The Windies vs England T20I series was tied at 2-2 prior to the fifth match in Barbados. Therefore, the last match was a do-or-die affair for both teams. Pacer Jason Holder rose to the occasion for the West Indies in the fifth match. He took four wickets in four consecutive deliveries in the series-deciding match in the five-match T20I series against England on Sunday (January 30), helping the Caribbean team win the series 3-2. The fifth T20I match report between the West Indies and England is discussed in this article.
West Indies vs England T20I Series 2022: Fifth Match Report
A vastly experienced all-rounder, and West Indies captain Kieron Pollard chose to bat first in the most crucial match of the series. The Caribbean team put up a challenging total and successfully defended it after picking up all of England's wickets with one ball to spare.
West Indies Innings
The Kensington Oval was a sporting ground for the fifth match, and anything around 180 would have been a decent total to defend. The West Indian team built up a pair of solid partnerships in the middle, allowing them to score 179 runs for the loss of only four wickets.
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Brandon King and Kyle Mayers opened the innings for the hosts, scoring 59 runs in 40 balls between them. England's leg-spinner Adil Rashid broke the partnership after sending Mayers (31) back to the pavilion in the seventh over.
After that, England grabbed control of the innings by taking three more wickets in 15 overs. At the end of the 15th over, the Windies were at 105/4. West Indies managed to put up a strong total to defend thanks to an unbeaten 74*-run partnership between skipper Kieron Pollard (41*) and Rovman Powell (35*). Powell was the more destructive of the two, hitting four sixes in the middle. England's Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone both took two wickets.
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England Innings
England lost their openers Jason Roy and Tom Banton early in the chase, but they still managed to score 56 runs in the first six overs. England continued to lose wickets at regular intervals despite having good run rates.
England were reduced to 119/6 in 15.1 overs at one stage. A blazing 43-run stand between Sam Billings and Chris Jordan kept England in the chase. Though, the most dramatic part of the contest was still to come.
England required 20 runs from the last over to win. The West Indies skipper gave the ball to Jason Holder to bowl the final over of the contest. Holder gave up two runs on the first ball, then Chris Jordan attempted a big shot in the next ball but was caught on the fence. Holder then bowled England out for 162 with three more wickets in the third, fourth, and fifth deliveries. West Indies eventually won the match by 17 runs.
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Jason Holder finished with 5/27, while Akeal Hosein took 4 wickets for the Windies. England's top scorer was James Vince, who amassed 55 runs. Besides, Sam Billings contributed 41 runs with the bat.
Player of the Match
Medium-fast pacer Akeal Hosein was named player of the match for his amazing effort with the ball. His bowling performance was 4-0-30-4. Caribbean all-rounder Jason Holder was named Player of the Series.
Bottom Line
England had been attempting to level the series from the start of the T20 format contest against the West Indies. England won the second match to level the series after losing the first fixture. After the West Indies won the third match, England sealed the fourth to tie the series again. However, the West Indies eventually won the series with an exciting victory in the fifth match. Overall, T20 cricket fans were treated by a thrilling battle between the two sides.
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