutive century stand. Salt put on a further 56 for the second wicket with Will Jacks (24) before adding 73 for the third wicket with Liam Livingstone, whose unbeaten 54 came from 21 balls and included four fours and four sixes.
Man-of-the-Match Salt, who reached his fifty off 23 balls and his hundred off 48 deliveries, finally departed in the penultimate over when he was yorked by Russell. By then, however, the damage had been done, with England having plundered 84 runs from the last five overs.
“It is very satisfying. The tweaks that I’ve made to my game in the last sort of six months have more been from a mental approach point of view than anything else, so it is good that I’m sort of seeing the rewards now,” said Salt.
Feeling the pressure of a record run chase, the West Indies lost Brandon King to the first ball of the inning when he cut off spinner Moeen Ali to short third.
Pooran arrived to raise the tempo for the hosts, the 28-year-old posting thumping three fours and four sixes off 15 balls in a 32-run, second wicket stand with opener Kyle Mayers (12) and then in a 26-run, third wicket partnership with Shai Hope (16).
His departure in the fifth over, skying left-arm pacer Sam Curran (2-25) to Harry Brook running in from long on, was a massive blow for the West Indies, and when Hope followed in the next over, top-edging a heave at seamer Chris Woakes to ’keeper Salt, the chase was in trouble at 78 for four in the sixth over. Powell was deceived and bowled by leg-spinner Adil Rashid for four in the eighth over, but Rutherford clobbered five fours and two sixes in a 15-ball knock as the West Indies tried to sustain the high tempo of the innings.
Teenaged leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (2-42) struck a double blow in the ninth over, however, first removing Rutherford LBW, missing a reverse hit, and then having Jason Holder caught at long on off the very next ball, leaving the home side tottering on 120 for seven.
Russell kept swinging and counted three fours and five sixes in the process, his 40-run eighth wicket stand with Akeal Hosein (15) coming in vain as left-arm pacer Reece Topley (3-37) snatched two at the death to end the West Indies’ resistance.
