England vs West Indies: Rovman Powell and Brandon King power hosts to victory and 2-0 series lead
Brandon King and Rovman Powell were the stars with the bat for the West Indies in 10-run win; second game in Grenada will follow on Saturday (starting 5.30pm GMT); games then move to Trinidad and Tobago for the final two fixtures on December 19 and December 21, both 10pm starts
Friday 15 December 2023 13:06, UK
Brandon King (82 not out) and Rovman Powell (50) powered West Indies to a 10-run win over England as the hosts took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series in Grenada.
England opted to bowl first which brought about a West Indies innings that was a tale of two halves as they put 176-7 on the board despite losing four early wickets.
The West Indies opener and skipper formed a brilliant partnership, a 22-run showing from one Sam Curran (1-38) over helping Powell to his half-century.
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With King adding eight fours and five sixes, the West Indies rallied and set a tough target of 177 which England failed to chase as Moeen Ali (22no), Chris Woakes (2) and Rehan Ahmed (10no) were unable to add the 31 runs required from the final 12 deliveries.
Huge Powell over turns the tide for West Indies
After a muted start, it was England who got going with a bad when Woakes (1-25) took the first of four wickets in the space of four overs for his side, dismissing Kyle Myers (17) as he sent one high and swirling to a running Curran waiting in the off-side.
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England then struck again but this time with Woakes in the role of catcher, Nicholas Pooran (5) attempting to take on Adil Rashid (2-11), Ahmed (1-47) then dismissing Shai Hope (1) with an incredible leg-break.
The fourth then came in the eighth over as Rashid claimed his second with Moeen (0-15) in the role of slip catcher, Shimron Hetmyer (2) lasting just five deliveries as West Indies began to really feel the pressure.
However, as King stood firm at the crease the tide began to turn, the opener clattering five sixes and eight fours before his partnership with skipper Rovman Powell (50) set the innings alight.
Powell brought up his 50 from 26 deliveries from Curran's most expensive over of his career, hitting four sixes and one four, the final delivery of the over then seeing him caught by Harry Brook diving on the boundary as West Indies looked healthier at 134-5.
King then continued to cruise but he was left alone at the crease as Tymal Mills (2-30) ended the innings with back-to-back wickets, dismissing Andre Russell (14) and Jason Holder (0) as West Indies set England the challenging target of 177.
England fail to find breakthrough in run chase
The tone for England's innings was set early when skipper Jos Buttler (5) suffered a tame and early exit as he was caught in the covers trying to drive an Akeal Hosein (2-24) delivery, Phil Salt (25) then falling in the eighth over as Powell's great match continued when he took a diving catch at deep midwicket from Alzarri Joseph's (3-39) short delivery.
Just two overs later, Will Jacks (24) was the next to go in a similar fashion to Salt, playing at the short ball, giving Joseph his second wicket and leaving England floundering on 65-3.
Needing 102 runs from 54 balls at a required run rate of 11 to level the five-match series at 1-1, England were dealt another blow as Liam Livingstone (17) fell to Gudakesh Motie (1-9) after clobbering two fours and one six, the West Indies bowling attack then restricting England's boundary opportunities in the middle overs.
It then only got worse for Buttler's side as Brook (5) gave Hosein his second wicket, slicing a thick edge to Joseph, leaving England the huge task of 67 runs needed from 30 balls.
Curran (50) was the pick of the batters as he powered onto a maiden T20 international half-century but in the 18th over he fell and gave Joseph his hat-trick, slashing it to Joseph at deep point.
As Woakes fell for just two runs in the penultimate over, the task was too big for and Moeen and Rehan to add 26 runs from six deliveries as England fell to another defeat.
Mott seeks response from England
England head coach Matthew Mott:
"No one likes losing. We played good cricket again for 90 per cent of the match. We had them under control up to the 15th-over mark and unfortunately, as West Indies can do, they hurt us.
"We fought back at the back end to keep them to 176 which was definitely chase-able. It's light and shade with our batting, there's some really good things happening but probably just too many dot balls.
"We have to respond from this. We will try to come up with more solutions. We are trying hard, we are close. We are a couple of good hits away from a win.
"The message in the changing room is that we are not far away. We just have to stay the course. We've got to win one first. That's our first target."
Finn: West Indies executed their plan perfectly
Former England player Steven Finn on TNT Sports...
"I feel sadness because I wanted England to win and the series to be level.
"Jason Holder executed his plan perfectly in the penultimate over and I liked the captaincy from Rovman Powell to say 'kill the game for me here'.
"England have got a foot in in both games but haven't been able to kick on. They'll be talking in team meetings about how they capitalise on the momentum."
Former West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite on TNT Sports...
"West Indies started shakily in the first 10 overs in both games but then came back well in both.
"I want to give a shoutout to Gudakesh Motie. They say to never bowl three overs on the spin but he did four on the spin and only conceded nine runs. He allowed the pacers to settle in around him."
What's next?
The five-match T20 international series has its third match in Grenada on Saturday, starting at 5.30pm GMT. They then move to Trinidad and Tobago for the final two fixtures on December 19 and December 21, both 10pm starts. Stream Sky Sports with NOW