Brandon King reigns as WI take 2-0 T20I series lead vs England

Opening batsman Brandon King played a man-of-the-match hand of 82 not out off 52 balls as the West Indies took a 2-0 lead in their five-match Twenty/20 international (T20I) series versus England with a ten-run win at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on Thursday.

Sent in to have first strike by English skipper Jos Buttler, the Windies were powered by the Jamaican pair of King and captain Rovman Powell (50 off 28 balls), who rescued the WI innings from a precarious position with a brutal counter-attacking partnership of 80 for the fifth wicket. WI were 54 for four at one stage, but destructive hitting by King and Powell saw the hosts getting to a competitive score of 176 for seven off their 20 overs on a tricky surface – rattling off 113 runs in the last ten overs.

After King and Kyle Mayers (17) got the Windies off to a steady start in the power play to take them to 43 inside the first six overs, leg-spinners Adil Rashid (two for 11) and Rehan Ahmed (one for 47) struck in quick succession as they threatened to spin the hosts out of the game.

Nicholas Pooran (five), Shai Hope (one) and the struggling Shimron Hetmyer (two) fell in consecutive overs before Powell joined King in the middle in the ninth over.

King said he needed to take on the responsibility with the rest of the WI top order back in the hut.

"I was trying to bat as deep as possible into the innings. It was about playing the situation today," King said in the post-match ceremony. "I was the only person who got a start in the top order so it was about me staying there and building a partnership."

King and Powell recovered the innings brilliantly, as they mixed aggression with calculated play. King was severe on Ahmed as he brought up his eight T20I fifty. Powell followed suit with a savage display of hitting against Sam Curran (one for 38) in the 16th over as he hit four massive sixes to race to a fifth T20I fifty off just 27 balls.

King carried his bat through the WI innings and hit eight fours and five sixes — finishing just three runs shy of his highest T20I score.

The WI bowlers did well collectively as they took wickets at regular intervals to stall the England chase. Barring first-match star Andre Russell, who conceded 66 runs in his four-over spell, the WI bowlers were on the money as they restricted the opposition to 166 for seven.

The visitors did throw a surprise West Indies' way, as Curran was promoted to the number four position – blazing his way to 50 off 32 balls. Curran held his own, but England could not establish a partnership to tilt the game their way.

By the time Curran lost his wicket to aggressive short-pitched bowling by Alzarri Joseph (three for 39) in the 18th over, England were positioned on 134 for six and required a further 43 runs off the last 17 balls.

Moeen Ali (22 not out) hit a couple of lusty blows off Joseph to leave England needing 31 runs off the last two overs. Jason Holder (one for 27) effectively sealed the game for WI as the penultimate over of the game went for just three runs. Russell went for 17 runs in the final over, but the game was a formality at that point.

WI left-arm spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie impressed with their control and returned figures of two for 24 and one for nine respectively.

Powell praised the balance of the team and the importance of negating the threat of England's spinners.

"The way the guys controlled the power play today was really different from what we did in Barbados. Guys are coming in at the back end and finishing it off so it is a pleasing performance," Powell said.

"The discussion between Brandon and myself was pretty simple. It was about taking (Ahmed and Rashid) out of the game as much as possible. They have been doing a very good job in the middle overs so the plan was to get them out of the game."

WI will go after a series-clinching win in the third T20I which will bowl off at 1.30 pm in Grenada on Saturday.

SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES

B King not out*82

K Mayers c Curran b Woakes*17

+N Pooran c Woakes b Rashid*5

S Hope b Rehan Ahmed*1

S Hetmyer c Ali b Rashid*2

*R Powell c Brook b Curran*50

A Russell b Mills*14

J Holder c Livingstone b Mills*0

Extras (lb1, w4)*5

TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs)*176

Did not bat: G Motie, A Hosein, A Joseph

Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-48, 3-51, 4-54, 5-134, 6-176, 7-176

Bowling: Moeen Ali 2-0-15-0, Woakes 4-0-34-1 (w1), Curran 2-0-38-1 (w2), Rashid 4-0-11-2 (w1), Rehan Ahmed 4-0-47-1, Mills 4-0-30-2

ENGLAND

P Salt c Powell b Joseph*25

*+J Buttler c Mayers b Hosein*5

W Jacks c Holder b Joseph*24

S Curran c Hosein b Joseph*50

L Livingstone c Powell b Motie*17

H Brook c Joseph b Hosein*58

Moeen Ali not out*22

C Woakes c Hetmyer b Holder*2

Rehan Ahmed not out*10

Extras (lb1, w4, nb1)*6

TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs)*166

Did not bat: A Rashid, T Mills

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-55, 3-65, 4-97, 5-108, 6-134, 7-149

Bowling: Hosein 4-0-24-2, Holder 4-0-27-1 (w3), Russell 4-0-66-0, Motie 4-0-9-1, Joseph 4-0-39-3 (w1, nb1)

Result: West Indies won by ten runs.

Series: West Indies lead five-match series 2-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Brandon King.

Toss: England.

Umpires: G Brathwaite, J Williams; TV – L Reifer.