Key events
Righto, Simon Burnton’s report is with us”:
Which means that it from me. Thanks for your company; peace out.
We saw on Sunday that anyone can give anyone aggravation, but England ought to win their next two matches. More generally, though, they have to find a way of not getting slapped; I wonder if Rehan Ahmed will come into their thinking, or perhaps they look for more straight pace and give Josh Tongue a whirl.
Next for England: Scotland, at 9.30am on Saturday, then Italy at 9.30am on Monday – times GMT.
And…
Also going on:
Shai Hope is pleased, saying Chase gives them options on batting and bowling, coming in early to stabilise the innings. Rutherford has been exceptional recently, he says, and it’s good to see a batter put their hand up for the team.
He agrees with Brook that it wasn’t that dewy – the ball wasn’t that wet – and says Motie took his time off, out of the team, to elevate his game.
Brook is disappointed by praises West Indies who “played outstandingly” and, if you miss your lines by a fraction, you get whacked.
Otherwise, they felt they could chase the target but it didn’t “dew-up” and the ball didn’t skid on. He then praises Rashid, but doesn’t think he erred in not bowling out his other spinners, who he thinks missed their marks.
In terms of the batting, he says T20 is a “fickle game” and once the top order get going, it’ll be “madness”. He’s relieved they beat Nepal, and now they need to do their homework on Italy and Scotland.
It’s possible, of course, that Archer improves through the tournament – if he doesn’t it’ll take some seriously outrageous batting to take England to the semis and beyond – but for now, we’ve seen their attack escorted to Sketchley twice in two matches.
England need not despair – they were in the match and on another day, 197 is a total they chase down. They problem though, is they have only one reliable bowler and, as tonight proved, that’s not always going to be enough.
Sherfane Rutherford is awarded POTM and says West Indies’ biggest challenge was Rashid; he tried to take him for singles, then make it up elsewhere.
He’s been putting in a lot of work, so trusted his process, staying calm and knowing that once he’s in, he can score. He felt they were 10 runs short and hopes that, as a unit, the team can improve. On the big stage you want momentum, he feels they’ve added 10% to their game, and hopes they can continue.
For a while, that was close, but West Indies’ spinners turned the game with great support from their fielders – and from their captain, who managed the bowling really well. They’ve got the firepower to beat anyone and, on these tracks can, as we’ve just seen, defend a target that is no better than par.
West Indies beat England by 30 runs
A fantastic team effort from West Indies, who are, providing they avoid disaster, going through to the Super 8s; England must beat Italy and Scotland.
WICKET! Rashid c Chase b Joseph 0 (England 166 all out)
Rashid takes a mighty swing, and, running in off the deep square fence, Chase completes a fine evening’s work for him and West Indies, diving to slide fingers under ball. There’ll be a check, but I’m certain this is gawn.
19th over: England 166-9 (Curran 43, Rashid 0) Target 197 Curran creams over cover for four, but England need more, not the single he gets.
WICKET! Dawson run out (Holder/Joseph) 1 (England 161-9)
Curran does up and over, down the ground, but doesn’t get enough of it, so Holder fields, them fumbles. So they try for a second run, the idea mainly to get Curran back on strike, Dawson is well short, and Joseph calmly removes the bails.
19th over: England 161-8 (Curran 38, Dawson 1) Target 197 Joseph continues, Curran unable to get his first ball away. Then, when he sees Curran backing away, he hurls a full toss way outside off for a second dot.
18th over: England 160-8 (Curran 37, Dawson 1) Target 197 Two more singles, not what England need, and this is fantastic work from Holder, but then when he overpitches, Curran stays on leg and whams him back over his head for six, great strike. A single follows, and England need 37 runs from 12 deliveries.
WICKET! Archer run out (Holder) 6 (England 151-8)
Trapped by a yorker, archer wanders out of his ground, Curran calls him through and, with three stumps at which to aim, Holder hurls them down at the non-striker’s, with venom, like it’s nothing. This is so over.
18th over: England 151-7 (Curran 29, Archer 6) Target 197 Holder took a doing at the start, but this is a very different situation, and Curran can only force his loosener away for one.
17th over: England 150-7 (Curran 28, Archer 6) Target 197 Joseph returns, and though telly still think this is a live match, I just can’t see it. England need two gigantic overs and it just doesn’t look likely; as I type, three full balls yield just three singles, but then Archer decides there’s another coming, flicking over his shoulder for four to deep fine leg. Can he find the fence again, though? He cannot taking one, then Curran does likewise, and England need 47 runs from 18 deliveries.
WICKET! Overton c Powell b Hosein 5 (England 141-7)
Overton heaves down the ground and at cover, Powell balances on the fence to take the catch but, knowing he’s stepping over, tosses the ball up, steps back in, and pouches at his leisure. This is a blinder of an all-round performance from West Indies and a joy to behold.
16th over: England 141-6 (Curran 25, Overton 5) Target 197 The quality of West Indies’ spinners has been the difference here, Motie and Chase doing what Rashid couldn’t on his own. And now Hosein returns, completing the overs of spin, but do England have enough batting left to get after the quicks? All those left in the hutch can hit the ball hard, but them doing so often enough, under pressure, feels a stretch. Hosein’s final over yields three singles and a two from four balls so, knowing Curran will have to attack, he tosses one wide, the ensuing swipe dropping just short of long off; fine bowling.
15th over: England 135-6 (Curran 23, Overton 1) Target 197 England just need too many for these two to have a chance of pulling it off; Overton takes a single off the final ball of the over and Chase finishes his spell with 2-29. England need 62 runs from 30 deliveries.
REVIEW! OUT!
Yup, trapped in front, hitting middle of middle, and even Sam Curran’s golden sense of timing won’t be able to resolve this.
WICKET! Jacks lbw b Chase 2 (England 134-6)
Jacks presses forward, misses the ball, it hits the pad and that looks not just plumb but plumbest; England review.
15th over: England 134-5 (Curran 23, Jacks 2) Target 197 A single to Curran, then Jacks gets away with a drive through extra that adds two.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
Yup, he’s smashed that, cross-batted, into the pad.
15th over: England 131-5 (Curran 22, Jacks 0) Target 197 Chase will finish off and his first ball is into the pad, bang in front of the stumps, but was it bat first? Umpire says yes, the bowler says no, and West Indies review.
14th over: England 131-5 (Curran 22, Jacks 0) Target 197 After a quick drink – England could do with a stiff one – Motie completes a fantastic, potentially matchwinning spell of 3-33, with a dot. England need 66 runs from 36 deliveries.
WICKET! Brook c & b Motie 13 (England 131-5)
Motie is magic! Bravely, he dials down the pace, adds a bit of air, and when the ball drops and spins, all Brook can do, caught on the crease, is loop up a leading edge that’s well held, just above the ground, on the dive. Colossal wicket from a quality performer, and West Indies are strong favourites now.
14th over: England 131-4 (Brook 17, Curran 22) Target 197 Motie is going to bowl out, and this is getting extremely tense. Brook takes one then, after a dot, a drag-down is given the treatment, Curran – who, as we said earlier, has the skill of timing – lashes it with extreme prejudice over the fence at cow corner for six.
13th over: England 123-4 (Brook 16, Curran 15) Target 197 Chase replaces Joseph and the batters swap singles, the rate creeping up above 11. A wide, fired flat, follows, and the next ball is very similar, but Brook opts against letting it by, cracking … straight to the fielder. Next, another wide, the bowler sending down an ankle-biter that Brook’s glance misses and they run two, then he misses out on a four-ball, forcing to cover; again, they run two then, after a single, Curran hauls a pull to the fence for four. England need 74 runs from 42 deliveries.
12th over: England 110-4 (Brook 12, Curran 10) Target 197 Motie diddles Brook with a bit of extra turn, an edge past the keeper earning two then, after a single to each batter Brook pierces a gap between long-on and midwicket, Rutherford diving, in vain, and hurting his wrist as he tumbles. He departs, and the final two deliveries of this third Motie over are taken for one and then two. England need 87 runs from 48 deliveries.
11th over: England 99-4 (Brook 4, Curran 7) Target 197 Joseph returns and hangs one outside off, so Curran crashes it through extra for four, then turns a single to mid-on. Another follows, Brook playing himself in on the basis that he still has time to turn it up – after 11 overs, West Indies were 83-4 – and two dots complete the over. England need 98 runs from 54 deliveries.
10th over: England 93-4 (Brook 3, Curran 2) Target 197 In comms, Eoin Morgan notes that Motie is bowling finger-spin to the right-hander and wrist-spin to the lefty, impressive behaviour as ever. He completes a terrific over by ceding three more singles, the last of them a real missed opportunity, a full toss sent straight to the man at wide long-on.
WICKET! Bethell b Motie 33 (England 90-4)
Motie emotes! Again, he’s full and straight, this one skids on, and Bethell, having gone back, can’t get his bat at it, nailed off the pad and through the gate! West Indies are bossing this now!
10th over: England 90-3 (Bethell 32, Brook 2) Target 197 Bethell down the ground for one, and will Brook just let Motie bowl? That seems unlikely, but the next delivery is full and straight, forced away for one.
9th over: England 88-3 (Bethell 32, Brook 1) Target 197 This partnership is the one: if these two stay in, they can see England home from anywhere, but if it’s broken early, there’s a lot of work left to do for the hand-eye hitters. So Bethell is circumspect as Chase wheels away, playing away three dots before taking a single; two more follow.
WICKET! Banton c King b Motie 2 (England 85-3)
Motie finds a bit of turn, not loads but just enough, and Banton, forced to force, lobs a simple catch to short point. Massive moment in the match.
8th over: England 85-2 (Bethell 30, Banton 2) Target 197 Motie into the attack, Bethell taking one, then Banton drives, a decent stop at cover meaning it’s one not four. A dot then a single follow, before a full toss has Bethell striding mightily, popping down on one leg, and lamping six over cover, a single then giving Banton a go.
7th over: England 76-2 (Bethell 22, Banton 1) Target 197 That was a huge wicket for West Indies – Buttler was purring. But the clean hitters keep coming, Banton away immediately with a single and Bethell adds another.
WICKET! Buttler c Powell b Chase 21 (England 74-2)
Chase backs his method, switching to around and again cramping Buttler, who again tries forcing him away this time to long-on. But he doesn’t get enough of the ball or enough elevation – either would suffice – picking out the man on the fence.
7th over: England 74-1 (Buttler 21, Bethell 21) Target 197 Powerplay over, Hope introduces Chase, one verb to another, and his first ball cramps Bethell, who takes one, his second Buttler, who plays back a dot … then spins to haul the third over deep square for six.
6th over: England 67-1 (Buttler 15, Bethell 20) Target 197 Joseph into the attack for the final over of the powerplay, and might Buttler enjoy his pace? Not in the first instance, his first three deliveries yielding a single to each batter, then Bethell flaps a full toss that should be four straight to the man at deep point, one bounce; they run one. So Buttler steps away to leg, looking to open up the off-side, but Joseph’s ball is wide, meaning he can only stretch into a cross-batter which flies away off the toe, narrowly eluding the man at point; they run two. But the final delivery of the over is much more like it, Buttler moving far less, the ball send far closer to him, and he cracks to the point fence for four. This is shaping up.