WI vs ENG 2024/25, WI vs ENG 4th T20I Match Report, 16 Nov 2024

West Indies 221 for 5 (Lewis 68, Hope 54, Powell 38) batted England 218 for 5 (Bethell 62*, Salt 55) with five wickets

Hope leaps, Lewis launches

Powell has a crazy breakdown

Hope was run out next ball when Nicholas Pooran pushed a Rehan delivery to mid-on and sent Hope back as Livingstone fired the ball in to the bowler with Hope still backing up. Then Pooran edged Rehan’s next ball, a googly, on his off stump. After 10 overs, the West Indies were 138 for 3, their highest score at the halfway point in a T20I innings that needed 81 runs in 60 balls and with two fresh batsmen at the crease. It hinted at more twists and turns to come.

Livingstone took an excellent over-the-shoulder catch and ran back from mid-on to remove Shimron Hetmyer, but left the field after taking a knee in his effort. Of equal concern to England at the time was the fact that West Indies captain Powell was looking very serious after racing to 27 in 14 balls. He became Turner’s maiden T20I wicket, pinned on the back thigh in line with off stump, leaving his side with 23 runs to get from 21 balls.

Rutherford drove Curran high over the bowler’s head and when it fell into the middle of four converging fielders, it felt like West Indies’ night if more evidence was needed. Rutherford and Roston Chase held firm, Rutherford’s six down the ground off Mousley took his side within a margin of victory with seven balls to spare. He took just one and slammed the next one over deep midwicket for another maximum and victory.

England’s flying start

An expensive opening over from Obed McCoy included four leg byes, thanks to some questionable fielding, bookended by two fours from Salt’s bat, clipped in front of square and launched over mid-off. Akeal Hosein did no better with his introduction in the third over, two short balls in a row sent by Salt for four through the covers and a pounding six over mid-wicket before Jacks chimed in with a straight six to make it 18 runs from the over.

Jacks maintained his onslaught against McCoy and Alzarri Joseph, smashing the latter with an 89-metre six over long-on as England’s openers took their side past fifty in 4.2 overs. Joseph’s celebration was non-existent as he accounted for Jacks with a short ball, top edged behind square leg, Pooran raced around to gather comfortably as Joseph simply frowned, put his head down and ran away to take his place in the outfield. But Salt went on to raise his fifties with back-to-back fours from Powell, clubbed straight down the ground and deftly cut through backward point. It was his third half-century of this tour to go with his unbeaten 103 in the first T20I.

Bethell’s blitz

Salt held his breath moments later as he ran off Hosein towards McCoy, who did well to run in from long on to meet it as it fell a fraction short of his dive. He was out soon after though, attempting a pull shot from Chase, the ball brushing his glove and sailing down the leg side to a waiting Pooran for a 35-ball 55.

Jos Buttler looked set to continue England’s impressive gambit as he picked boundaries from Chase and Gudakesh Motie, but the pair ended their innings on 38 when Buttler reverse-swept Motie to Chase at backward point. Motie then removed Livingstone cheaply, caught by Hetmyer at deep midwicket. But while Bethell’s half-century in the first game of this series had come in a supporting role to Salt, here he took the lead with Salt already back in the dressing room. Three consecutive sixes off the Chase took Barbados-born Bethell to a 22-ball fifty, his third on the tour, and he remained not out on 62 off just 32 balls after clearing the boundary five times in total and hitting four fours.