England weathered a brutal late assault from the West Indies to clinch a four-wicket win in the second T20 International on Sunday, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Set a challenging target of 197 after a sensational finish by the West Indies, England successfully chased down the total in 18.3 overs at the County Ground, led by crucial contributions from Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, and Tom Banton.
After being sent in to bat, the West Indies endured a nightmare start when Evin Lewis was trapped lbw by Luke Wood on the very first ball of the innings. However, a 90-run stand between Johnson Charles and captain Shai Hope helped stabilize the innings. Charles struck 47 off 39 balls, while Hope added 49 off 38, with both batters clearing the boundary multiple times.
Their dismissals in quick succession saw the middle order stutter, with Sherfane Rutherford (6) and Rovman Powell (34 off 15) falling before the 18th over. At 148-5, the innings needed a spark — and it came in dramatic fashion.
The penultimate over, bowled by Adil Rashid, proved decisive in pushing the West Indies to a formidable total. Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd combined to smash 31 runs off the 19th over, the most expensive of the innings. Holder launched Rashid for three consecutive sixes — the first a towering strike over square leg, followed by two straight blows down the ground. He then handed the strike to Shepherd, who matched the fireworks with back-to-back sixes, including a monster hit over Rashid’s head that briefly sent the ball into hiding.
That explosive over propelled the Windies from 159-5 to 190-5. Shepherd (19 off 11) was eventually run out in the final over, while Holder remained unbeaten on 29 from just 9 balls. Roston Chase faced only one delivery that he hit for a six and was at the crease as the West Indies closed on 196-6 — scoring 75 runs in the final four overs.
Rashid, who had earlier dismissed Hope, ended with bruising figures of 1-59 from four overs. Luke Wood was the pick of England’s bowlers, taking 2-25.
In reply, England got off to a shaky start with Jamie Smith falling early to Holder, but a 63-run partnership between Buttler and Ben Duckett steadied the chase. Duckett struck 30 from 18 before Shepherd removed him with a short ball. Buttler top-scored with 47 off 36 before Akeal Hosein had him caught in the deep.
Harry Brook added a rapid 34 from 20 balls, while Jacob Bethell hammered 26 from just 10 deliveries to swing the momentum firmly England's way. Tom Banton finished the job, smashing an unbeaten 30 from 11 balls to guide England to 199-6 with nine deliveries remaining.
Alzarri Joseph led the West Indies attack with 2-49, while Holder, Hosein, Shepherd, and Chase claimed a wicket apiece. But the hosts were ultimately undone by England’s depth in batting and their ability to recover after key setbacks.
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