England suffered their first defeat in the T20 World Cup after some excellent spin bowling led them to a 30-run victory over the West Indies in the Group C tournament in Mumbai.
A devastating four-over spell from Gudakesh Moti (3 for 33) and Roston Chase (2 for 29) shattered England’s middle order and derailed the chase for 197th.
Jos Buttler (21), Tom Bunton (2), Jacob Bethell (33 of 23), captain Harry Brook (17) and Will Jacks (2) all spun and Sam Curran’s unbeaten 43 off 30 balls was ensured, but England were bowled out for 166 in the 19th over, too late for victory.
England were bowled out for 166 in the 19th over, and even Sam Curran’s unbeaten 43 off 30 balls ensured it was too late to guide England to victory.
West Indies were down to 77-4 soon after he came into bat, but recovered to 196-6 from 20 overs.
Sharfane Rutherford top-scored with an unbeaten 76 off 42 balls, sharing a 50-plus stand with Jason Holder (33 off 17 balls) and Rovman Powell (14 balls).
Adil Rashid (2-16), assisted by Jamie Overton (2-33), produced a superb bowling performance to take his 400th T20 wicket and stop West Indies from crossing the 200-run mark.
However, West Indies scored enough points to secure their second T20 World Cup victory, taking them to the top of Group C with a two-point lead over third-placed England.
England collapses at the hands of West Indies spinners
Firstly, England’s decision to toss the bowl immediately paid off. Jofra Archer bounced back from an early slump to remove Shai Hope with a three-ball duck and Curran removed Brandon King with two balls as the West Indies openers made it to the brink with just eight deliveries.
Rashid then reasserted his class after the blow in Nepal, fooling Chase with a dipping googly and trapping him with a patient 34 pound-watt.
The decision to go back to Will Jacks in the 12th over was a costly one, with England leading the way. After allowing 19 points in the first game, Rutherford was given six points twice, but Rutherford crawled to 10 of 13 before exploding. Rutherford survived a tough chance from No. 23, but was unable to stop Rashid, who lost his balance on the ropes, from firing a six.
Adil Rashid celebrates Roston Chase’s wicket – 400th in T20 cricket
From the 12th over onwards, every over was in double figures except Rashid’s last two overs, during which Powell holed out and Rutherford dropped with the spinner for 56.
Rutherford put together a stand of 50 with Powell and Holder, with Holder smashing Curran for 36 in the 17th over. Rutherford finished the innings with six runs in seven innings, but Overton at least had a calm final over with Holder off.
Salt started England’s counterattack with five boundaries off Holder’s second over, but Rutherford removed him in the fourth over with another sharp catch.
Sherfan Rutherford topscored for West Indies with an unbeaten 76
Despite this, England managed to post the second-best powerplay record of the tournament (67 wins and 1 loss) before the outstanding contribution of the West Indies spinners.
In the next over, Buttler holed out to Powell at long-on off Chase’s bowling, and from there the run chase between them began to unravel.
Moti trapped Banton, who picked King on the boundary, and England lost number three in the fourth over when Moti bowled Bethel, but he too caught and bowled before claiming the wicket of Brook.
Jacks were pinned LBW on Chase and when Aqeel Hossain removed Overton, England’s chase fell short in a flurry of run-outs and boundary catches, leaving Curran with a mountain too big to climb.
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England’s Harry Brook reflected on the defeat to West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
Brooke: I thought I had a chance.
England captain Harry Brook: “It was a bit disappointing. It’s never good to lose a game, but West Indies played well.
“Everyone knows how much power they have, and even if they are slightly off the line and length, they still manage to hit it for six seconds.
“I definitely felt like I could push it. It probably wasn’t as exposed as I expected, but I definitely thought I had a chance.”
Despite setbacks, there is no ‘doom and gloom’ for England
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Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain spoke about England’s upcoming T20 World Cup matches and said they need to improve.
Nasser Hussain has his hopes for England’s qualification:
“That Scotland game is absolutely key now. Scotland gave England a bit of a scare in the last World Cup in Barbados. They started with absolute momentum and played really well.”
“If England lose to Scotland then Scotland will have four points and England will have two points and you never know what will happen. That’s why this game today was so important.”
“I expected England to beat Scotland, I expected England to beat Italy, but in a T20 match you only need one or two cricketers on the other side. I expected England to beat Nepal, but they just crossed the line.
“I still think this England team is a very good T20 team and I still think this is the best format for them. They had won 11 of the 12 matches to date, so one loss against the West Indies is not doom and gloom.”
“You guys are still a very good team but if you beat Scotland, beat Italy and get to Sri Lanka for the Super Eights and things turn around, that’s what you’re going to do. That’s the area you need to focus on and improve.”
England T20 World Cup schedule and results (1st round)
Always UK and Ireland. All matches will be streamed live on Sky Sports
Won by 4 points against Nepal (Mumbai) Lost to West Indies by 30 points (Mumbai) vs Scotland (Saturday 14th February) – Kolkata (9.30am) vs Italy (Monday 16th February) – Kolkata (9.30am)
Watch the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from February 7th to March 8th. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
