(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Opener Phil Salt showcased his aggressive form with an unbeaten 87 as defending champions England launched their T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eights campaign with a dominant eight-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, on Thursday.
West Indies, coming off a strong performance against Afghanistan, posted a competitive 180 for four. However, England chased down the target comfortably, reaching 181 for two in just 17.3 overs in their Group 2 encounter.
Salt led the charge for the English team, smashing 87 runs off 47 balls, including seven fours and five sixes. Jonny Bairstow provided valuable support with an unbeaten 48 off 26 balls, comprising five fours and two sixes.
The English bowlers also played a crucial role, restricting West Indies with 51 dot balls. Jofra Archer (1/34) and Adil Rashid (1/21) were particularly effective, combining for 22 dot balls in their economical spells. Captain Jos Buttler's decision to bowl first proved effective as England comfortably chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.
With this victory, England's net run-rate rose to 1.343, placing them ahead of South Africa in the standings, who had earlier defeated tournament co-hosts USA.
"I am having a good time, enjoying my cricket. It's good to come through with points tonight. We knew this was going to be one of the challenging games in the tournament for us. West Indies are very good side especially in home conditions. Just really pleased with the win tonight," said Salt following the win.
England skipper Jos Buttler added, "That's a really good performance from us, we executed well with both bat and ball. I thought we bowled really well to restrict such a powerful batting line-up, still we had to chase it down, but smart play from us. The partnership between Salt and Bairstow was great."
West Indies now face a concern with a negative net run-rate of -1.343, raising stakes for their upcoming crucial matches against USA and South Africa, both of which they must win to advance in the tournament.
"When you look from the batting perspective, we were 15-20 runs short. We could have given a better display with the ball," felt WI skipper Rovman Powell.
On Brandon King's injury, Powell said: "Just a bit worried, but hopefully, he can pull through for the next game."
Salt capitalized on his early escape, courtesy of Nicholas Pooran dropping him at seven, and proceeded to dominate the Windies bowlers in partnership with Bairstow. Together, they plundered 97 runs off just 44 balls for the third wicket, effectively handling the hosts' spinners during the middle overs.
England, initially cautious, accelerated in the second over when Buttler struck two boundaries off Romario Sheperd, quickly scoring 12 runs. Akeal Hosein created an opportunity early on, but Pooran's dropped catch proved costly as Salt embarked on his aggressive onslaught, including a six off Andre Russell's slower delivery.
The duo continued their aggressive batting, with Salt particularly impressive during the powerplay, where he smashed Alzarri Joseph for a four and a six, propelling England to an imposing 58 for no loss in six overs - the highest powerplay score against the Windies in the tournament so far.
Off-spinner Roston Chase eventually provided the breakthrough by dismissing Buttler, caught off guard as he stepped forward to a delivery that trapped him leg before wicket. During this period, England lost two wickets in just 15 balls.
Moeen Ali (13 off 10 balls) fell to Russell just as he was becoming dangerous, thanks to a smart bowling change by the Windies captain. Salt, too, slowed down momentarily, with England needing 70 runs from 42 balls at 111/2. However, Bairstow accelerated the scoring again, taking on Joseph and Hosein to regain momentum.
Buttler then took charge, hitting Joseph for consecutive boundaries followed by a six, and continued with another aggressive over against Hosein, scoring two fours and a six. Salt then sealed the game with a flurry of boundaries and sixes in a 30-run 16th over bowled by Shepherd.
Earlier, Windies had a strong start with Brandon King and Johnson Charles, reaching 40 without loss by the fifth over. However, King retired hurt after sustaining a side strain while attempting to drive Sam Curran, disrupting their momentum.
Despite Pooran's aggressive play and Powell's brief onslaught, including three sixes off Liam Livingstone, Windies lost crucial wickets at regular intervals. Livingstone had the last laugh by dismissing Powell, who departed after a quickfire 36 off 17 balls.
In the final overs, Archer dismissed Pooran (36 off 32 balls) to further dent Windies' hopes, with Rutherford contributing late runs to their total, which ultimately fell short against England's dominant chase.
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