England lose to ruthless West Indies at T20 World Cup as eight-game winning run ends - and they once again struggle against high-quality spin
England’s struggles against spin resurfaced as their eight-game winning run came crashing to a halt against West Indies in a repeat of the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup final.
Harry Brook’s team arrived here on the back of whitewashing Sri Lanka in spinning conditions, but the pressure of tournament cricket took its toll, first when Sherfane Rutherford engineered a punishing 113-run spree from the final nine overs of the first innings, and then when the Windies’ spin trio plunged them triggered a collapse of nine wickets for 92.
Brook later put the 30-run defeat down to poor execution with the ball and being too ‘careful’ with the bat during the chase of 197. They had also planned for dew slickening the surface and abetting their stroke play - it didn’t materialise.
‘Twenty20 is such a fickle game and West Indies are such a powerful side,’ Brook said.
England were given a high-octane start by Barbabos-raised Phil Salt - who struck 24 off the second over of the reply, sent down by Jason Holder - but faced with high-quality operators Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein and Roston Chase their performance was more reminiscent of the ones against India 12 months ago than in the 3-0 win over the Sri Lankans completed last week.
From a position of 74 for one in the seventh over, they nosedived as West Indies’ spinners combined for figures of 12-0-95-6. By contrast, England took the seamers for 7-0-71-2.
Sherfane Rutherford was awarded player of the match with an unbeaten 76 from 42 balls
England were outclassed by West Indies' high-quality spin, ending an eight-game run of wins
The regular mid-innings incisions, which included Brook and Banton poking back tame catches on the off side off Motie, sent the required run rate surging back above its original 10, and by the the time Jofra Archer was eighth out in the 18th over, it had hit three a ball.
As he had by closing out with the ball against minnows Nepal on Sunday, Sam Curran did his best to haul his team out of a hole, top-scoring with 43 not out from No 6. Match-winning runs against the Sri Lankans will also have been fresh in the mind.
England began the Group A contest in control after taking wickets in each of the first two overs, but a curious decision by Brook ceded momentum.
With Rashid and Liam Dawson bowling in tandem, West Indies were stuck in neutral at 83 for four after 11 overs.
Splitting them up, throwing the ball instead to Will Jacks - who had already been taken for 19 runs in six deliveries in the powerplay - reignited things with left-hander Rutherford launching a counter attack featuring rapid half-century stands with both Rovman Powell and Jason Holder.
Taking advantage of being dropped on the third-man rope when on 23 off the expensive Archer, he struck a career-best unbeaten 76, off 42 balls, including seven sixes.
They head to Kolkata on Saturday needing to get their campaign back on track vs Scotland
Only when Windies nemesis Rashid was reintroduced into the attack did the carnage pause, in fact. His ability to neuter their big-hitting prowess in overseas venues is quite remarkable.
A return of 4-0-16-2 here dropped his economy rate across 21 appearances to 5.86, and his 34 wickets have arrived 13 balls apart, compared to 7.45 and 19 across his distinguished career.
Such a positive performance showed no hangover from his carting at the hands of Nepal on the adjacent Wankhede Stadium pitch 48 hours earlier when he conceded 42 runs in three overs.
But other parts of England’s game, including those bowling changes by Brook, were out of sync, meaning they head west this Calcutta Cup weekend to face Scotland at Eden Gardens with work still to do to progress to the Super Eight stage.
