West Indies cruise to nine-wicket victory in first T20I with England
West Indies cruised to a nine-wicket victory in their first T20I with England in Barbados on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England had won their last four T20Is against the Windies but were quickly reduced to 49-7 after being invited to bat first before limping to 103 all out at Kensington Oval.
Less than a week on from their heavy Ashes loss, much-changed England were on course for their worst-ever T20 total until Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid spared their blushes.
Barbados-born Jordan racked up 28 runs before being picked out Sheldon Cottrell at long-off, while Rashid was the last to go for 22 as Jason Holder took 4-7 in 3.4 overs.
twitter:1485025239541198853West Indies had lost eight of their last nine T20Is ahead of this contest but made light work of chasing down their target of 104 for victory.
Shai Hope went for 20 runs but Brandon King (52 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (27no) put on 52 runs for the second wicket as the Windies eased to victory.
Tourists avoid new low
England's batting issues from their heavy Ashes loss crossed formats into this series.
Indeed, the tourists may well have set a new low T20 score, which remains 80 against India at the 2012 World T20, if not for Jordan and Rashid.
They were skittled in 19.4 overs as Holder ended with personal best figures in the format, a fine spell which twice included taking two wickets in two balls.
Turning points for Windies?
King's unbeaten 52 from 49 balls guided the Windies to their target with 17 deliveries to spare, with Pooran also enjoying himself on his milestone 50th T20 outing.
After exiting the T20 World Cup at the group stage in November and suffering a 2-1 ODI series loss to Ireland, this win will provide the Windies with a platform to build on.
Source : https://sportlive.appContact : support@sportlive.app
