Kyle Mayers in action against England in first T20I (x.com)
West Indies opener Kyle Mayers and comeback man Andre Russell packed monster hits against England in the first T20I of their five-match home series. While Mayers clobbered four sixes in his 21-ball knock at the top, Russell unfurled a run-chase masterclass at the death to power West Indies to a comfortable four-wicket win.
Remarkably, some of their sixes even landed over the roof of the Kensington Oval, sending the local crowd into a frenzy with their brutal batting assault over the visiting Englishmen.
Kyle Mayers and Andre Russell swat 100-meter sixes
Chasing 172 against England to secure the first T20I of their five-match series, West Indies openers Brandon King (two sixes) and Kyle Mayers (four sixes) belted six sixes between them to catapult their side to 78-1 by the end of their first seven overs.
Interestingly, two of Mayers’ maximums even landed outside the Kensington Oval, with his hit against spinner Will Jacks being a 99-meter rocket and his ferocious pull against Tymal Mills being a 103-meter disdain.
Andre Russell, meanwhile, tonked leading England spinner Adil Rashid with a 103-meter maximum during the closing stages of the game, as he finished his innings at 14-ball 29* to storm West Indies to a comfortable win.
Watch: Kyle Mayers and Andre Russell go berserk against England
Apart from Kyle Mayers and Andre Russell, fellow batting barbarians Brandon King, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran and captain Rovman Powell also raked in sixes from the high-scoring evening to collectively star in West Indies’ series-leading triumph.
The hosts will now go up against reigning T20 World Cup winners England in the second T20I at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on December 14. The series serve as a dress rehearsal for both sides ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and in the United States.
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