England took a giant step towards the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last night when they thrashed hosts West Indies by eight wickets, silencing a passionate crowd of around 10,000 at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia.
At a challenging 181, they were taken home with 15 balls to spare thanks to a punishing partnership of 97 in 7.2 overs between Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow, giving their Super Eight net run rate a huge boost.
Victory over South Africa here on Friday will all but take them to the semi-finals, even before facing the United States in Barbados on Sunday.
As an impressive chase unfolded, Salt scored 30 off an over from Romario Shepherd, who had just returned from paternity leave, and finished with 87 for 47. He now has 353 runs in his last four T20 innings against these opponents at a rate strike rate of 194 and looks as destructive as anyone in the competition.
“You have to give credit to Salt,” said West Indies captain Rovman Powell. “He always hurts us.”
Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow led England to a brilliant victory over the West Indies in St Lucia
Salt led the way, finishing with a sensational 87 off 47 deliveries for England.
Bairstow helped him bravely, scoring an unbeaten 48 in the T20 World Cup.
Bairstow, meanwhile, added an unbeaten 48 for 26 to the 31 for 18 he had made to help set up the victory against Namibia in Antigua, after which he launched one of his periodic attacks on the press. England expect him to be angry until the final.
The game had been billed as a battle of the big hitters on the most authentic surface in the Caribbean.
In the end, the West Indies outscored England by 10 six to seven, but it was England who played the smarter cricket: they strangled their opponents during the crucial phases of their innings, with Adil Rashid leading the way, and then deftly neutralized the threat of the left. -Akeal Hosein arm spinner.
Each of these teams is vying to become the first to win this trophy three times, but on this evidence, England appear most likely to make history. Australia might now be wishing they had not set up their chase against Scotland here last Saturday so expertly.
If any evidence was needed that T20 can be a fickle format, England’s luck in this World Cup has provided it. Head coach Matthew Mott, who was 45 minutes away from rain in Antigua last week, perhaps dooming him to the sack, will be much happier with life.
The chase got off to a good start with an opening stand of 67 in eight overs between Salt and Buttler. It ended when Buttler on 25, advanced on Roston Chase’s turn and got his bat caught behind his pad as he aimed for leg. He reviewed the lbw decision in vain.
Promoted to number 3, perhaps in a bid to take on Hosein and fellow slow left-hander Gudakesh Motie, Moeen Ali made a quick 13 before driving Andre Rusell to deep midwicket, leaving England 84 for two in the 11th over. Fundamentally, they were bullish on the rate.
It also helped that Bairstow was in one of his moods, almost overtaking Salt, who had an early lead of 43 runs, and contributing 42 to a quick half-century stand. Hosein and Motie were run out of wickets, conceding 67 in the process, while loquacious wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran missed two chances, including, crucially, Salt with seven off Hosein.
Salt later fought his way through some quiet overs as Bairstow toiled, then took on Shepherd in a remarkable over that was 464664. By now, Pooran had become as silent as a crowd expecting much more from one of the three undefeated teams in the group stage.
Jofra Archer was among England’s wickets as they restricted the West Indies to 180-4.
Johnson Charles was the hosts’ top scorer, but his 38 came at a steady pace.
“It was a lot of fun,” Salt said. “To come here against a very strong team that is riding that wave of momentum on their own terms, to play an innings like that alongside Jonny and come away with a win, it was a great feeling.” They had such good spinners that I feel like at the first sniff (against the seam) I had to take a chance.”
The West Indies innings had been a curious affair, with five players reaching 23 but none making more than local boy Johnson Charles’ 38. But even that consumed 34 balls, while Pooran, so destructive in making 98 off 53 off the same pitch two nights earlier against Afghanistan, had to settle for 36 off 32.
The surface seemed to have slowed down a bit, although that did not stop Powell, having been promoted to No. 4, from hitting five sixes in 17 balls, including three in a Liam Livingstone over that ended with Powell edging Mark Wood to short third. man.
And there was a late burst from Sherfane Rutherford, who had masterminded the West Indies’ crucial group stage win against New Zealand, and now clipped Jofra Archer for six in the last over of the innings. Still, the West Indies total felt around 20 light.
Archer had a mixed night, conceding 21 in his first two overs, but producing a world-class 16th over, in which Pooran failed to score on four of the first five deliveries, before passing the last one to Buttler and walking away furious with himself. .
But the pick of England’s attack was Rashid, still ranked number one by the ICC in T20 cricket. His eighth ball was bowled for six by Charles, but otherwise he conceded more than a single only once, and robbed the West Indies of late acceleration when he trapped the dangerous Russell at long-on for a single.
Rashid’s partner Moeen also played his part, taking the first wicket of the night when Charles misballed Harry Brook at long-off.
Speaking after the match, Salt said England’s victory over the West Indies “was a lot of fun”.
The rest of the attack did not go well, although Sam Curran bowled an important 19th which cost only six. Reece Topley bowled two of the first four balls of the match down the leg side, setting a trend: England ended up conceding a waste of 10 on the sides.
And on the ground where he played his first Test five in February 2019, Wood, who had replaced Chris Jordan from the team that beat Namibia, scored three overs for 36.
Earlier, West Indies opener Brandon King retired injured for a promising 23 off 13 balls after stopping after hitting Curran towards mid-on. Given his scoring pace, his delivery felt as good as a wicket, costing him vital momentum.
For England, it could have been the night they started their tournament.
