Lewis, Hope power West Indies to victory in 4th T20I
West Indies pulled off a thrilling win in the fourth T20I against England, courtesy brilliant knocks from Evin Lewis (68) and Shai Hope (54). The duo's opening stand of 136 runs in just 9.1 overs paved the way for a successful chase of England's daunting target of 219. Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford played their part in taking the team over the line with an over to spare.
England's strong start and Bethell's impressive innings
The match witnessed a return to high scores after a relatively low-scoring third T20I. England started their innings with three boundaries in the first over. Philip Salt (55) and Will Jacks (25) quickly brought up a 50-run stand in 26 balls. Jacob Bethell stole the show with his blistering 62 off just 32 deliveries. Skipper Jos Buttler (38) and Sam Curran (24) also made useful contributions as England finished at 218/5.
West Indies's chase and Lewis's onslaught
Unlike England's aggressive start, West Indies's chase started with mere five runs off the first two overs. However, the momentum shifted as Lewis and Hope attacked John Turner, scoring 25 runs off his over. It included three fours and two sixes. The duo continued their carnage, hitting at least one six every over till the eighth, firmly tilting the game in West Indies's favor.
England's comeback and West Indies's final push
England made a brief comeback when leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed dismissed Lewis and Hope. He finished with 3/43 across four overs. However, Powell (38) and Rutherford (29*) kept their aggressive approach to guide West Indies to victory with five wickets in hand. They eventually prevailed with an over to spare. Despite the defeat, England still lead the series 3-1 with one game remaining. The final match promises to be an exciting showdown between these two competitive teams.
Maiden fifty against England for Hope
Hope, who made 54 off just 24 balls, smoked seven boundaries and three sixes. As per ESPNcricinfo, this was his fifth T20I fifty as he has raced to 833 runs from 38 games at a strike rate of 138.37. He has tallied 460 runs at home at 28.75. 219 of his runs have come against England at 18.25. This was his maiden fifty against them.
Fine knock from Lewis
Lewis departed for 68 off 31 balls. He smashed four boundaries and seven maximums. This knock took his tally to 1,614 runs from 60 T20Is at an incredible strike rate of 152.12 (Average: 28.82). The tally now includes 12 fifties besides two tons. Against England, he has scored 149 T20I runs at 24.83 (50s: 2). Lewis now has 895 runs at home at 33.14.
Another fifty for Salt
Salt, who scored a century in the series opener, made 55 off 35 balls as he smoked five fours and four maximums. In 37 T20Is, Salt now owns 1,106 runs at 36.86. The tally includes three tons and four fifties. His strike rate reads a stunning 165.32. Six of his seven 50-plus scores in the format have come against WI.
Salt becomes third batter with this feat
With his latest fifty, Salt became the third batter to complete 600 T20I runs against WI. He has now raced to 640 runs against them at 64 as each of his three T20I tons have come against WI. India's Rohit Sharma and Australia's David Warner, who have scored 693 and 662 runs respectively, are the other batters with 600-plus runs against the Men in Maroon.
Second T20I fifty for Bethell
Bethell played another fine knock, scoring an unbeaten 62 off just 32 balls. He smoked four fours and five maximums. Playing his sixth T20I, the young all-rounder has raced to 173 runs at a strike rate of 167.96. This was his second T20I fifty as his maiden one came in the opener of the ongoing series.
