Simon Buttler’s blazing knock, England wins
Jos Buttler’s outstanding performance propelled the team’s pursuit as England defeated the West Indies by 7 wickets at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown in the 2nd T20I in Barbados. After England’s disciplined bowling effort limited the West Indies to 158/8, Buttler’s 45-ball 83, which included eight fours and six sixes, enabled his team to reach the goal in 14.5 overs.
England’s Response: Buttler and Jacks Build Momentum
England experienced an early setback in the chase when Phil Salt, the centurion of the first game, was bowled for a duck off the first delivery. However, with both batsmen breaking a few sixes and many boundaries, Will Jacks and Buttler ensured that England had a strong power play. With Jacks hitting a four and Buttler hitting two fours and a six off Romario Shepherd to reach 21 off the over, the sixth over was especially successful for England.
Even when the fielding limitations were eliminated, the West Indies were unable to control the flow of runs. Buttler helped England reach 94/1 at the midway point by hitting sixes and hitting a 32-ball fifty with a maximum off Roston Chase. By the end of the eighth over, Buttler and Jacks were both batting in the 30s, but the England captain was racing into the 80s in the next four overs.
Shepherd ended a massive 129-run alliance with the wickets of Buttler and Jacks (38), giving West Indies some much-needed relief. Liam Livingstone’s 23* off 11, which included three fours and a six, helped England cross the finish line in the 15 over, but that was short-lived.
West Indies Batting Struggles Amid England’s Tight Bowling
Earlier, even if the England bowlers were slight, the West Indies were hurt by early wickets after being summoned to bat. Saqib Mahmood bowled eight of the nine wides that were bowled in the opening two overs.
However, he also got rid of Brandon King, who left for one after misfiring on a loft. Jofra Archer gloved a delivery with an additional bounce to the ‘keeper, and Evin Lewis fell to him. West Indies concluded the powerplay at 44/3 when Roston Chase hit three fours, including two in an over of Mahmood, but was afterwards dismissed by the same bowler. Nicholas Pooran’s attempt to quicken the pace failed by England’s skilful cutting out of the boundaries from overs 7 to 10. He tried to get in contact with Livingstone but was unsuccessful.
England had to use the DRS to get the judgement in their favour after Kieran Powell smashed a massive six off Livingstone, but the bowler took his second wicket by trapping Sherfane Rutherford in front. The West Indies required 15 overs to reach 100, but Powell then smashed Adil Rashid for a four and a six in one over.
Powell’s careful innings (43 off 41) ended when Dan Mousley hit a superb yorker to break the stumps. With Shepherd and Matthew Forde making valuable cameos, Sam Curran gave up 17 runs and Mousley gave up 15, but the final two overs went well for the West Indies. Nevertheless, a furious Buttler put England in a strong position to win the series, and the total was insufficient against him.
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Brief Scores:
With a great performance from Jos Buttler, England batted down 161/3 in 14.5 overs and defeated the West Indies by seven wickets. Saqib Mahmood (2-20) and Liam Livingstone (2-16) made crucial breakthroughs for England, while Rovman Powell top-scored with 43 and Romario Shepherd added 22 as West Indies reached 158/8 in their 20 overs.
