MUMBAI, India (CMC):
In a clinical and professional display, the West Indies carved out a 30-run win over England in their Group C ICC Men’s T20 World Cup encounter at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.
Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten half-century, allied with a masterful spin stranglehold from Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase, delivered the workmanlike victory.
England, chasing 197, were rolled over for 166 as the Caribbean spinners shared five wickets between them under the Mumbai lights.
Sent in to bat, the West Indies found themselves in some early trouble as Jofra Archer cranked it up to 148 kph in the opening over and sent back Shai Hope for a duck.
England sensed blood, and opener Brandon King followed in the second over, picking out deep point off Sam Curran for one. West Indies were 8 for 2, and the Three Lions appeared to be asserting themselves.
The in-form Shimron Hetmyer looked imperious once again with two fours and two sixes. One of the sixes came off the opening over by spinner Will Jacks, which went for 19 runs.
But Hetmyer fell to Jamie Overton, just before the power play ended, for 23.
The left-handed Sherfane Rutherford then walked in with his team wobbling at 55 for three, but he would eventually walk off unbeaten on 76 from just 42 deliveries, to rescue the regional side’s innings.
Rutherford’s willow did the talking as he bludgeoned England’s bowling with seven sixes cascading into the Mumbai night, each one carrying the promise of more mayhem.
Adil Rashid then pegged things back with a miserly spell, which also claimed the wickets of Roston Chase for a fighting 34 and Rovman Powell for 14.
Rashid’s solitary moment of fallibility came when he spilt Rutherford on 56, a steepling slog clattering through his fingers.
SWASHBUCKLING INNINGS
Jason Holder produced another swashbuckling innings, as he found the short Wankhede boundaries entirely to his liking. His 33 from 17 balls provided the ideal accompaniment to Rutherford’s pyrotechnics, the pair adding 61 in barely five overs.
When Holder holed out to Overton in the final over, the damage was done. Rutherford’s seventh six, launched over long-on, carried West Indies to 196 for 6.
Phil Salt began the reply as though England’s power play troubles were a myth. Holder, whose matchup with Salt has long favoured the opener, was dismantled for 24 in his opening over, two sixes over midwicket and three further fours carved through the off-side.
The power play yielded 67 as England were galloping at this stage. But Salt’s assault proved a false dawn. Romario Shepherd’s harder lengths cramped the opener into a tame exit for 30 from 14 balls, and suddenly the required rate began its insidious creep.
Jos Buttler’s first six, from his 13th ball, seemed to signal the captain’s intervention. Instead, it signalled the beginning of the squeeze.
Chase challenged Buttler to repeat the stroke. England’s captain attempted precisely that, only to find long-on waiting to spring the trap. He departed for 21, and with him went England’s momentum.
The unassuming assassin Motie then turned the screws. Jacob Bethell, so fluent against Hosein’s cramping lines, was beaten for pace off the wicket and lost his off stump for 33.
Tom Banton picked out short cover after scoring just two runs, and then skipper Harry Brook, who had played within himself for 17, was caught and bowled to hand Motie his third scalp.
At 131 for five in the 14th over, things were looking dim for the Three Lions, who hurt themselves further with two run-outs that knocked the stuffing out of the innings that folded for 166.
Motie ended with three for 33, while Chase had figures of two for 29.
The win sees the Windies atop Group C with four points from their two games, with Scotland right behind them on two points, also from two games, the same as England. Nepal and Italy are yet to get off the mark after a game each.
