That concludes the proceedings for the third T20I. Another two games to go in the series. The venue is going to remain the same in Barbados and the fourth game will be on the 30th of January at 1.30 am IST (8 pm GMT, Previous Day). Do join us in advance for the coverage. Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!
Kieron Pollard, the captain of West Indies, is happy with the way Rovman Powell took his chance and vindicated his selection. Adds that they batted well against the spinners in this match, something they were unable to do in the recent past. Shares that they had a chat related to this aspect of their game. On his bowling, Pollard replies that he just used the dimensions of the ground to his advantage. Admits that his bowling attack is inexperienced and the main challenge for them will be to replicate this performance.
Moeen Ali, the skipper of England, says that they were done a little bit with Eoin Morgan not playing and three debutants in the XI, but at the same time, Moeen says that the guys played very well. Admits that West Indies were better and feels that the stand between Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell took the game away from them. Mentions that he is proud of the boys as they were there till the end. States that Tom Banton was outstanding, and this knock will help his confidence. Concludes by saying that they have confidence in their side and they knew this would be a brilliant series.
Rovman Powell is the Player of the Match! Says that he had a chat with his skipper the previous night, and he knew he was going to play. Mentions that he can strike the ball well, but he has certain issues against wrist spinners and he has been working hard on that. Says that Adil Rashid is England's best bowler, and they tried to get fewer runs off him and attack the other bowlers. Concludes by saying he got every shot out of the middle of the bat!
Presentation time...
West Indies will be extremely happy with the way they batted and posted a gigantic total on the board. It appeared to be a tough wicket for batting but the way Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran batted, they made batting look very easy. The former was in incredible form and struck a valiant ton to become only the third West Indian to do so in this format. Pooran also found his lost mojo and their partnership was the prime reason for West Indies getting such a massive total. Although they defended the target, their bowling was not up to the desired level. They kept on leaking runs but the good part was that they kept on picking wickets as well. On a surface like this, perhaps that's the only way to win as stopping the flow of runs was not easy. The combined 8 overs of Kieron Pollard and Sheldon Cottrell should be credited the most here as they kept the scoring rate under check and made sure the required rate remained alarmingly high.
Chasing a mammoth target, the intention from England was very clear. They wanted to get a rollicking start and didn't care about preserving the wickets. Tom Banton led the charge with his scintillating knock but he didn't receive enough support from the top order. Losing James Vince, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone in quick succession didn't help their cause and once Banton got out, the writing was on the wall. However, debutant Philip Salt's assault made this chase interesting and he tried his best towards the end. In hindsight, had England concentrated on preserving the wickets a little bit, this target could have been chased. Anyway, they fought hard and despite just two healthy knocks, they managed to run West Indies close.
An outstanding victory for West Indies to again take a lead in the series! It was a high-scoring entertainer with both teams shining brightly with the bat. Things appeared to get close towards the end but eventually, West Indies had got 20 runs too many on the board. Nonetheless, England fought well.
In over# 20
1
1
1
0W
6
6
2wd
Romario Shepherd 59/3(4)
19.6
1
Romario Shepherd ends with a low full toss, outside off. Reece Topley pushes it towards long off. One run is taken. That's it! West Indies win by 20 runs and they take a 2-1 lead in this series!
19.5
1
Another yorker, around middle. Tymal Mills gets an inside edge and the ball rolls towards square leg for a single.
19.4
1
Yorker-length delivery, around middle. Reece Topley pushes it towards long off. A single taken.
Reece Topley is the last batsman.
19.3
W
OUT! TIMBER! That should be game, set and match! A leg-stump yorker from Romario Shepherd, fast and furious, Philip Salt tries to whip it across the line but misses. The stumps behind are shattered and Shepherd gives a stare to the batsman. Great comeback, Romario Shepherd has the last laugh.
19.2
6
SIX! Here is another one! This is an assault! A low full toss around off, Philip Salt attacks it and smashes it all the way over mid-wicket. 24 needed off 4 balls. The momentum is with England now.
19.1
6
SIX! FIFTY FOR SALT ON DEBUT! Very full, outside of off. Philip Salt slaps this over the bowler's head for a biggie. He is not going down without a fight.
19.1
2wd
TWO WIDES! Short ball, around off. Tymal Mills swings his bat but misses! The batter steals a bye. 36 needed off 6 balls.