Right, that’s it from me, and from them. The white-ball side fly home, and there is a break before the first of three Tests begins on March 8. The Test squad will be named next month.
Thanks for all your messages and sorry to those I didn’t get back to. That was a lot of fun. Good night!
Here is the report:
Updated
Kieron Pollard is pumped. He responds to newspaper criticism: “As I’ve said before, empty vessels make the most noise. Yes it is one series, we have been on the wrong of plenty, but the guys need an opportunity to enjoy themselves for a couple of games. They guys have really worked hard”
POLLARD TALK THE TALK pic.twitter.com/1xah5pL1Ea
— Caribbean Cricket Podcast (@CaribCricket) January 30, 2022
We see Sir Garry Sobers chatting animatedly to Jason Holder, who towers over him grinning.
The man of the series is Jason Holder, who started his final over today with a no-ball and ended up with four in four!
Updated
West Indies stroll round the ground soaking up the applause -as they should. This doesn’t look like a side that should have lost an ODI series to Ireland ( no disrespect intended to Ireland) - it bubbles with potential.
As for England? I don’t think they will be too unhappy, they’ve tried out a few new players and been competitive - if in fits and starts. Adil Rashid has been superb.
“ I thought West Indies were the better side today and throughout the series,” says stand-in-captain Moeen Ali - and I think that’s fair enough.
The main problem remains the death bowling, as Lawrence Booth says.
Hard to see how England win the T20 World Cup later this year unless they sort out their death bowling - which basically means they need Jofra Archer to be fit.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) January 30, 2022
West Indies win by 17 runs and the series 3-2
A fantastic win for West Indies in a game that went down to the wire - until Jason Holder grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck in the final over with four for four! A match that followed a pattern of plenty - poverty and then plenty again. But, unlike West Indies, England didn’t have two players with their eye in together at the last.
Updated
WICKET! Mahmood b Holder 0 (England 162 all out)
Four in four and the match! Brilliant from the big man, who bowls Mahmood, inching off the bail, and it takes a couple of seconds before West Indies realise!
WICKET! Rashid c Smith b Holder 0 (England 162-9)
Hat-trick!!! It’s Rashid’s turn to go for the heave-ho and this time Smith cradles the baby at deep square leg.
Updated
WICKET! Billings c sub (Walsh) b Holder 41 (England 162-8)
And again! Billings gets down on one knee to slog-sweep but sends it more high than wide and Walsh is the man again!
WICKET! Jordan c sub (Walsh) b Holder 7 (England 162-7)
Another victim of the short boundary! A huge slog into the hands of Walsh just a few yards in from the fence.
19th over: England 161-6 ( Billings 41, Jordan 7) England need 20 off six balls!! Cottrell gets the penultimate over, and he’s clever: he goes full, a quick yorker follows. A full toss thuds into Billings’ pads as he tries to sweep, England take two leg byes but West Indies call for a review for lbw - NOT OUT. The second beamer of the match slips out, and, as with Saqib Mahmood, the free hit is a dud.
Briefly:
Tanya,
One of the results of WFH is that casual wear in the office (i.e. non-ironed) is becoming more acceotable nowadays. Way back in the mid-1990s I recall plenty of Leeds-based bankers and executives rolling up to work without a tie! Strange, but true. The trend accelarated thenceforth and there’s no stopping it now.
John Starbuck
Updated
18th over: England 152-6 ( Billings 36, Jordan 6) England need 28 off 12 balls It’s the gleaming Smith to try and hold England back with just three overs to go. But Billings is up for the challenge. He clubs six over backward square leg, then just evades the fielder with a top-edged slog-sweep. Then SIX MORE as he goes bigger over midwicket, where Allen amazingly gets his hands to the ball but carries it over. Jordan joins in with a four through square leg.
Updated
17th over: England 132-6 ( Billings 21, Jordan 2) England need 48 off 18 balls More spin, and more frustration for England. But Billings gets low and swings him for four through the leg side.
Updated
16th over: England 124-6 ( Billings 15, Jordan 1) Brilliant from Hosein, who finishes with 4-30 from his four overs. Billings throws the bat but the oil hasn’t yet percolated to the engine.
WICKET! Salt st Pooran b Hosein 3 (England 119-6)
Charges down the pitch, smears the outside edge and Pooran whips off the bails!
15th over: England 119-5 ( Billings 11, Salt 3) Allen: scampered singles, a no-ball, a free-hit - which is a dot.
Updated
14th over: England 114-5 ( Billings 8, Salt 1) Can the new boys bring it home? What a chance for them, but West Indies spinners doing exactly what England’s did and stalling the scoring.
“Evening-ish Tanya,” Hello there Tone White!
“I’m imagining that it’s the English girls team playing, and feeling very relaxed about the result.
Can’t wait for Heather Vince to get her ton.
Thanks in advance for sharing the win!”
Sorry Tone, I was a touch too slow on that email...
Updated
WICKET! Vince c Allen b Hosein 55 (England 112-5)
A top-edged slog-sweep flies towards the short boundary but it doesn’t have the flight and Allen takes him safely. This time Hosein mimes making a cup of tea! Three for him and the England stutter is in full flow.
13th over: England 111-4 (Vince 55, Billings 6) Clever slow left arm from Allen, Vince and Billings dib and dab and rotate the strike but can’t get him to the rope.
“Hi Tanya,Id just like to point out that there is an alternative approach to ironing.When my son began at secondary school he wanted his school clothes ironed. So I bought an iron and ironing board, then explained the process. He went with it - exclusively for school clothes - while becoming skilled enough for county level age group cricket. I’m not sure there was a causal link though.”
Nice work Geoff Wignall! Were his creases sharp enough to please a prowling Ted Dexter?
I must add that I know that being a lazy slob isn’t possible for people who actually have to leave the house to do their job.
Fifty for James Vince!
12th over: England 98-4 (Vince 51, Billings 1) Vince’s second IT20 fifty in a career of thwarted elan. He reaches it with a pull low-bodied pull for four and follows up with a cut off the back foot for four more.
WICKET! Livingstone c Smith b Hosein 6 (England 95-4)
A flat-footed chip to backward point, and Smith says thanks very much. Hosein celebrates by limping down the wicket.
11th over: England 88-3 (Vince 44, Livingstone 6) Holder steady away, but Livingstone dinks his last ball behind to the rope.
“Not sure I can stand the tension. Even stevens at half way, England reliant on two talented perennial under-achievers in Mo & Vince....
Will spend the next hour hiding behind the sofa just like watching Dr Who back in the 70’s....”
Only one to trouble you now Charles Sheldrick in Deepest darkest Devon.
WICKET! Moeen Ali c Mayers b Holder 14 (England 86-3)
The first ball after drinks! Mo tonks a slower ball but with the lack of timing that has haunted him all innings.
10th over: England 86-2 (Vince 42, Moeen Ali 14) At the half way stage, it’s anyone’s game. Vince drives Smith through mid-on for a delicate boundary - 94 needed from the next ten. Where’s your money? They take drinks.
9th over: England 76-2 (Vince 36, Moeen Ali 10) Pollard lumbers in with his own brand of more-than-dibbly-dobblies. Moeen sends one delicately to backward point but it is scotched before the rope. Pollard helps England along with a couple of wides.
Another email wings through the storm, from Ian Copestake“If Vince’s new glass ceiling is 34 rather than 18 then it could be taken as progress. Hope it smashes it though.”
8th over: England 69-2 (Vince 34, Moeen Ali 7) Middle over penury approaching? Seven squeezed off Shepherd’s over, nice running between the wickets but no boundaries.
Updated
7th over: England 62-2 (Vince 32, Moeen Ali 3) Vince sends Pollard’s loosener through the covers. Dreamy. Moeen faces the last four balls but can only pick up the single. But he had a similarly slow start yesterday.
“Hello Tanya,” Hello Timothy Sanders. “ I need to iron school uniform tonight, so I’ve been working on some cricket data. Rashid’s bowling figures for the series: 20 overs, 115 runs, 7 wickets. The average return over twenty overs from the rest of the attack is 187 runs and 4.1 wickets.”
Thank you for that! But may I advise ditching the iron. It does leave the family permanently creased but as long as you train them young, it’s fine. The iron is always in the cellar if anyone fancies it.
6th over: England 56-2 (Vince 27, Moeen Ali 2) Smith, gleaming with sweat, powers in, and England can’t get him to the rope. My daughter walks in chewing a naan: “that bowler is tanked” At the end of the power play it is even-stevens, West Indies were 58-o .
“Following your gair observations about what James Vince can do (gorgeous strokes one minute, nicking off the next) I just hope he doesn’t do another of those things that James Vince does and gets out for an attractive but ultimately frustrating and inconsequential 30...”
Tom vd Gucht, James Vince would never do anything like that.
5th over: England 48-2 (Vince 24, Moeen Ali 1) Cottrell bounds in, but Vince is in the mood. Lights a cigar and fires him through backward point and behind square.
“Im being dim,” asks Peter in Selsey, “who bowled the final over?” Apologies Peter, it was Chris Jordan.
4th over: England 41-2 (Vince 14, Moeen Ali 1) A bit of a dogs-breakfast behind the stumps and Banton appears to be dropped, the very next he picks Smith off his toe caps and flicks him 90 m into the roof of a temporary tents. Then the wicket, which brings in Moeen Ali who is immediately dropped by Holder after edging an absolute snorter from Smith.
WICKET! Banton c Holder b Smith 16 (England 40-2)
Don’t try to pull the ball over Jason Holder’s head! Banton doesn’t make the contact he wants to and the ball flies high and safely over Holder’s shoulder and into the bread basket.
3rd over: England 27-1 (Banton 5, Vince 14) Four dots from Cottrell builds the pressure on Banton but he pulls the fifth past an amusingly bad bit of fielding at mid-on for four.
2nd over: England 27-1 (Banton 5, Vince 14) Gorge-ous from James Vince, driving Holder straight for six and holding the pose just in case you don’t know what James Vince can do. A flash at a wide one flies through where the slips might have been - another fine example of what JAmes Vince can do. Banton sends Holder through fine leg for another boundary and 17 runs come off his first over.
1st over: England 10-1 (Banton 0, Vince 2) Roy clubs Hosein over mid-off first ball, cuts with a dash in front of square before the unlucky dobble from bat to pad to Pooran’s gloves.
WICKET! Roy c Pooran b Hosein 8 (England 8-1)
Roy shakes his head in disbelief as a bottom edge squirts up into the legside and Pooran darts forward, dives, and gathers with both hands.
Updated
Really tricky to take a call on this one, after the explosive start, West Indies faded through the middle overs before galloping back at the end. My gut feeling is that England can chase this down, whether the wind picking up will make a difference, we’ll have to see. My gut, though , is not famous for its reliability.
England will need 180 to win
20th over: West Indies 179-4 (Pollard 41, Powell 35) Yes they do! Six monstered down the ground by Pollard. Then down on one-kneed and smacked by Powell over midwicket for six more. A wide (nicely taken by Billings) but then it all peters out a little as Jordan pulls things back. Still 180 is a fair target, if not quite what West Indies would have hoped for at the power play.
Updated
19th over: West Indies 160-4 (Pollard 31, Powell 28) Easy-does it: as Pollard eyes up Topley and trumpets him into the stands for six first ball. But they can’t reach the rope again, just scampered singles. Fourteen from the over. Do West Indies have a big last one up their sleeve?
18th over: West Indies 146-4 (Pollard 18, Powell 28) The palm trees are a-blowing as West Indies hit their straps, Powell power: two consecutive sixes: one flays over mid-wicket, another is cracked on one-knee over long-off. Jordan looks nonplussed.
17th over: West Indies 131-4 (Pollard 16, Powell 15) A boundary! A palpable boundary! First since the tenth over as Powell muscles a wide one from Topley over the rope. Two more follow, through midwicket, and then an outside edge squirts merrily away.
Updated
16th over: West Indies 113-4 (Pollard 11, Powell 2) Mahmood has another go, with conditions now very much in his favour. Unless there is something going on with this pitch, I don’t really understand why West Indies aren’t going for it for it more, but.... yikes, Mahmood bowls a beamer straight for Powell’s head, but he ducks low and quick and it fires into Billings’ gloves. Mahmood apologies immediately. Just eight come from it, and a good comeback after the plenty of the opening over.
15th over: West Indies 105-4 (Pollard 7, Powell 0) Brilliant from Rashid who finishes his spell with 2-17 from his four overs, with 12 dot balls to throw in the mix.
“Hey Tanya” Hi Dhemi. “Just thinking of England’s excellent use of spin to slow the run rate. Does anyone have an idea of the highest number of overs bowled by spin in a T20 and how many runs were scored?
I’ll try and have a look for you between innings unless any OBOers have time on their hands?
WICKET! Pooran b Rashid 24 (West Indies 105-4)
Pooran can restrain himself no longer, but Rashid is better, and the ball spins past him and tips off the offstump bail.
14th over: West Indies 103-3 (Pooran 20, Pollard 6) It’s been 27 balls and 21 minutes since the last boundary. What now? Carnage in the final six or more careful accumulation? You’d think they’d have to get a hurry on but Livingstone is making them play him with respect.
13th over: West Indies 99-3 (Pooran 18, Pollard 5) And here we are, as Chris Jordan picks up the ball, but West Indies again struggle to get bat on ball for the full whoopee. A good length from Jordan.
“Hello Tanya,” Good evening Andrew Benton.
“England need to take the shellac the West Indies meted out and give it the fire and re-polish treatment - as per this chap from one minute in! They can surely do it with Moeen Ali at the helm. Allez!
Here’s to more excellent words in the OBO in future!”
12th over: West Indies 95-3 (Pooran 16, Pollard 3) The run-rate continues its downward trajectory as the West Indies can only manage a fistful of singles off the excellent Rashid. The one bright spot for West Indies is that Moeen will have to turn to his pace men at some stage soon.
11th over: West Indies 91-3 (Pooran 14, Pollard 1) So it is Livingstone to start the second set of ten. And Livngstone who gets rid of the dangerous King, whose shot would not please a purist with an itch to scratch. There can’t be many more reassuring figures to stride in than Pollard though, a huge figure topped off with a maroon West Indies sunhat, just like Roger Harper used to wear it.
WICKET! King c Jordan b Livingstone 34 (West Indies 89-3)
A whoopee too many as King goes for Livingstone but can only sky a one-handed hoik to Jordan on the rope.
Updated
10th over: West Indies 85-2 (King 34, Pooran 10) Just the one boundary from Moeen’s third over, as King pulls him with dazzling power. I think they’re pausing for drinks at the half way stage, as we get a gratuitous shot of the ocean.
9th over: West Indies 78-2 (King 29, Pooran 9) Pooran greets Rashid with an enormous straight six, that hovers a little in the air but still flies over the boundary. It is hot out there, baby blue skies, long shadows and summer tunes. Outside my window, it is blowing a hoolie,
8th over: West Indies 69-2 (King 28, Pooran 1) A double for legspin! And a successful first over for Livingstone in the contest. West Indies in danger of not making the most of their best start of the competition here.
WICKET! Shepherd c Mahmood b Livingstone 6 (West Indies 67-2)
An outside edge as Shepherd enters the fray full of adrenalin, but his meat and potatoes heave just travels to point where Saqib Mahmood can settle his nerves with a safe catch.
7th over: West Indies 60-0 (King 27, Shepherd 0) Rashid weaves his magic again as Mayers tries another booming shot but his pull doesn’t have the power this time. He got West Indies off to a great start though.
WICKET! Mayers c Salt b Rashid 31 (West Indies 59-1)
Coolly brilliant relay catch - Jason Roy did the donkey work on the boundary, grabbing the ball with both hands above his head then throwing the ball to Salt just before toppling over the boundary.
6th over: West Indies 58-0 (King 25, Mayers 31) This time, Moeen Ali can’t keep them quiet. King lofts his first ball high over long-on, onwards towards the palm trees. King leans back and cuts him for four more, like a man slicing carrots for a stir fry. End of a productive power play.
Updated
5th over: West Indies 47-0 (King 18, Mayers 27) Mayers has his eye in! Chris Jordan’s first is torpedoed through midwicket, his third, a touch short, is picked up with one leg and soars over the rope. More singing strokes follow but wary England fielders managed to stop them crossing the rope.
4th over: West Indies 33-0 (King 17, Mayers 14) Moeen, shaven head, decides it is time for spin. His second ball rips hugely, beats King, who has shimmied down the pitch, and surely that’s out.. but no, Billings breaks the stumps but the ball has escaped his gloves: Moeen chews gum emotionlessly.
3rd over: West Indies 31-0 (King 16, Mayers 14) Topley restores some order, but still nine comes from it: a handsome drive from King and then some sensible rotation of the strike.
2nd over: West Indies 22-0 (King 9, Mayers 12) Moeen gives Mahmood a chance to makes amends from that shellacking from Husain in the second game. Ooof, immediately brutal from King, smacked over long on. Another six follows from a one-legged short-armed pull from Mayers, who repeats the shot sublimely, for four more. Nineteen leak from the over. Brilliant batting, assumed they’re trying to hit Saqib out of the attack.
1st over: West Indies 3-0 (King 2, Mayers 0) Topley, man mountain, gobbles up the yards. He’s on the money immediately, West Indies only manage three, one comes as King smashes the ball into Topley’s shin -ouch - on the follow-through.
On the field, they take the knee, and Reece Topley has the ball.
It looks a bit windy out there, but I’m sure the teams don’t need me to tell them that. BT run a quick interview with Liam Livingstone, still recovering from his Oesophagitis, which google tells me is an inflammation of the lining of the gullet, though they made some kind of bantery reference to it in the studio which I didn’t get so I might not be helping here.
The teams are playing on the same pitch they used for the third game - the one when Rovman Powell pingoed the ball all over the place. Mark Butcher doesn’t expect as many runs today, but says it still looks tasty for batting.
West Indies win the toss and bat
West Indies XI: Mayers, King, Pooran, Powell, Pollard, Holder, Allen, Shepherd, Smith, Hosien, Cottrell (Two changes: Fabian Allen and Odean Smith replace Darren Bravo and Dominic Drakes)
England XI: Roy, Banton, Vince, Moeen Ali, Livingstone, Billings, Salt, Jordan, Rashid, Mahmood, Topley (One change: Saqib Mahmood for Tymal Mills)
A team chooses to bat first for the first time this series.
Updated
Preamble
Hello! And welcome to the last match in this T20 series of five games. Just to prove the naysayers wrong, those who pondered whether the whole caboodle was an example of excessive and pointless cricket (ahem), the series has built itself up into a tasty crescendo: two wins apiece and down to the wire.
To remind you of the results so far: a shellacking - West Indies win by 9 wickets, a seat-of-your-pantsing - England win by one run, a Powelling - West Indies win by 20 runs, and a stroll - England win by 34 runs.
England’s stand-in captain Moeen Ali played a dream match in the last game with fifty and a couple of wickets - he’d be very happy to bring the series home for Eoin Morgan (on the bench with a thigh injury). So too would West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard, who came to the series on the back of ODI defeat to Ireland.
The weather looks peachy, so play should starts at 8pm GMT (3pm local time). I’ll be back around 7.35 with news of the toos ‘n’ teams. See you then!
5th & deciding t20 International at the gr8 K'Oval. A used pitch in middle so happy to bat first, again. Crosswinds & gusty. In early to capture a different view before joining the pigeons for one last time. Its been a gr8 trip with friends, making so many memories watching Reece pic.twitter.com/EgUp2DDPD2
— Don Topley (Toppers) (@ToppersSnr) January 30, 2022
