England beat West Indies by six wickets in their T20 World Cup opener after bowling out the defending champions for 55 after a stunning effort in the field; Adil Rashid took 4-2 with two wickets apiece for Tymal Mills (2-17) and Moeen Ali (2-17)
Sunday 24 October 2021 07:31, UK
England made the perfect start to their T20 World Cup campaign after bowling West Indies out for 55 to claim a six-wicket win.
Adil Rashid led the way in a brilliant all-round bowling effort, taking 4-2 - the best figures by an England bowler in T20Is - while there were two wickets apiece for Moeen Ali (2-17) and Tymal Mills (2-17) as the Windies were blown away inside 15 overs.
Only Chris Gayle (13) made it into double figures as the defending champions slumped to their second-lowest T20I total and the third-lowest at a T20 World Cup.
England made it difficult for themselves in the chase, slipping to 39-4, but the result was never really in doubt and they got over the line two balls into the ninth over with a boundary from Jos Buttler (24no from 22 balls).
The West Indies will remain in Dubai for their next match, against South Africa on Tuesday, while England head to Abu Dhabi for a clash with Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Eoin Morgan chose to open the bowling with Moeen but after a good start, he saw the last ball of his over thumped back over his head for six by Evin Lewis - that was as good as it got for West Indies.
Chris Woakes (1-12) shared the new ball and struck with his third ball, a slower delivery that Lewis (6) tried to hit over the top again but mistimed the shot and Moeen took a superb catching over his shoulder as he ran back from mid-on.
Moeen was entrusted with a second over and Morgan's faith was rewarded as Lendl Simmons (3) holed out to Liam Livingstone, the only fielder on the legside, to make it 9-2.
Gayle and Shimron Hetymer (9) added a couple of boundaries each over the next two overs but the latter fell to Moeen trying to adding another and when Mills removed Gayle with a well-directed short ball in the last over of the powerplay, it was 31-4.
Dwayne Bravo was next to go, caught in the deep off Chris Jordan (1-7), and West Indies sunk further into the mire when Mills had Nicholas Pooran (1) caught behind on the drive.
Even at 42-6, there was still hope for the men from the Caribbean with Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell at the crease but Rashid soon put an end to that after the drinks break.
The leg-spinner's first ball was a beauty out of the front of the hand that skidded on to bowl Russell (0) through the gate and he had Pollard (6) caught at long on with the first ball of his next - also the first ball he bowled to the West Indies skipper.
Obed McCoy went next ball, picking out Jason Roy at long on, and although Ravi Rampaul survived the hat-trick ball as it fizzed past his outside edge, he fell to Rashid two balls into the 15th over, bowled middle stump as he missed with a slog sweep.
England were not quite so clinical with the bat and while they remained well on top throughout, they made harder work of the run-chase than they would have liked.
Roy (11) fell to Rampaul (1-14) before Jonny Bairstow (9) was caught and bowled by Akeal Hosein and Moeen (3) was run out at the non-striker's end after a mix-up with Buttler.
Left-arm spinner Hosein (2-24) claimed his second caught and bowled with a stunning one-handed catch diving to his left to remove Livingstone (1) but Morgan came in to join Buttler and 2.1 overs later, it was game over - England home with some 70 balls to spare.
Moeen Ali - given the responsibility of taking the new ball, the all-rounder was superb with his off-spin proving highly effective against the Windies' glut of left-handers. He set the tone with the ball and getting through his four overs inside the first seven made life that much easier for his captain.
Tymal Mills - back in the team and the fast bowler very quickly showed what he has to offer: a left-arm option, good pace and an excellent array of slower balls. Coming on with West Indies three down helped but he still claimed two big wickets in Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran.
Adil Rashid - yes, he came on with West Indies 44-6 but this was not just a matter of mopping up the tail. Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard are among the most fearsome hitters in the game and Rashid needed just one ball at each of them to completely and utterly end the Windies hopes of posting a competitive total. He showed off all of his variations, maintaining exceptional control throughout and ensured there could not be even the slightest wag from the tail.
Akeal Hosein - on a dreadful day for the West Indies, the left-arm spinner made sure there was at least one positive. Like Moeen, he opened the bowling and bowled his four overs straight through. There was enough turn to make his stock delivery threatening but it was his arm ball that really got in the batters' heads. Two caught and bowled, the second a stunner to get Liam Livingstone, made for an impressive display from the 28-year-old.
Group 2 gets going on Sunday with the heavyweight meeting between 2007 winners India and Pakistan in Dubai, a match you can watch live on Sky Sports Cricket from 2.30pm.
The earlier game is the Group 1 encounter between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (10.30am, Sky Sports Cricket), with both sides having come through last week's first round.
Watch the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, in the United Arab Emirates, live on Sky Sports between now and November 14.
