England secured an easy win in the first T20 match of the series against the West Indies, thanks to Phil Salt’s explosive century. In the match held on Friday in Bridgetown, England won by 8 wickets with 19 balls to spare.
England had faced defeat in the ODI series against the West Indies. However, under the leadership of Jos Buttler, they began the T20 series with a win. England comfortably chased down the challenging target set by the Caribbean side.
West Indies batted first after losing the toss and posted a significant total of 182 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. This total was achieved through a collective team effort rather than reliance on individual brilliance.
Nicholas Pooran scored 38 runs off 29 balls, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes. Andre Russell added 30 runs off 17 balls with 4 sixes. Romario Shepherd remained unbeaten with 35 runs off 22 balls, hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes. Gudakesh Motie played an aggressive knock of 33 runs off 14 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes. Evin Lewis and captain Rovman Powell contributed 13 and 18 runs, respectively.
For England, Saqib Mahmood took 4 wickets for 34 runs in 4 overs. Adil Rashid claimed 3 wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs. Jamie Overton and Liam Livingstone each took 1 wicket.
In response, England reached 183 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 16.5 overs, winning the match with 19 balls to spare and taking a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series.
Opening the innings, Phil Salt reached his half-century in 25 balls with the help of 5 fours and 4 sixes. He completed his century in 53 balls, including 9 fours and 6 sixes, and remained unbeaten on 103 runs off 54 balls.
Jacob Bethell stayed not out with 58 runs off 36 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. Captain Jos Buttler was dismissed after facing just one ball. Unsurprisingly, Phil Salt was awarded the Player of the Match.
