Akeal Hosein claims four-fer vs England in St Lucia T20I
England have taken an unassailable lead in the series against West Indies, having won a nail-biting three-wicket victory in the third T20I in St Lucia. The win puts them in an unassailable 3-0 lead with two matches to go. Notably, they struggled while chasing a modest target of 146 runs as left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein dented them with a four-fer. Here are the key stats.
England's shaky start and key performances
England's chase started on a rocky note, with the team reeling at 37-3 inside the six-over powerplay. Hosein made the first two strikes, dismissing Philip Salt and Jos Buttler cheaply. His third wicket came in the form of a well-set Liam Livingstone. Dan Mousley was his final victim. However, Sam Curran's vital 41 and Livingstone's 39 helped England (149/7) prevail in 19.2 overs.
West Indies's struggle and Powell's resistance
West Indies faltered early on, courtesy of Saqib Mahmood's brilliance and their own reckless strokeplay, slipping to 37-5. Captain Rovman Powell fought back with an enterprising half-century, smashing four sixes and three boundaries in his 54 off 41 deliveries. He added a vital 73-run partnership with Romario Shepherd (30 off 28 balls), helping West Indies somewhat salvage the innings. They finished at 145/8.
Here are his stats
Hosein, who claimed 4/22 across four overs, was the pick of the bowlers in the match. The left-arm spinner has now raced to 57 wickets across 63 T20Is at an economy rate of 7.2. 21 of his wickets have come against England as this was his second four-fer against them (ER: 7.03). Hosein now boasts 43 wickets in home T20Is (ER: 6.84).
