England are blown away by the West Indies in first T20 of the series as Andre Russell shines on his first appearance since November 2021
- England suffered a four-wicket defeat to the West Indies in the first match of the T20 series
- Tourists collapsed in the second half of their innings and were bowled out for 171
- Andre Russell hit the winning runs with 11 balls to spare and finished 29 not out
England were brutally outscored by the West Indies at the Kensington Oval as the first match of five in a series they are using to prepare for next year's World Cup title defense ended in a four-wicket defeat.
The reigning champions simply couldn't match the power of the 2024 tournament hosts. They saw their total of six sixes smashed within 39 deliveries of the Windies' chase of 172, conceding a total of 14 while losing on 11 deliveries unused.
As with the recent loss in the one-day series here, there were fleeting periods when England created chances to change the fate of the match. Not least when teenage legspinner Rehan Ahmed scored a hat-trick with West Indies 123 for six after a rain delay.
Between them, Adil Rashid and Ahmed, a leg-turning master and student, shared five of the wickets.
However, the ability to cross the line at will meant the home side were never in trouble for long and took advantage of England relinquishing an early lead in spectacular fashion.
Andre Russell made a stunning comeback after two years in the international wilderness
He claimed the best T20 international bowling figures in his career, hitting an unbeaten 29 with the bat
England's innings imploded after plundering 77 runs in the powerplay, thanks to a rapid-fire 20-ball 40 from Phil Salt.
With 112 for two on the board at the halfway stage, the tourists were looking at a total of 200 runs and that was still on going into the 18th over, but they somehow managed to lose five wickets for six runs in 15 balls, giving up their strong position.
'We want to keep pushing the boundaries and try to be as positive as possible. But it's about finding ways to keep scoring like that,” lamented captain Jos Buttler.
“Getting those extra 20, 25 runs the old-fashioned way.”
Veteran all-rounder Andre Russell staged a stunning comeback after more than two years in the international wilderness, claiming a career-best international T20 bowling figures of three for 19 with a mixture of slower ball variations on a used pitch and then an unbeaten 29 scored from number eight.
It took some deft footwork from Shimron Hetmyer on the boundary to give Russell the wicket of Salt, the first of four fine catches by the Windies.
The best perhaps Brandon King's interception of a skier, set up by the in-form Will Jacks, which he initially misjudged, turning himself to take the ball over his head as he ran back from cover.
West Indies started with a blitz but were controlled by Yorkshire's Rashid, who was presented with a commemorative cap by England team mentor Andrew Flintoff before the match, in recognition of his 100th Twenty20 appearance for his country.
Captain Jos Buttler and Phil Salt (above) took the tourists to 77-0 at the end of the powerplay
Rashid marked the occasion by dragging his side back into things, with left-handers Kyle Mayers and Shimron Hetmyer holding on in the depths to become the first Englishman with 100 wickets in the format, with either side of fellow wrist spinner Rehan Ahmed responsible for Nicholas Pooran with an athletic catch and bowl.
West Indies needed 64 off 44 balls, with six wickets intact, when their innings resumed after a 42-minute rain delay, and the match took a new twist when Ahmed reacted to being planted in the crowd at midwicket by then drawing a mishit from Shai Hope. ball, after which the dangerous Romario Shepherd slipped via an edge.
But Windies captain Roman Powell powered his team to victory alongside Russell, both men finishing with a strike rate of over 200, leaving England with even more to do ahead of Thursday's second match in Grenada.
“You always learn during the game while watching. So there will be plenty to think about, plenty of things to mention: we did really well, we just need to put in a more complete performance,” Buttler said.
'The conditions got tough, but in six months we could be in that position in a World Cup match, so what can we do if the outfield gets as wet as this? Especially in the battle against the West Indies, they hit a lot of sixes as a team. That's a trademark on their part and we have to find ways to limit that.”