England Triumphs Over West Indies in Thrilling T20I Opener
England Claims Victory in First T20I Against West Indies
Chester-le-Street [UK], June 7: England secured a thrilling 21-run victory against West Indies in the opening T20I match held at Chester-le-Street on Friday night, thanks to an impressive performance from all-rounder Liam Dawson and a powerful 96 runs from Jos Buttler.
This win gives England a 1-0 advantage in the three-match series.
After winning the toss, England chose to bat first. Ben Duckett was dismissed by Romario Shepherd for just one run off four balls, following a shaky start where Jamie Smith hit Jason Holder for three boundaries, accumulating 16 runs.
Buttler entered the game and dominated Alzarri Joseph, scoring 23 runs in one over, which included three sixes and a four, concluding the powerplay at 78/1. Freed from the pressures of captaincy, Buttler displayed exceptional form.
Smith was caught by Sherfane Rutherford at deep mid-wicket, concluding a 79-run partnership with Buttler as he left the field after scoring 38 runs off 20 balls, featuring four fours and two sixes, just after Buttler reached his fifty in 25 balls. England stood at 95/2 after eight overs.
Captain Harry Brook struggled in his debut T20I as skipper, scoring only 6 runs, while Tom Banton also failed to make an impact, leaving England at 116/4 in 11.4 overs. A subsequent 60-run partnership between Bethell (23* off 23 balls, including a six) and Buttler followed. England concluded their innings at 188/6 in 20 overs, with Buttler being the top scorer at 96 runs off 59 balls, including six fours and four sixes.
For West Indies, Shepherd was the standout bowler with figures of 2/33, while Andre Russell, Roston Chase, and Joseph each took one wicket.
In their chase, West Indies lost Johnson Charles (18 runs off 15 balls) and captain Shai Hope (3 runs) early, leaving them at 33/2 in 5.2 overs. However, a brief recovery came from a 58-run partnership between Evin Lewis (39 runs off 23 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Chase (24 runs off 20 balls, with two fours and a six). Bethell faced a tough over, conceding 24 runs, but ultimately dismissed Lewis, leaving West Indies at 91/3 after 10 overs.
From that moment, Dawson unleashed a remarkable bowling performance, taking out Chase, Rutherford (13), and Rovman Powell (15), which crippled the West Indies batting lineup, reducing them to 115/6 in 13.4 overs. The visitors struggled to recover, finishing their innings at 167/9 after 20 overs.
Dawson was the standout bowler for England, claiming 4 wickets for just 20 runs. Bethell and Matthew Potts each took two wickets, while Adil Rashid delivered an economical four-over spell, conceding only 22 runs.
Dawson was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his exceptional performance.