In a thrilling fourth Twenty20 match in St Lucia, Jacob Bethell scored a fifty off of 22 balls, but the West Indies pulled off a spectacular run-chase of 219 to win the series for the first time.
Before losing three wickets in a row to put England back in the game, openers Shai Hope and Evin Lewis hammered 136 off the first nine overs.
Lewis was caught for 68 by Rehan Ahmed, Hope was out for 54, and Nicholas Pooran was bowled out for a duck, but the hosts once again gained the upper hand with to captain Rovman Powell’s 38 from 23 balls.
Sherfane Rutherford hit consecutive sixes in the penultimate over to give England a five-wicket victory after Powell was dismissed in the 17th over, which gave them some control back.
Phil Salt’s 55, his sixth T20 knock of 50 or more against the West Indies, and his explosive partnerships of 54 with fellow opener Will Jacks and 48 with Jos Buttler, who struck 38, contributed to England’s 218/5.
After losing the toss, England appeared to take advantage of a flat pitch as 21-year-old Bethell continued his impressive debut to international cricket with a quick fifty and an undefeated 62, which included five sixes.
However, Lewis and Hope reached their half-centuries off 26 deliveries and 23 balls, respectively, in a classy response to the brutal abuse their bowlers endured.
The West Indies’ dugout was a little uneasy after Powell left and Saqib Mahmood and T20 rookie John Turner bowled a couple of economical death overs, but Hope and Lewis’s strong partnership made sure they were well ahead of the run rate, with Rutherford ultimately finishing on 29 off 17 balls.
After winning the first three games, England has already secured a series victory, and the fifth Twenty20 match of the trip will take place at the same location on Sunday.
“The lads were a little bit more committed today and the toss fell in our hands,” stated Powell, captain of the West Indies. In this series, winning the toss seems to win the game, but the boys did a good job.
“It was a terrific pitch and we got off to a great start with our openers putting them under plenty of strain,” said England captain Jos Buttler.
“We believed we needed at least 220, but their openers also performed incredibly well.”
