After nearly missing second round qualification all together, England have made a huge statement in St Lucia.
The defending ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions have smashed their way back into prominance, producing a clutch run chase to defeat the West Indies in Saint Lucia.
It hands the co-hosts their first defeat of the tournament, who now find themselves in the bottom half of Group 2. They also face an injury concern to opener Brandon King, who suffered a side strain while batting.
King and Johnson Charles were involved in a strong West Indies start, opening the Powerplay with authority.
The pair had the hosts flying at 40/0 early in the fifth over, before they were hit with the cruel blow. Attempting to drive a Sam Curran ball down the ground, King picked up what appeared to be a groin complaint and had to retire hurt.
The in-form Nicholas Pooran joined Charles at the crease, pushing them to 54 runs at the six-over mark – a solid return from the Powerplay.
Pooran smoked a Mark Wood ball for a long leg side six to start the eighth over, but England managed to tighten the screws through to drinks from then on. That was the final boundary before the mid-innings break. The West Indies knocked 82 runs in the first 10 overs, having lost no wickets.
Big-hitting Salt helps England kick off Super Eights with confident win | POTM Highlights | T20WC 2024
Charles broke the mini boundary drought straight after drinks, clearing the long on rope off a fuller-length Adil Rahid delivery. But next over, Charles (38 off 34) had to go as Moeen Ali produced the breakthrough scalp – England’s first of the innings.
Captain Rovman Powell arrived and dished out some revenge to end the 12th over, crunching a maximum over Ali’s head.
Powell and Pooran hit the gas pedal in an eventful phase of play, before Liam Livingstone picked up the crucial wicket of Powell (36 off 17) to end over 15.
The English found some fight in the final five overs. Jofra Archer found the edge of Pooran’s bat, with the heavy hitter removed for 36 off 32.
Sherfane Rutherford (28* off 15) dominated strike in the last few overs to guide the Windies to 180/4.
Having produced 51 dot balls in the field, England felt confident as their run chase commenced.
Openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler laid strong foundations, cracking seven boundaries in the Powerplay that included one of the biggest sixes of the tournament so far, out of the middle of Salt’s bat.
England pushed to 58 for no loss, marginally ahead of the Windies efforts at the six-over mark.
Roston Chase stepped up to finally remove one of England’s openers, trapping Buttler (25 off 22) out LBW in the eighth over.
Ali arrived at the crease and swept two ninth over fours, including an innovative reverse sweep off the back of his bat.
At the midpoint of their innings, England was 83/1 in a near identical scenario to the Windies.
Drinks favoured the hosts, as a shorter delivery first ball after the break created the undoing of Ali, holing out to Charles at deep midwicket.
Jonny Bairstow took England past three figures (101/2) at the end of the 12th over, with the English remaining neck and neck with the West Indies’ corresponding run rate.
But Bairstow arrested control for England, with a flurry of boundaries in overs 13 and 14, bringing the required run rate down. And then a hattrick of boundaries in the 15th over, off Akeal Hosein, silenced the crowd in Saint Lucia.
Salt then returned to the driver’s seat, bringing up a 38-ball 50 with four runs to start an expensive 16th over. Salt registered a boundary on all six balls of the Romario Shepherd over, with 30 runs coming off it.
And Bairstow completed a commanding win for England midway through the 18th over.
The English put one foot into the knockout stage of the tournament. (ICC)