England beat the West Indies by six wickets in their opener of the T20 World Cup after knocking out the defending champions by 55 minutes after an impressive effort on the field; Adil Rashid won 4-2 with two wickets each for Tymal Mills (2-17) and Moeen Ali (2-17)
Adil Rashid won 4-2 when England rolled to the West Indies for 55 in Dubai
England got the perfect start to their T20 World Cup campaign after pitching to the West Indies at 55 to claim a six-wicket victory.
Adil Rashid led the way in a brilliant all-round bowling effort, scoring 4-2, the best figures for an England bowler in T20I, while there were two wickets apiece for Moeen Ali (2-17) and Tymal Mills ( 2-17). ) as the Windies were dragged within 15 overs.
Only Chris Gayle (13) managed to double figures as the defending champions fell to their second-lowest T20I total and third-lowest in a T20 World Cup.
England made it difficult in the chase, sliding to 39-4, but the result was never really in doubt and they passed the line two balls in the ninth with a limit from Jos Buttler (24th of 22 balls).
The West Indies will remain in Dubai for their next game, against South Africa on Tuesday, while England will head to Abu Dhabi for a clash with Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Eoin Morgan chose to open the bowling alley with Moeen, but after a good start he saw Evin Lewis return the last ball over his head to six, that was the best he could for the West Indies.
Chris Woakes (1-12) shared the new ball and hit with his third ball, a slower delivery as Lewis (6) tried to hit over the top again but missed the shot and Moeen took an excellent catch over the top. shoulder while running backwards. starting from the middle.
Moeen was entrusted with one more second and Morgan’s faith was rewarded when Lendl Simmons (3) poked Liam Livingstone, the only outfielder in the leg, to make it 9-2.
Gayle and Hetymer (9) added a pair of limits each in the next two overs, but the latter fell into the hands of Moeen who was trying to add another and when Mills eliminated Gayle with a well-directed short ball in the last over of the powerplay, It was 31-4.
Dwayne Bravo was the next to go, caught deep by Chris Jordan (1-7), and the West Indies sank further into the mud when Mills caught Nicholas Pooran (1) behind on the drive.
Even at 42-6, there was still hope for the Caribbean men with Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell in the fold, but Rashid soon put an end to that after the drinks break.
The first ball from the leg spinner was a beauty in front of the hand that skidded to throw Russell (0) through the gate and caught Pollard (6) with the first ball from the next, also the first. ball that he threw to the captain of the West Indies.
Obed McCoy was the next ball, selecting Jason Roy in the long run, and although Ravi Rampaul survived the hat-trick ball as it passed its outer edge, he fell to Rashid two balls in the 15th, he dropped the center stump when he missed. with a laborious sweep.
England were not so clinical with the bat and while they stayed on top throughout, they did a tougher job of chasing than they would have liked.
Roy (11) fell to Rampaul (1-14) before Bairstow (9) was caught and thrown by Akeal Hosein and Moeen (3) was left out at the non-forward end after a mix-up with Buttler.
Left arm spinner Hosein (2-24) claimed his second catch and launched with an impressive one-handed catch diving to his left to eliminate Livingstone (1) but Morgan came in to join Buttler and 2.1 overs later, it’s over the game – England at home with about 70 balls to spare.
Moeen ali – Given the responsibility of taking the new ball, the off-roader was excellent with its off-spin proving to be highly effective against the excess left-handers of the Windies. He set the tone with the ball and exceeding his four overs within the first seven made life much easier for his captain.
Tymal mills – Back on the team and the fast pitcher very quickly showed what he has to offer: a left arm option, good pace and an excellent variety of slower balls. Carrying on with the West Indies down three helped, but they still claimed two big wickets in Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran.
Adil rashid – Yes, it came with West Indies 44-6, but this was not just a matter of clearing the tail. Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard are among the most fearsome hitters in the game and Rashid only needed one ball on each of them to completely and completely end the Windies’ hopes of hitting a competitive total. He showed all his variations, maintaining exceptional control at all times and making sure that there could not be even the slightest movement of the tail.
Akeal Hosein – on a terrible day for the West Indies, the left arm roulette made sure there was at least one positive. Like Moeen, he opened the bowling alley and threw his four overs straight. There was enough spin to make his stock delivery menacing, but it was his arm ball that really got into batters’ heads. Two caught and thrown, the second a stunner to catch Liam Livingstone, made an impressive display of the 28-year-old.
Group 2 kicks off Sunday with the heavyweight match between 2007 winners India and Pakistan in Dubai, a match you can watch live on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 2.30pm.
The earliest match is the Group 1 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (10.30am, Sky Sports Cricket), and both teams made it through the first round last week.
Watch the ICC Men’s World Cup T20, in the United Arab Emirates, live on Sky Sports from now until November 14.
