England Crush West Indies in Dominant Super 8 Opener!
England vs West Indies T20 World Cup
The reigning T20 World Champions, England, wasted no time asserting their dominance in the Super 8 stage, thrashing West Indies by a massive eight wickets. This emphatic victory served as a stark reminder of the firepower that propelled them to World Cup glory two years ago in Australia.
T20 World Cup Super 8
Chasing a modest target of 180 set by the Windies, England’s openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler got off to a flying start. The duo capitalized on Akeal Hosein’s usually effective left-arm spin in the powerplay, amassing a belligerent 58 runs in the first six overs. While Buttler wasn’t at his absolute best, his presence provided valuable support for Salt, who replicated the free-flowing form he displayed during England’s bilateral series in the Caribbean last year.
England batting T20 World Cup
Buttler eventually departed after being trapped LBW by Roston Chase, but the damage had already been done. Salt and Jonny Bairstow, who particularly targeted the Windies’ fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, combined for a scintillating 97-run partnership off just 44 deliveries. Salt’s brutal assault on Romario Shepherd in the 16th over, fetching 30 runs, effectively extinguished any hope of a West Indies comeback. Bairstow, not to be outdone, unleashed a flurry of boundaries against Hosein in his final over, further denting the Windies’ morale.
Phil Salt T20 World Cup
Salt’s unbeaten knock of 87 runs from just 47 balls, studded with five sixes and seven fours, was a masterclass in power-hitting. Bairstow, matching him stroke for stroke, compiled an equally impressive unbeaten 48 off 26 deliveries.
West Indies batting collapse
Earlier, England had elected to field first. West Indies openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles provided a decent start, stitching together a 40-run partnership before King was forced to retire hurt. Nicholas Pooran, arriving at the crease, played a decent knock alongside Charles, adding another 54 runs off 41 balls. However, England’s experienced bowling attack, featuring Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran, kept the scoring rate in check despite failing to pick up early wickets.
England Bowling attack
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid applied the brakes in the middle overs, stifling the flow of runs. Moeen eventually provided the breakthrough, inducing Charles to miscue a delivery to Harry Brook at long-on. Rovman Powell threatened briefly with his power-packed 36 that included three monstrous sixes off Liam Livingstone, but the spinner had the last laugh as the West Indies captain skied another big shot to short third man.
Pooran fell victim to a superb over from Archer that conceded just four runs. Andre Russell followed suit five balls later, holing out to deep midwicket. With the middle order collapsing, Sherfane Rutherford’s quickfire 28 off 15 balls provided some late impetus, but it proved insufficient against England’s batting might.
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