What a difference two days makes. Somehow Tuesday’s ridiculous, record-breaking, high-rated entertainment was followed by a sequel that, on the same surface, eventually delivered exciting, low-rated entertainment, claiming a different outcome in a very different style. It was eventually won for the West Indies by Shai Hope with four balls to spare and in the most inopportune of ways – a massive six – proving once again that he was the right man for the run chase.
Thus, a series marked by dazzling power innings, soaring run rates and an unexpected mid-way turnaround in England’s performance and prospects ended with a 3-2 victory for the West Indies who extended their lead over England at home to almost four series in three formats in five formats. concluded. years.
Relating to: West Indies v England: fifth and decisive men’s T20 cricket international – live
England brought together exactly the same players in exactly the same place and in exactly the same situation – losing the toss, kicking the ball – but it was a completely different performance. A wicket that was once so accurate became unreliable and they struggled to reach 132; this was less than half the 267 points they had enjoyed just 48 hours earlier. Although the home team’s reaction was not great, the result was never in serious doubt.
“We played some high-scoring games but the last game was almost the exact opposite of what happened here,” Reece Topley said. “We were probably level with the first innings score but we were excellent with the ball, we pushed them all the way. I thought it was a great series. Both teams played incredible cricket. I was so excited when I came in today because it was essentially a final and these are games you want to play and be on the right side of. “The bottom line is you want to win this series and I want to win every series I can for England.”
There is often a sense of thoughts turning home as we enter the final days of a tour and perhaps the focus was not as sharp as it could have been for this game, the determination not absolute to seize the opportunity to end England’s losing streak. It’s reversed in the Caribbean. Whatever the reason, the fireworks that had carried England to victory in the previous two matches did not shine in this match. It took a superb pass from Gudakesh Motie to end Phil Salt’s ridiculous run of form with a modest 38, but some of the other wickets that fell in the period that determined England’s innings and the play looked a bit sloppy.
In the fourth over, Jos Buttler played Jason Holder’s delivery casually to fine leg with Oshane Thomas’ hands closed. Harry Brook tried to shovel Motie but sent the ball just a few meters into the air for Nicholas Pooran to make an easy catch. He made 70 for four and the game remained with one ball to go in the ninth, at which point Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali had to focus on preventing disaster rather than entertainment for a while.
Suddenly the bowlers were galvanized by the prospect of posting not-so-insulting numbers for a change. Akeal Hosein’s was outstanding, his four overs reaching just 20 and bringing the wickets of Will Jacks and Moeen, before being undone by a relay catch at the boundary after combining with Livingstone to add 40 for the fifth wicket. Livingstone followed exactly two overs later and returned the ball loosely into Motie’s hands, at which point things really fell apart, the final five wickets surrendered for just 11 runs from 20 balls.
Just as it did on Tuesday when they faced an almost unattainable task, the outcome of the West Indies’ run chase looked inevitable from the start. With such a meager target, they needed little more than to keep their heads up and that was never in doubt, although both Topley and Sam Curran conceded just two goals in their final overs to take the contest into the final.
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They made 62 for three in half of their innings and if England had another 15 runs at the same point they would have made a complete rundown of the rest as well. It was a trap that the West Indies avoided thanks to Hope’s 43-ball 43 to guide his side back towards their target. This batting display may have lacked the usual panache, but it was perfectly suited to the occasion until the last ball.
Amidst the larger theme of transformation, Adil Rashid’s excellence remains a constant. The 35-year-old, who rose to the top of the T20 bowling rankings for the first time on Wednesday, took two wickets and conceded just 21 wickets, while Topley was even better, again losing a pair of wickets but conceding just 17 wickets. This series had many positive aspects, but the result was not the only one.