Published: Jun 07, 2025, 12:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 07, 2025, 12:34 PM (IST)
England kicked off the T20 series with a convincing win, thanks to Jos Buttler’s explosive 96 off 59 balls and Liam Dawson’s impressive four-wicket haul. In the opening T20 played on Friday, England defeated West Indies by 21 runs. Earlier, they had also completed a 3-0 clean sweep over the Windies in the ODI series.
England won the toss and elected to bat first but, suffered an early blow as Ben Duckett (01) was dismissed by Romario Shepherd in just the second over. However, Jos Buttler and Jamie Smith steadied the innings with a 79-run partnership. Smith, who scored a quick 38 off 20 balls, became Shepherd’s second victim. Harry Brook (06) was dismissed by Roston Chase, while Tom Banton (03) fell to Andre Russell, adding to England’s middle-order struggles.
Jos Buttler played a aggresive knock, reaching his half-century and going on to score 96 off 59 balls, including six fours and four sixes. He narrowly missed out on a century, falling LBW to Alzari Joseph in the 19th over. Jacob Bethell added 23 runs, while Will Jacks was run out for nine. England posted a total of 188 for 6 in their 20 overs.
West Indies got off to a solid start, but Liam Dawson turned the game around with a brilliant spell, triggering a collapse as batters lost their wickets in quick succession. He claimed his first wicket by dismissing Johnson Charles for 18 off 15 balls. Shai Hope departed early for just 3, but Roston Chase (24 off 20), who began his innings with a six over midwicket, and Evin Lewis (39 off 23) kept the momentum going. At 91/3 after 10 overs, West Indies were in control, but Dawson’s double breakthrough in the 12th over pushed them onto the back foot.
After this, no batsman could cross the 20-run mark. The dominance of the English spinners was completely visible in the second half. Andre Russell scored 15 runs, Rovman Powell scored 13 runs and Sherfane Rutherford scored 2 runs. Romario Shepherd scored 13 runs in 12 balls, while Jason Holder scored an unbeaten 16 runs in 13 balls.
West Indies managed just 167 runs for nine wickets in their 20 overs. Liam Dawson starred with figures of four wickets for 20 runs in four overs, while Matthew Potts and Jacob Bethell took two wickets each. Dawson was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.
With this win, England has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second match of the series will be played on 08 June.
