West Indies finally got on the board after beating England to win the 4th T20I in St Lucia on Saturday. Evin Lewis was the star with the bat as he hit 68 runs from 31 balls with four boundaries and 7 huge sixes. England had batted first and scored 218 runs on the board from their 20 overs.
Rovman Powell decided to bowl first after winning the toss. Phil Salt began as he scored a brisk 35-ball 55 with five boundaries and 4 sixes. Jos Buttler (38) and Will Jacks (25) did well with the bat before Jacob Bethell’s 62 not out with Sam Curran’s 24 ended the innings on a high.
Evin Lewis’ blistering 68 (31) and a 136-run opening partnership off just 55 balls with Shai Hope ensured a resounding victory for the Windies against England in the penultimate T20I! 🔥#WIvENGonFanCode pic.twitter.com/fgCNNfj5cM
— FanCode (@FanCode) November 17, 2024
For the home team Gudakesh Motie was the best bowler with 2/40 from his 4 overs. The left-arm spinner got the scalps of England skipper Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone to put the breaks on England’s scoring. Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase chipped in with a wicket each.
Evin Lewis and Shai Hope blitz helps West Indies win
Chasing 219 to win, the first over yielded just five runs before the West Indian openers Evin Lewis and Shai Hope broke loose. 25 runs came off the third over bowled by John Turner as Shai Hope in particular hit the bowler for 18 runs in four balls. By the end of the powerplay, the home team were 69/0 as Jos Buttler and his team looked clueless.
More carnage came in the 8th over when Evin Lewis hit Liam Livingstone for 25 runs. The over cost 30 runs as the first ball went for five wide runs. At the end of the 8th over, West Indies were 113/0 and a further 23 runs came in the 9th over. Sam Curran was hit for two fours and two sixes in four balls to tilt the balance in West Indies’ favour.
Rehan Ahmed then brought England back into the game as he first dismissed Evin Lewis. This was followed by the run-out of Shai Hope who had a huge misunderstanding with Nicholas Pooran. To make matters worse in the very next ball, Pooran was bowled by Rehan Ahmed to deliver a team hat trick. Shimron Hetmyer became Ahmed’s third wicket caught by Livingstone for 7.
Rovman Powell’s 38 and Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 29 ensured West Indies won the game. The final margin of win was 5 wickets with an over to spare. The series scoreline now reads 3-1 with the final match to be played on Sunday.