WI vs ENG | Phil Salt's Scintillating Ton Powers England To Record Run-Chase
Phil Salt scored his maiden T20I century. [PC: Getty]
Brief Score | England - 226/3 (19.3 Overs), Phil Salt 109* (56), Jos Buttler 51 (34); Gudakesh Motie 1/30 (4), Andre Russell 1/50 (3.5) beat West Indies - 222/6 (20 Overs), Nicholas Pooran 82 (45), Rovman Powell 39 (21); Adil Rashid 2/32 (4), Sam Curran 2/34 (3) by 7 wickets.
Riding on the back of a brutal century and some late fireworks at the end from Harry Brook, England beat the West Indies in the third T20I at St George's Grenada. England pulled off their highest successful run-chase in T20Is against the West Indies to keep themselves alive in the five-match series.
West Indies' power-hitting mania powered them to a mammoth total.
Nicholas Pooran scored 82 off 45 [PC: Getty]
Earlier, on being asked to bat first, West Indies got off to a poor start, losing both the openers early in the powerplay. However, Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope joined hands and launched an immediate counterattack to put the pressure back on the visitors.
The duo went on to complete a 50-run partnership for the third wicket following the powerplay, before Adil Rashid got the breakthrough, dismissing Hope for 26 off 19. Pooran at the other end was joined by skipper Rovman Powell, who wasted no time and kept the scoreboard ticking briskly.
Powell, particularly, was at his aggressive best, taking England bowlers into cleaners, just before Sam Curran got introduced into the attack and got rid of the Jamaican before he made any further damage. Pooran at the other end continued to flourish and completed his half century. A flurry of sixes followed from the southpaw, before Rashid sent him back after a well made 82 off 45.
The impeccable ball striking from Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell and Jason Holder at the business end of the West Indies’ powered them to by far the highest total of the series with a mammoth 222-6 on the board.
Phil Salt century, Harry Brook brutal finish steered England home.
England won by 7 wickets. [PC: Getty]
In reply, England got off to a flying start as they managed 73 runs in the powerplay without losing a single wicket. The conditions in Grenada traditionally get better to bat and the England openers got the best out of the new hard ball. Both Jos Buttler and Phil Salt were striking the ball well and went on to make half centuries.
West Indies badly needed a breakthrough as the opening hundred-run stand was taking the game away from the hosts. As we saw it in the first innings, the short ball worked again, this time off the bowling of Russell, who got the much needed breakthrough for the men in maroon.
Gudakesh Motie, who started off with an expensive over, made a brilliant comeback, pulling some breaks in the flow of runs and got the wicket of Will Jacks in his last over. Needing 83 from the last five overs, Salt, who was still going strong from one end, went on to complete his maiden T20I century.
The West Indies did managed to keep it tight initially in the slog overs but England extracted huge overs at the end. With 21 needed from the last over, Harry Brook emerged as the hero for England as he struck a boundary and three sixes to take England home with one ball to remember.
 "Kaushik Kashyap")
