Akeal Hosein returned a career-best 4-30 before Jason Holder’s four wickets on four balls gave him 5-27 figures and sealed the West Indies’ 17-run win, and a series success. 3-2, against England in Barbados.
West Indies players celebrate after Jason Holder’s four wickets on four balls secured victory against England (Getty Images)
Jason Holder became the first West Indies player to take four wickets on four balls in a T20 international as his side cruised to a thrilling 3-2 series victory over England.
Holder (5-27) fired Chris Jordan, Sam Billings, Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood to seal a 17-run victory as England were eliminated by 162 in the fifth and final game in Barbados.
Adil Rashid had previously become England’s all-time wicket-taking leader in T20 internationals, coming back 2-17 to win back the West Indies before Kieron Pollard and Rovman Powell guided his team to 179- 4 with an unbroken position of 74.
James Vince was top scorer on 55 from 35 balls to give England hope and Billings (41 from 28) kept their cause alive before Holder stepped in with his dramatic finishing spell to seal a West Indies victory.
Pollard’s decision to bat after winning the toss, the first time either pattern had done so in the series, was initially justified when Kyle Mayers (31) and Brandon King (34) roared with a starting position of 59-for-40. balls.
Moeen Ali did take a turn immediately, with King fooled by one that ran through him and, although Billings was unable to complete the strike, it was clear that England’s spinners would once again play a big role.
Rashid made the breakthrough right after the power play, with Mayers’ shot intercepted at the edge by Jason Roy’s jumper, who casually flicked it back for Phil Salt to take the catch.
The West Indies sent Romario Shepherd up the order and pounded Liam Livingstone (2-17) for six before cutting him back as King erred and the England spinners began to apply the brakes.
Rashid’s flight fooled Nicholas Pooran (21) and sheared off the top of the stump to lift the leg spinner to the top of the wicket-taking boards, with the West Indies stopping when seven overs went by without a single limit.
But Pollard (41 not out of 35) and Powell (35 not out of 17) finally broke the shackles, with the latter hitting Jordan for six in succession and Reece Topley also taking punishment as the last four overs went 66.
Roy was in no mood to linger as England began their response, bowling Akeal Hosein’s first two deliveries for four, and he didn’t, sweeping the spinner onto his deck for Pooran to lunge forward and loop catch.
Tom Banton (16) also started energetically, surviving a chance when Pooran failed to look sideways at Odean Smith, but went off later in the same over, with no time to shoot into Holder’s hands at the half.
Switching to slide for the arrival of the southpaw Moeen, Holder should also have sent him on his way first ball, squandering the opportunity when the England deputy captain fended off a sharply rising shot.
Moeen (14) also got away with a top edge from Smith, but his luck ran out when he took Holder straight to cover and Hosein then hit three times in quick succession to post a career best 4-30. .
Livingstone perished on a loose shot before Vince, who had just hit his second T20I half-century, picked Fabian Allen deep and Salt was lured down the track, with Pooran removing the bails.
England appeared down and out at 119-6, only for Billings to hit Smith for two sixes and leave the visitors needing 21 from the final, one that propelled Holder into the history books.
West Indies’ Jason Holder, who was named player of the series: “It probably wasn’t the best start for me, but I always try to stay in the game. You never know how this game can go.
“I love playing at Kensington Oval. We have the best fans in the world and I want to thank the England fans too.”
England Substitute Captain Moeen Ali: “West Indies were the better team and generally we didn’t adapt so well to the conditions. But we played good cricket and although we came up short it was a good series.
“I thought the West Indies were smarter than us today. We are good on flat ground, but we want to improve on conditions like these in the future.”
England Men’s Test Team return to action in March, also against the West Indies. The three-match series begins in Antigua (March 8-12) followed by matches in Barbados (March 16-20) and Grenada (March 24-28).
The white ball team’s next assignment isn’t until June, when they travel to the Netherlands for a three-match ODI series.
england women’s team continues his Ashes campaign on Thursday with the first of three ODIs against Australia in Canberra (3.10am UK time).
