England square the T20 series after astonishing batting onslaught

by Mick the Ram

The T20 International series between West Indies and England will go to a decider after some savage batting by the visitors saw them register their highest ever T20 score of 267-3 off their 20 overs.

The main assailant was again opener Phil Salt who scored his second successive century, smashing the bowling all around the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

In reply, chasing what needed to be a record score, the West Indies made a brave effort at chasing their target down and kept up with the required rate, but also lost wickets regularly and were all out in the 16th over, still 75 runs short.

The teams will now return to the same venue on Thursday 21 December, with England in the ascendancy as both teams look for the victory to settle the series.

Openers once again off to a great start

The West Indies won the toss and predictably asked England to bat first, backing their power hitting to chase down any target their opponents could set. Alzarri Joseph was replaced by Matthew Forde for the home side, whilst England recalled Chris Woakes and Rehan Ahmed.

Phil Salt fresh from his hundred in Grenada, looked in confident mood right from the start, lifting new-boy Forde into the stands from just his fifth ball. In partnership with skipper Jos Buttler they had 50 on the board within 5 overs and 68 by the end of the power-play.

The two of them continued to crash the ball all around the pitch, bringing up the hundred in just the 9th over. Both openers moved past 50, but Buttler fell in the deep, leaving them 119-1 at halfway.

Salt goes back-to-back

Salt then really got motoring, lifting Sherfane Rutherford for three successive sixes, as the scoring rate continued to rise. The 150 was up in the 12th, before Salt achieved back-to-back centuries off just 48 deliveries.

At 183-2 with 5 overs left, England might even have had an eye on a possible outrageous 300 total, but Salt was out for a magnificent 119, hitting 7 fours and ten sixes. The carnage steadied slightly after that, although Liam Livingstone helped himself to a fifty off just 20 balls, as the innings closed on 267-3.

Up with the rate

If they were going to gain an improbable win, the West Indies would need to break all sorts of records, but they couldn’t have made a worst start, when Brandon King was out to the first ball of the innings, caught off Moheen Ali.

Nevertheless, his replacement at the wicket, Nicholas Pooran, showed his intent by crashing 20 off the remainder of the over. Reece Topley then had Kyle Mayers caught, but to their credit, the home side were well ahead of the unlikely 13 runs per over asking rate, by the end of the power-play at 87-4.

Always an unlikely chase

The hundred arrived in just the 7th over and there would have been a few twitches in the England camp at that stage. Adil Rashid came into the attack to calm any nerves, removing the West Indies captain, Rovman Powell and conceding just 2 runs off his first over.

When Rutherford was out in the 9th, LBW to Rehan Ahmed, the score was 120-6 and all 6 wickets had fallen to different bowlers. With seven overs to go the end seemed close at 160-8, but Andre Russell wasn’t quite finished and he powered himself to an impressive fifty, but was last man out, giving England a 75 run victory.

On to the decider

Unsurprisingly Phil Salt got the Player of the Match award and it sets up the final game of the series  in two days time really nicely, with England possibly now the slight favourites, although it looks to be a case of whoever can hold their nerve the better, will sneak it.