That’s it from me this evening/morning. Time to haul myself out of the OBO armchair and skulk off for some kip.
That was an intriguing game and sets up this T20I series nicely. A real statement has been laid down by Rovman Powell and his men, West Indies were up against it early doors with England crunching their way to 112-2 off the first ten overs but Jos Buttler’s side only managed to make 59 runs off the next ten, losing eight wickets along the way.
A total of 171 was thirty or more shy of where England would have liked to have ended up and so it proved as West Indies peeled up their sleeves and showed how muscular their own batting card is – the home side cleared the ropes fourteen times compared to England’s six. Andre Russell and Rovman Powell found the stands with ease at the business end of the match to get West Indies over the line with eleven balls remaining.
We’ll be back to cover the second match in Grenada on Thursday, do join us for that. Until then, thank you and goodnight.
Updated
Andre Russell is Player of the Match:
In his first T20I in over two years he took 3-29 and smashed 29* off just 14 deliveries with the game in the balance. He seems very pleased to be back in maroon.
Life is so funny. Since when I got selected for the West Indies two weeks ago I’ve been dreaming of being man of the match.”
West Indies win by 4 wickets!
Andre Russell smashes the winning runs off Sam Curran! A length ball is spanked over point for a one bounce four to give the home side the win, they go 1-0 up in the series.
Updated
18th over: West Indies 168-6 (Powell 31, Russell 25) Adil Rashid is recalled for his final over, can he turn the game back to England?
Nope.
ANDRE RUSSELL SMASHES THE RASHID GOOGLY CLEAN OUT OF THE GROUND!
Huge SIX! The big man even allows himself a coy smile. He enjoyed that one.
A dot the next ball is followed by a powerful drive all along the baize for four! Eleven in total off the over and West Indies now just need four runs.
17th over: West Indies 157-6 (Powell 31, Russell 14) Tymal Mills is entrusted. Singles off the first two balls. Powell swipes a full ball into the deep to collect a couple. SIX! Mills goes short and Powell gets a mighty top edge for a maximum! Fortune favours the brave, the Windies skipper gave that everything and it could have gone anywhere. Mills sends one down the leg side – wide ball. Pressure on the bowler here… Shot! Short and wide from Mills and sent to the fence with Swiss clock timing by Powell. Sixteen off the over, looking terminal for Buttler and co. 15 needed from 18 balls.
16th over: West Indies 141-6 (Powell 26, Russell 4) Livingstone continues. Four singles off the first four balls keeps the pressure on the West Indies. HOLD THAT THOUGHT. Rovman Powell crunches consecutive sixes down the ground with a shrug and swagger to make it sixteen off the over. The scales tip once more, England need to do away with one or both of Powell and Russell – there’s no way they don’t win this for West Indies if they are there at the end. 31 needed from 24 balls.
15th over: West Indies 125-6 (Powell 12, Russell 2) Andre Russell the man to face the hattrick ball… Boo! A decent ball on the stumps is patted back by the big man. Drama in Barbados, Russell works for a couple. Ahmed takes his cap with a broad smile on his face – he hasn’t had it all his own way but finishes with 3-39 from his set of four. Advantage England? 47 needed from 30 balls.
Updated
WICKET! Shepherd c Curran b Rehan Ahmed 0 (West Indies 123-6)
Rehan Ahmed on a hattrick! Buttler brings Curran into slip and Shepherd pokes a leggie to him off his very first ball. Great stuff from Rehan who has turned the game England’s way in the space of a minute.
WICKET! Shai Hope c Brook b Rehan Ahmed 36 (West Indies 123-5)
Ahmed is bunted for SIX by Shai Hope but strikes with the next ball as Hope holes out!
14th over: West Indies 112-4 (Hope 27, Powell 10) Liam Livingstone instead of Rashid and he does well to keep it to singles, England trying to take this as deep as possible and hope West Indies fluff their lines at the death. West Indies need 55 from 36 balls.
13th over: West Indies 112-4 (Hope 27, Powell 10) Rehan has two balls left to complete his over. The first ball is flayed for four by Powell behind point! Valuable runs for West Indies. Rehan’s final ball is a dot, defended by Powell into the off side. West Indies need 60 from 42 balls.
Updated
Ok, the players are out on the pitch. Here we go…
Simon Burnton is our man in Barbados and he sends good news! “It’s a 9.35pm restart. We haven’t lost any overs.” We should be underway in about eight minutes. I believe that 10.10pm local time is the cut off for the match – that’ll be 2.10am here in London town.
Excuse me whilst I head to the kitchen to microdose some Kenco.
Promising news – the rain seems to be tailing off and a rope is being dragged around the outfield to take off any excess water. I’ll bring news as soon as it wafts over from Barbados to my sofa.
Rain stops play (West Indies 108-4 and require 64 runs off 44 balls)
What’s all this then? Out of nowhere the heavens crack like an inky brûlée and rain starts to pour. The players scurry off as the covers are hauled on. Crucially – West Indies are six runs ahead of the Duckworth Lewis Stern rate. IF the rain doesn’t abate – and it looks heavy at the moment – then the home side will take the spoils.
12.4 overs: West Indies 108-4 (Hope 27, Powell 6)
Updated
12th over: West Indies 102-4 (Hope 26, Hetmyer 1) Just a single and the wicket off the over, Shai Hope can’t break the legspin shackles. Windies skipper Rovman Powell is the new man and Buttler cranks the pressure by inserting a slip.
Updated
WICKET! Hetmyer c Duckett b Rashid 1 (West Indies 101-4)
Adil Rashid takes his 100th T20I wicket! A crucial one in the context of the game too – the dangerous Hetmyer is sent on his way for just a single as England look to ramp up the pressure heading into the nub end of this match. Hetmyer danced out of his crease and got a good piece of the length ball but it flew flat and hard to Duckett on the midwicket sponge.
And he does it on his 100th T20I appearance! 💯#BBCCricket #WIvENG pic.twitter.com/LYhUBtNnUj
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 13, 2023
Updated
WICKET! Pooran c & b Rehan Ahmed 13 (West Indies 100-3)
Rehan back into the attack after his first over was minced for n n n n nineteen. Got him! Pooran flicks back a full ball and Rehan takes a nifty catch tumbling away to his left. Shimron Hetymer is the new batter and he tucks a single into the leg side to open his account. The wicket has given Ahmed a confidence boost and he gets out of the over with three dots.
11th over: West Indies 101-3 (Hope 25, Hetmyer 1)
10th over: West Indies 99-2 (Hope 25, Pooran 13) Rashid is given another after his excellent first over. The googly is spotted by Pooran and driven down the ground handsomely for SIX! A glide behind point bring a single, Hope returns the favour with a flick into the leg side. A short ball is panned into the deep by Pooran for a couple to end the over. Bon Jovi O’clock – West Indies need 73 from 60. Time for a quick slurp for the players and a knuckle stretch for me.
Is there anybody alive out there?!
9th over: West Indies 87-2 (Hope 23, Pooran 3) Will the wickets slow the Windies as they did England? Rehan is replaced by Tymal Mills who starts with another wide. Rusty stuff so far from the southpaw seamer. That’s better – a series of slower balls and back of the hand trickery restricts Pooran and Hope before the final ball is top edged over Buttler’s head for a one bounce four. West Indies need 85 from 66 balls.
WICKET! Kyle Mayers c Brook b Rashid 35 (West Indies 79-3)
The sorcerer follows his apprentice and bags a wicket first ball! That’s Rashid’s 99th T20I wicket – in truth it was a bit of a drag down but from the front of the hand so it skidded onto Mayers who didn’t time it and was caught by Brook in the deep. England needed that BIG TIME. A masterclass from Rashid in the rest of the over, Nicholas Pooran is the new man and his clip for one is the only run from the over.
8th over: West Indies 79-2 (Hope 19, Pooran 1)
Updated
7th over: West Indies 78-1 (Mayers 35, Hope 19) Rehan to Kyle Mayers. First ball is dragged down and launched over the midwicket boundary for SIX. Pressure on the young leggie. What a shot! Mayers holds the pose as he lofts a supreme drive down the ground for SIX more. Brutal elegance. Rehan comes back well with two sharply turning leggies. Bosh! Shai Hope gets in on the act and smears a length ball over mid on for the third six of the over. It’s a learning curve for the tyro spinner but that doesn’t make it any less bruising.
6th over: West Indies 59-1 (Mayers 22, Hope 13) Curran is called back, Mills granted just the one over for the time being. Two slower balls bring two soothing dots for England. A single each to Mayers and Hope. Curran does very well to get out of the over with just three runs conceded. Powerplay complete. How long till we see some spin from Rehan? Not long at all, he’s on for the next over.
5th over: West Indies 56-1 (Mayers 20, Hope 12) Woakes continues, after five balls he’s gone for just three runs. Can he get out of the over cheaply? No – A length ball is clubbed down the ground for SIX with a minimum of fuss by Shai Hope. West Indies have come out of the traps as well as England did, one over of the Powerplay left.
4th over: West Indies 47-1 (Mayers 18, Hope 5) Tymal Mills comes onto bowl for England for the first time in eighteen months, he has plenty of T20 skills up his sleeve, can he showcase them here? Hmmm, a couple of wides slanted down the leg side isn’t the best of starts. Mills lets out a hearty groan at the second. Two full balls are worked for singles… Kablammo! Mills to Mayers – short ball – pulled onto the roof for SIX! What a shot, new ball please!
DROP! And it is Ben Duckett who shells it! It would have been even better than the first grab but the ball smashes into his palm as he leaps to his right and comes straight out. They stick or they don’t. It’s all happening.
3rd over: West Indies 36-1 (Mayers 10, Hope 4) Shai Hope is the new man and digs out a Woakes yorker and somehow manages to crunch it away down the ground for four. The replay of the Duckett catch is extremely enjoyable, Woakes owes him one for that as it was a poor ball outside off stump.
WICKET! Brandon King c Duckett b Woakes 22 (West Indies 32-1)
Chris Woakes into the attack to replace the beleaguered Sam Curran. OH. MY. LORDY. Ben Duckett flies to his left at backward point to pull off a spectacular diving catch off a full blooded cut shot from King. Stunner!
2nd over: West Indies 30-0 (King 21, Mayers 9) Will Jacks to bowl his workmanlike spin at the other end. Uh-Oh! He drops short and Kyle Mayers murders it, the ball lands on the roof of the stadium. That deserved everything it got. Mayers cuts for three behind point and then King skips jauntily out of his crease to skim the ball for four down the ground!
1st over: West Indies 16-0 (King 16, Mayers) Brandon King gets the home side off to a blistering start, sending Sam Curran down the ground for four and swiping a brace of SIXES over mid-wicket. Game on!
No sooner have I sploshed some water on me teabag… the players emerge. West Indies need 172 to win!
An innings of two halves for England
From 77 for no loss to 171 all out with three balls to spare. England's recent white ball approach is a variable one yielding mixed...often frustrating results #WIvENG
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) December 12, 2023
Time to stick the kettle on and raid the fridge before West Indies start their chase.
3-19 for Andre Russell on his comeback for West Indies, balancing the attack perfectly.
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) December 12, 2023
Russell at his best adds so much to West Indies's side. With him at 7, and Holder, Shepherd and Hosein to follow, West Indies bat incredibly deep
Updated
England all out 171!
Tymal Mills gets a gossamer thin edge through to Pooran and England are all out with three deliveries to spare! What a turnaround for West Indies who were staring down the barrel with England flying 77-0 after six overs.
WICKET! Rashid b Joseph 0 (England 170-9)
Rashid goes to swipe Joseph in the final over and hacks the ball onto his timbers. England nine down…
WICKET! Ahmed c Powell b Russell 1 (England 169-8)
Rehan Ahmed follows shortly after, trying to smear a length ball down the ground he can only find Powell lurking ten yards in from the sponge. Russell gets two in the over and finishes his spell and his first T20I in two years with figures of 3-19. Nicely done.
19th over: England 169-8 (Woakes 2, Rashid 0)
WICKET! Livingstone b Russell 27 (England 167-7)
Livingstone chops a cutter from Russell onto his stumps!
18th over: England 167-6 (Livingstone 27, Woakes 1) Chris Woakes enters the fray. Romario Shepherd mixes up his speeds and his length to restrict England to just two runs off the over. He should have had another wicket too but for Jason Holder fumbling a relatively simple catch off a Woakes leading edge. Two overs to go…
Sam Curran c Joseph b Shepherd 13 (England 165-6)
Whadda grab! Alzarri Joseph plucks the ball out of the sky with a beautifully timed leap on the long on boundary! West Indies have been electric in the field this evening, Sam Curran on his way.
17th over: England 165-5 (Livingstone 26, Curran 13) Livingstone gets an early read on a slower ball from Holder and pulls it for SIX over square leg. That’s England’s first six since the ninth over. And there’s the tenth! Livingstone drives with brute force, dropping to one knee in the process – the ball soaring over long off for a towering SIX! England punch back with seventeen runs off the over.
16th over: England 148-5 (Livingstone 13, Curran 9) West Indies continue the squeeze with subtle changes of pace but Alzarri Joseph eventually pays the price for sending down a couple of wides in the over as the eight ball of the over is biffed by Livingstone back past him for four. England won’t want to get less than 200 on this pitch after the start they had and with the firepower in the Windies batting lineup. A big four overs coming up then…
15th over: England 139-5 (Livingstone 8, Curran 7) The big man returns from the ultimate big man’s end - Andre Russell chugs in from the Joel Garner end at the Kensington Oval. Floodlights beating down on his continent sized shoulders. Well bowled! Russell shows off his T20 nous by mixing up slower balls with short stuff and yorkers. England can only muster four runs from the over.
Updated
14th over: England 135-5 (Livingstone 5, Curran 6) West Indies have dominated the last five overs after England got off to a flier in the first ten. Who will boss the final segment? Sam Curran arrives at the crease in bright blue batting spikes. Statement shoes eh Sam? And why not – he pulls for four to give England a much needed boundary shot in the bicep.
WICKET! Duckett c Hosein b Shepherd (England 129-5)
England lose their fifth wicket! No boundary in over three and a half overs sees Duckett move across his crease to try and ramp Shepherd over point. He resembles a man trying to prise the lid off a gummed up tin of one coat gloss with a tablespoon and crucially served only to plop it down the fielder at short third’s throat.
13th over: England 129-4 (Duckett 14, Livingstone 5) Hosein finishes his spell and does well to clock up 1-32 from his set of four overs after getting hit for 13 off his first.
12th over: England 123-4 (Duckett 11, Livingstone 2) Holder shows all his skill and experience, keeping Liam Livingtone and Ben Duckett tied down, starving them of anything to hit and building the pressure. Five runs and the Brook wicket off the over. England’s worm is turning… downhill.
WICKET! Brook c Pooran b Holder 1 (England 120-4)
Jason Holder spears down two wides before pitching one up on a length. Harry Brook decides he’s going to obliterate it into a different time zone and nearly swings himself clean off his feet in the process. More pertinently he gets a tickle and is caught behind the stumps by Pooran. England teetering after that rollocking start…
11th over: England 118-3 (Duckett 10, Brook 1) Harry Brook replaces his captain and prods to point off his first ball to get off the mark and pinch the strike for the next over. West Indies doing a decent job of hauling themselves back into this contest.
WICKET! Buttler c Hetmyer b Hosein 39 (England 117-3)
Hetmyer bags his second brilliant catch of the evening! Hosein comes back into the attack with his darting tweakers, Buttler tries to shovel one for Six but doesn’t get the legs on it to clear the fence.
10th over: England 112-2 (Buttler 36, Duckett 8) Duckett gets a thick edge over the infield on the off side that dribbles away for four. England manage to pick up singles off the rest and are hurtling along at over eleven an over.
Has the OBO team has been putting in some practice for 60 second comfort breaks? Asks Showbizguru…
“I just tried and missed by one ball but I blame the snoozing dog for blocking my long run.”
Seal as yet unbroken Mr Guru. Chance would be a fine thing, a very fine thing indeed.
9th over: England 103-2 (Buttler 34, Duckett 1) Ben Duckett joins Buttler at the crease. A nurdle to leg sees him get off the mark and flat bat hack through point brings Buttler his fifth four and sees England past the hundred mark.
WICKET! Jacks c King b Joseph 17 (England 98-2)
Jacks goes high, so high… down the ground and the ball just clears the ropes to bring him SIX! That looked to go further up than it went long and surely came down with a dusting of Barbadian snow on top if it? Jacks lines up another yahoo and top edges over the keeper for another SIX! Third time not so lucky… a massive swipe lands in the hands of a diving Brandon King in the outfield. Fun while it lasted. Alzarri Joseph has a scalp to go with his burgeoning runs column.
Updated
8th over: England 85-1 (Buttler 30, Jacks 5) Romario Shepherd replaces Joseph after the carnage of his last over, he bangs it in the middle of the pitch and goes very full to good effect – England can only work the ball for single, five of ‘em.
7th over: England 80-1 (Buttler 28, Jacks 2) Will Jacks is the new man in the middle. He’ll likely still be smarting from that central contract snub – the Surrey gun will want to make a statement in this series. He glides a length ball through point to get off the mark to his first ball. Buttler then does a carbon copy off the next ball. Close! Russell goes short and Jacks tries to run it away up the face of his bat but only connects with fresh air. Russell ends a tidy over with a dot. West Indies needed that, brakes applied to England’s runaway start.
WICKET! Salt c Hetmyer b Russell 40 (England 77-1)
Salt smears to leg but can’t clear Hetmyer on the fence who takes a well judged juggling catch.
6th over: England 77-0 (Salt 40, Buttler 27) England are on one here. Alzarri Joseph replaces Jason Holder for the final Powerplay over and is carved for 26!
Salt cracks him downtown for four and follows up with an incredible flat six over point! Buttler flicks off his hip for a couple and it is a FREE HIT as Joseph has overstepped. Buttler takes the freebie and launches it over long on for four. Gah! Joseph then gives away five wides. Yikes – that’s the most expensive over Alzarri Joseph has sent down in his entire career.
5th over: England 51-0 (Salt 29, Buttler 20) Ping! Andre Russell is summoned for a bowl and his first ball – clocking 84 MPH – is dispatched by Buttler for four down the ground. Some shot that. Scary.
A tale of two scoops* follows. West Indies go upstairs to review a missed/or was it? scoop from Buttler but the DRS shows a flat line. NOT OUT. SIX! Buttler gets the next one perfectly and ramps Russell away for a maximum. 50 up for England.
*Two scoops, not two soups…
Updated
4th over: England 41-0 (Salt 29, Buttler 10) Phil Salt is seeing it like a planet! Holder drops a quick ball in short only to see Salt dismiss it to the fence with disdain. His bat sounded like a sawn off shotgun in the process. A step away to leg sees Salt slash another four over the infield on the off-side. A single to each batter and a drive for two from Salt finish the over, England continue on their merry way and take a dozen off it.
3rd over: England 29-0 (Salt 18, Buttler 9) Hosein is angling the ball in at the stumps, Salt goes back and does well to get the bat down on it just in time. Shades of Indiana Jones and his hat with that one. Salt carves for two through point where a lumbering Andre Russell does the fielding. Shot! Buttler pounces on a full ball and smears it down the ground all along the baize for four!
Updated
2nd over: England 22-0 (Salt 15, Buttler 5) Jason Holder, impossibly tall with a vast chest as impressively wide as a Smeg fridge bustles in but struggles with his radar. A couple of leg side wides are gifted before he lands one straight that Buttler meets with a bunt back over his head (no mean feat against Holder) for four. Nine off the over in total.
1st over: England 13-0 (Salt 13, Buttler 0) Hosein skids the ball on at a decent lick. The wicket is butterscotch and pristine. CLOSE! Salt goes back to cut a full ball and gets a meaty outside edge that flies past Shai Hope at slip and away for four. Hope had no chance of getting a hand to that, it was travelling. Four! Salt sweeps powerfully in the gap behind square and follows up with a cut through point for another boundary. He nudges a single to keep strike too – England off to a flier!
Here come the players – Phil Salt and Jos Buttler doing some obligatory willow wielding accompanied by the odd lunge and knee flex. West Indies will start with the left-arm spin of Akeal Hosein – PLAY!
Hold onto your egg timers!
Tonight’s match will see the introduction of a clock trial, a procedural innovation which will now run in all white-ball internationals until April. Teams must be ready to bowl the first ball of each over within 60 seconds* of the completion of the last one – should they fail, after two free passes, the third and subsequent offences will each result in a five-run deduction from their score.
*Won’t anyone think of the poor OBO scribe and their poor, weary digits?!
Updated
Here’s Woakesy!
There’s always an emphasis on the result but, at the same time, you want to prepare for what’s ahead. So [the focus is] learnings as to conditions, and also performances sometimes rather than the end results. The perfect idea is you do all of that and get the result as well.”
Our man on the ground (not jealous at all as I type this from a dank South London) is Simon Burnton. He caught up with both Tymal Mills and Chris Woakes over the last day or so.
Here’s Tymal Mills on how he’s faring:
I had a really good summer,” he said. “Just playing games, stacking them up, training properly and not worrying too much about my body, that made a big difference and kept me in a really good rhythm. I was able to train properly, practice and work on things and then take them into games.
It’s building that rhythm, building that momentum. That can go against you if you’re not bowling particularly well, but I guess I was coupling bowling well with bowling often and just staying on top of things, getting in a good rhythm and a good routine. Just having confidence in my body that every time I go out there to play, I’m not holding back in any little way where I’m worried about getting an injury. There’s just little things that over a period of time help translate to good performances.”
Teams:
West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope, 5 Rovman Powell (c), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Alzarri Joseph
England: 1 Jos Buttler (c & wk), 2 Phil Salt, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Tymal Mills
A double dose of leg-spin wizardry as Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid play in the same side for England, Tymal Mills is also given his first cap in eighteen months.
A landmark appearance for Adil Rashid! 💯
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 12, 2023
England have lost the toss and will bat first in Barbados.#BBCCricket pic.twitter.com/0F3YeoDQHI
Updated
West Indies win the toss and choose to bowl first
Windies captain Rovman Powell confirms Andre Russell will play and Jos Buttler admits to a polo shirted David Gower that he would have preferred to chase too. Full teams incoming!
Preamble
Hello, good evening and welcome to the OBO of the first T20I of the five match series between West Indies and (defending World Champions - no jokes please) England.
After a bruising few months at the hands of ODI cricket, England Captain Jos Buttler and Head Coach Matthew Mott will be hoping the (even) shorter format stuff can act as an arnica salve to their and tender flesh. With a T20I World Cup (C’mon now, I said no jokes) in the USA and Caribbean looming in 2025 England will be hoping they can capture some of the spirit that saw them lift the trophy in 2022.
The next five games give them an opportunity to hone their best side in the exact same conditions they’ll play the big one in next year. The opposition will prove a stern test too – West Indies coach (and T20I World Cup winning captain) Darren Sammy has called back plenty of heavy artillery for this series. Most notably, perhaps, is the summoning of T20 behemoth Andre Russell after a two year absence from international cricket, the Kolkata Knight Rider will also be joined by one or all of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers. Gulp.
England have drafted in some of their T20 gunslingers too; Tymal Mills, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes (I won’t tell you again…) and Jos Buttler will head back up to the top of the batting card. There’ll be plenty more to get stuck into once the series begins at 10pm GMT this evening. I’ll be back with news of the teams and the toss very shortly.
