England secured an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies on Thursday in their T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 encounter.
Chasing a target of 181 runs, England comfortably reached their goal in 17.3 overs at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow forged an unbeaten 97-run partnership off just 44 balls for the third wicket, guiding England to a crucial win in their opening Super 8 match. Salt played a sensational innings, scoring an unbeaten 87 off 47 deliveries, including seven fours and five sixes. He particularly punished Romario Shepherd, smashing him for 30 runs in the 16th over.
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Bairstow contributed significantly with 48 runs off 26 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.
For the West Indies, Andre Russell and Roston Chase managed to pick up one wicket each as they suffered their first defeat in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bowl first, England restricted the West Indies to 180-4 in their allotted 20 overs.
The West Indies started strongly with openers Johnson Charles and Brandon King, reaching 36-0 in four overs. However, King had to retire hurt due to a suspected groin injury after scoring 23 runs off 13 balls.
Charles top-scored with 38 off 34 balls, and Nicholas Pooran replaced King, contributing 54 runs off 41 balls.
Captain Rovman Powell played a quickfire innings, scoring 36 runs off just 17 balls, including five sixes, to bolster the West Indies’ total.
England’s bowlers tightened the screws in the final overs, conceding just 43 runs and taking a couple of wickets. Adil Rashid stood out with figures of 1-21 in four overs, while Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone also chipped in with one wicket each.
This match marked the first outing for both teams in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup.
