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With a victory in Grenada that was far more decisive
than the final 10-run margin would have you believe, West Indies romped to a
2-0 series lead behind a power surge unleashed by Brandon King and Rovman
Powell that England’s famed white-ball hitters could not even begin to match.
A collapse of 4 for 11 in 16 balls that left West
Indies reeling at 54 for 4 in the ninth over of the match gave England’s
twin-spin attack of Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed total control of the game, so
such a result didn’t seem likely.
However, West Indies unexpectedly turned the tables,
first through a pair of half-centuries from Powell, who hammered thirty runs
from Sam Curran’s second and penultimate over, and King, whose outstanding
unbeaten 82 from 52 included four fours and three sixes off Rehan’s final
twelve deliveries.
The West Indies then applied their own spin
stranglehold, with left-armers Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie locking down the
match for eight straight overs from the Pavilion End, leaving them with a
challenging but manageable 177 to defend. Despite Curran’s bravery in topping
the score with 50 from 32 balls following his chastening bowling showing, they
managed to post the combined figures of 3 for 33. However, a minimum of 28 off
the final over proved way beyond Rehan and Moeen Ali.
The triumph over England in the first Twenty20
International was due to a well-known characteristic of the West Indies
batsmen, who outspattered England with 14 sixes to just six. Similar
circumstances prevailed today as 13 players ultimately played eight, including
Rehan’s penultimate-ball smash over point after the game was already lost.
A series of eager right-handers had their aspirations
curtailed by a left-arm ball that was wide on the crease and angled towards the
body. Hosein and Motie, who were only playing because Romario Shepherd was
experiencing knee pain, executed a basic yet deadly combination.
The powerplay consisted of three overs for Hosein,
four overs for nine runs by Motie, and one more over for Hosein, during which
the dangerous Harry Brook became the third and last victim of their combined
efforts. There was a noticeable lack of courage in England’s approach,
especially from the listless Buttler, whose attempt to give Hosein the charge
ended with a feeble push to short cover or an admission that he was going to be
stumped a mile out.