They said St Lucia was a run-scoring paradise. On Thursday night, they were wrong, as England had to scrap to overhaul West Indies’ meagre total of 145-8 for a three-wicket win and a first away T20 series triumph in two years.
For the sixth match of the tour, the team that won the toss, won the game. But this result was not decided by the flip of a coin as West Indies hit self-destruct in the powerplay to lose four wickets in the first 20 balls of their innings thanks to a superb bowling display by Saqib Mahmood and Jofra Archer.
But a timid showing from England with the bat made a game of it, as the tourists sunk to 37 for three before Sam Curran (41) and Liam Livingstone (39) were calm amid the chaos to help England to victory with four balls to spare.
It was remarkable that we were even able to get a game in at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. Torrential rain has fallen in the week leading up to the match, with another downpour passing through yesterday leaving the outfield damp and boggy.
“I didn’t think we were going to play,” said Mahmood, who finished with three for 17. “But we all bought into taking it on and just being smart around the boundary rope. Luckily for both sides to come off with no casualties and to get a pretty decent game on in the end it paid off.”
Play started almost an hour late, but England were bang on time. In the first over, Jacob Bethell, who has been privately named by one member of England’s coaching staff as the best fielder in the country, swooped on an attempted single from Shai Hope and with one stump to aim at, ran him out by yards.
Mahmood and Archer, both so effective on the weekend, combined once again to get the new-ball swinging and West Indies batters departing as the entire top five were dismissed for single figures.
England were in showboat mode. Jos Buttler fielding at short leg, two slips in place and cover left wide open. Mahmood claimed his third wicket before the powerplay had ended as Shimron Hetmyer was caught at deep square leg.
“At one stage I told Jos you might as well tell me what to bowl every ball,” Mahmood said of the Hetmyer wicket. “Because he actually told me to ball the short ball at the time.”
The old wives’ tale of T20 cricket is if you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you lose the game. West Indies had lost five.
The home team would recover to an extent thanks to Romario Shepherd and skipper Rovman Powell, who added 73 for the sixth wicket, with Powell finishing on 54 off 40.
But Jamie Overton ended any thoughts on a Windies comeback with a double-wicket over where he deceived Shepherd with an excellent dipping slower delivery before forcing a false shot from Gudakesh Motie. When Powell holed out to him in his next over, Overton all of a sudden had the very fine figures of three for 20 to his name.
West Indies finished with a total that by pre-game estimates should never have been enough. But in a nervous start from England lost Phil Salt and Jos Buttler to Akeal Hosein, before Bethell edged behind second ball to leave England three down with 109 still to win.
The home team had their chances. Three of them, in fact, as the normally trustworthy Nicholas Pooran dropped Liam Livingstone twice in five balls. The first was from a steepler that he spilled as he was running backwards, the second from a thin edge off the spinner Motie.
Several Windies players dropped to the floor in disbelief. Livingstone would then be grassed again by a diving Hetmyer on the boundary several overs later.
The toss may not have decided the result, but conditions did still favour England, with dew settling and West Indies poring over every delivery as they desperately tried to dry the ball.
Curran, promoted to No 5, had done his best to take England home himself, but fell with 33 runs still required at a run a ball. Dan Mousley and Livingstone were dismissed before England reached their target, but despite the closeness of the scorecard, they were favourites throughout.
England’s series win is their first away from home since October 2022 and just their second series victory in their last six attempts. The coin fell in their favour throughout, but you have to be good to make the most of being lucky. In the Caribbean, they were both.
