At the halfway stage visitors, England appeared to be cruising to an emphatic victory over the West Indies before career-best cameos from Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein caused tremors in the England camp. Still, on Sunday, West Indies fell short and slipped to an agonizing one-run defeat in the second Twenty20 International in Barbados.
Asked to chase 172 at Kensington Oval, West Indies were wobbling on 65 for seven in the 12th over before Shepherd and Hosein slammed 44 not out apiece in a record 72-run, ninth-wicket stand, as the hosts fell just short of their target.
Shepherd started the revival, bludgeoning a four and five sixes in a 28-ball knock as he put on 33 for the eighth wicket with Fabian Allen (12).
By the time Hosein arrived in the 16th over, West Indies were facing a required run rate of nearly 15 runs per over and seemingly out of contention, but he blasted three fours and four sixes in a 16-ball surprise, the home side plundering 59 runs from the last three overs.
With 30 runs needed from the last over, the left-hander unfurled an exhibition of top-class hitting, lashing two fours and three sixes – the latter coming from the previous three deliveries in a tense over sent down by a rattled Saqib Mahmood.
“We knew what the guys could do at the back end – these guys can hit the ball a long way,” said captain Kieron Pollard.
“And the faith and confidence that Akeal has, he has been working on his batting [and] it’s tremendous.
“But spare a word for Shepherd as well. The way that he batted. He did it in the series before, and he’s showing that he wanted to put up his hand and take responsibility.”
England skipper Eoin Morgan conceded his bowlers lost the plot in the late stages and failed to execute their lengths.
“Ultimately, we need to find better ways of going about it. Our execution was nowhere near as good as we would like. We’re just getting it wrong,” Morgan lamented.
Opener Jason Roy had earlier top-scored with 45 from 31 deliveries as England rallied to 171 for eight off their 20 overs after being sent in for the second time in as many days.
The right-hander punched half-dozen fours and two sixes, posting 36 for the first wicket with Tom Banton (25) and a further 61 for the third wicket with Man-of-the-Match Moeen Ali, who made 31 off 24 balls with three fours and a six, after being dropped on 13 in the deep by Pooran in the 10th over.
Roy eventually holed out to Pollard at long-on off pacer Shepherd, triggering a slide that saw three wickets tumble for 15 runs off 14 balls before Barbados-born fast-bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan clubbed a 15-ball 27 to salvage the innings.
West Indies suffered an early setback in their run chase when Brandon King perished lbw for a first-ball ‘duck’ off the second innings from seamer Reece Topley.
And when Topley brilliantly ran out Shai Hope at the non-striker’s end attempting to sneak a single in the third over, West Indies were stumbling on six for two.
Left-handers Nicholas Pooran (24) and Darren Bravo (23) added 41 for the third wicket to repair the damage, but the partnership required 30 balls, building pressure on the innings.
That pressure told when Pooran picked out deep mid-wicket in the eighth over off Moeen’s off-spin (3-24), and Pollard missed a swing to be lbw for one on review to leg-spinner Adil Rashid (2-24), leaving West Indies on 50 for four in the ninth over.
Rashid needed another DRS decision to remove Bravo by the lbw route at the start of the 11th, and Moeen’s brilliance, snaffling a stinging caught and bowled chance to account for Jason Holder (1) at the beginning of the next over, meant West Indies lost five wickets for 18 runs in 26 balls.
England then tottered under the late assault from Shepherd and Hosein but survived to level the series.
(CMC)
