Russell stars in T20I return as West Indies take series lead vs England

EXPLOSIVE all-rounder Andre Russell marked his return to the West Indies team with a bang on Tuesday night, as he delivered a man-of-the-match performance to help WI to a four-wicket win over England in their first Twenty/20 international (T20I) at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Russell returned career-best T20I figures of three for 19 as helped the Windies bowl out England for 171 in 19.3 overs. The hard-hitting Jamaican then joined his countryman and Windies captain Rovman Powell to help the home team over the line with an unbeaten 49-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Powell cracked 31 off 15 balls with three fours and two sixes. Russell made 29 off 14 balls with two sixes and two fours, and he put the exclamation point on the performance with a savage uppercut shot off Sam Curran to seal the victory at the start of the penultimate over.

After being sent in to have first strike by Powell, England raced to 77 without loss after the power play before progressing to 112 for two at the halfway stage. Phil Salt (40 off 20 balls) and England captain Jos Buttler (39 off 31 balls) got the visitors off to their flying start, but the hosts fought back brilliantly in the second half of the innings.

England scored just 59 runs in the last ten overs — losing eight wickets in the process. Each of Powell's five bowlers picked up wickets, with Russell being the pick of the bunch as he got rid of Salt, Liam Livingstone (27 off 19 balls) and Rehan Ahmed. Russell used slower balls and cutters to good effect on the surface and the WI bowlers followed his lead.

Alzarri Joseph took three for 54 and rebounded from his first two overs which cost him 43 runs. Romario Shepherd was steady with his spell of two for 22.

WI had a solid enough start from their top order, with Brandon King (22 off 12 balls), Kyle Mayers (35 off 22 balls) and Shai Hope (36 off 30 balls) all getting starts. At the halfway stage, WI were well set on 99 for two with Hope and Nicholas Pooran in the middle.

Once Pooran was dismissed in the 11th over for 13, WI experienced a mini-collapse as they slipped to 123 for six in the 15th over as the spin-twin of Rehan Ahmed (three for 39) and Adil Rashid (two for 25) looked to turn the game in England's favour.

With 49 needed off the last 32 balls, Powell and Russell flexed their muscles to the England bowlers and the Kensington crowd. Powell hit Livingstone for a pair of massive sixes to end the 16th over. Russell then carved a six and a four off Rashid in the 18th over before getting the winning runs off Curran in the following over to seal the win as WI achieved the highest successful T20I chase at Kensington.

WI will aim to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series on Thursday at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.

ENGLAND
P Salt c Hetmyer b Russell*40
*+J Buttler c Hetmyer b Hosein*39
W Jacks c King b Joseph*17
B Duckett c Hosein b Shepherd*14
H Brook c wkp Pooran b Holder*1
L Livingstone b Russell*27
S Curran c Joseph b Shepherd*13
C Woakes not out*3
Rehan Ahmed c Powell b Russell*1
A Rashid b Joseph*0
T Mills c wkp Pooran b Joseph*0
Extras (lb1, w13, nb2)*16

TOTAL (all out, 19.3 overs)*171
Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-98 , 3-117, 4-120, 5-129, 6-165, 7-167, 8-169, 9-170, 10-171
Bowling: Hosein 4-0-32-1, Holder 4-0-43-1 (w4), Russell 4-0-19-3, Joseph 3.3-0-54-3 (w5, nb2). Shepherd 4-0-22-2

WEST INDIES
B King c Duckett b Woakes*22
K Mayers c Brook b Rashid*35
S Hope c Brook b Rehan Ahmed*36
+N Pooran c & b Rehan Ahmed*13
S Hetmyer c Duckett b Rashid*1
*R Powell not out*31
R Shepherd c Curran b Rehan Ahmed*0
A Russell not out*29
Extras (lb1, w4)*5

TOTAL (6 wkts, 18.1 overs)*172
Did not bat: J Holder, A Hosein, A Joseph
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-78, 3-100, 4-101, 5-123, 6-123
Bowling: Curran 2.1-0-23-0, Jacks 1-0-14-0, Woakes 2-0-15-1, Mills 3-0-34-0 (w4), Rehan Ahmed 4-0-39-3, Rashid 4-0-25-2, Livingstone 2-0-21-0

Result: West Indies won by four wickets.
Series: West Indies lead five-match series 1-0.
Man-of-the-Match: Andre Russell.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Patrick Gustard; TV – Gregory Brathwaite.