A crucial six from Hope secures a 3-2 victory for the West Indies, following Motie’s effective containment of England
England’s hopes of a resurgent pre-Christmas Caribbean recovery came crashing down when Shai Hope dispatched Chris Woakes over the extra cover boundary, dispelling any notion of England concluding 2023 with a comeback series triumph.
Even in challenging batting conditions, contrasting starkly with those experienced just 48 hours earlier, Hope’s final boundary encapsulated the essence of West Indies’ victory. In a series marked by an astonishing 119 sixes, West Indies outpaced England with 63 to 56. This advantage persisted in the low-scoring, gritty series decider, where West Indies hit seven sixes compared to England’s five—a pivotal 12-run lead in the pursuit of a 133-run target.
Regardless of the variations in pitch conditions throughout these five games, one constant prevailed: the team hitting the most sixes emerged victorious each time. This underscores the significance of power-hitting in the small Caribbean grounds—a lesson England needs to bear in mind as they gear up for the T20 World Cup in June.
Amidst the recent exhilarating victories for England, a four-wicket defeat, sealing a 3-2 T20 series loss coupled with their 2-1 ODI defeat in the Caribbean, was more in line with their overall performance this year. Beginning as reigning world champions in both limited-overs formats, England now concludes the year with their 20th defeat in all white-ball internationals, contrasting with their 15 victories.
While the tour will be remembered for Phil Salt’s standout performances and thrilling moments from the emerging white-ball generation, England’s success in Tarouba once again hinged on the brilliance of Adil Rashid. Despite being 35 years old, Rashid, now the top-ranked T20 bowler globally, concluded the series with a superb spell, claiming 2-21 through controlled bowling and subtle pace variations. Rashid’s crucial wickets included deceiving Sherfane Rutherford with a googly and flummoxing Johnson Charles with a wide full toss.
Rashid’s exceptional performance continued as he contributed with a diving catch at short third man, putting England in a position to stage a remarkable comeback. Sam Curran’s impressive penultimate over conceded just two runs, and he also dismissed Andre Russell. This left Chris Woakes to defend nine runs in the final over, but Shai Hope’s composed, unbeaten 43 secured the T20 victory for West Indies.
In a determined effort to defend a modest total of 133, England exhibited tenacity and skill. Jos Buttler, relinquishing the wicketkeeping duties to Phil Salt, led the team from the outfield. The unusual strategy allowed Buttler to focus solely on captaining, though it came with its challenges.
In the midst of a chaotic climax at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, England received two warnings for the slow pace of starting new overs. They narrowly avoided a potential five-run penalty for the infraction. The Trinidad & Tobago pitch, known for its spin-friendly nature, presented a different challenge for batsmen, offering slow bounce and significant turn.
Gudakesh Motie capitalized on these conditions, dismissing Phil Salt with a superb delivery after the batsman had adapted well to the challenges and top-scored with 38. Motie and Akeal Hosein, both bowling exclusively from the Northern End, combined for figures of 5-44 in their eight overs, creating significant obstacles for England’s right-handers.
The crucial moment came in the final over, with England at 120-5 and Liam Livingstone set to unleash. However, Motie deceived Livingstone with a delivery that gripped the pitch, restricting England to just one wicket in the over. The innings unraveled with ill-timed shots, culminating in Andre Russell’s venomous yorker dismissing Chris Woakes. England managed a mere 12 runs in the last four overs, and when Sam Curran’s top edge was caught in the deep, they were bowled out with three deliveries unused.
This shortfall meant England finished approximately 25 runs below a par score and, more significantly, extended West Indies’ dominance over them. Since the beginning of 2022, West Indies have now triumphed over England in four series in the Caribbean: once in Tests and ODIs each, and twice in T20s.
