Bridgetown [Barbados]: West Indies bowling allrounder Andre Russell's masterclass helped the Caribbeans seal a four-wicket win against England in the first T20I match at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.
After winning the toss, the West Indies decided to field first. Following that the host dominated the game from the very first moment.
The opening duo of Philip Salt (40 runs from 20 balls) and Jos Buttler (39 runs from 31 balls) were the only standout batters for the English side in the game. Their contribution helped the away side to 171 runs in the first inning.
Apart from them, Liam Livingstone (27 runs from 19 balls), Will Jacks (17 runs from 9 balls) and Ben Duckett (14 runs from 12 balls) were the other batters who helped England keep going in Barbados in the first inning.
Russell led the West Indies bowling attack after he scalped three wickets and gave only 19 runs. Meanwhile, Alzarri Joseph also picked three wickets but he gifted 54 runs in his 3.3-over spell. Apart from them, Romario Shepherd bagged two wickets. While Akeal Hosein and Jason Holder took one wicket each.
In the run chase of 172 runs, West Indies started well after Brandon King (22 runs from 12 balls) and Kyle Mayers (35 runs from 21 balls) set the tone for them.
After King's dismissal in the 2.4th over, Shai Hope (36 runs from 30 balls) took the responsibility to maintain the required run rate. After the collapse of the middle order, the West Indies skipper Rovman Powell (31 runs from 15 balls) stayed on the crease till the end and helped his side clinch a memorable victory. However, Russell (29 runs from 14 balls) again played a pivotal role with the bat and made a solid partnership with his skipper to clinch the win.
Rehan Ahmed led the English bowling attack after he scalped three wickets in his four-over spell and gifted 39 runs. Adil Rashid bagged two wickets and gave away 25 runs. While Chris Woakes took one wicket in his two-over spell.
Following his scintillating performance, Russell was named the 'Player of the Match'.
The four-wicket win in the first T20I match helped the Caribbeans take the early lead in the five-game 20-ove format series.
Brief score: England: Phil Salt 40 (20), Jos Buttler 39 (31), Liam Livingstone 27 (19); Andre Russell 3/19, Alzarri Joseph 3/54, Romario Shepherd 2/22 vs West Indies: Shai Hope 36 (30), Kyle Mayers 35 (21), Rovman Powell 31* (15); Rehan Ahmed 3/39, Adil Rashid 2/25, Chris Woakes 1/15.
—ANI