West Indies chase down 219-run target to seal consolation win over England

SAINT LUCIA: Openers Shai Hope and Evin Lewis scored swashbuckling half-centuries and lifted the West Indies to chase down a humongous total in the fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series against England here at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Put into bat first, England racked up a massive total of 218/5 on the board on the back of brisk half-centuries from opener Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell.

Salt smashed five fours and four sixes on his way to a 35-ball 55, while Bethell remained the top-scorer with 62 off 32 deliveries, laced up with four fours and five sixes.

Besides them, skipper Jos Buttler (38), Will Jacks (25) and Sam Curran (24) made notable contributions.

Gudakesh Moti bagged two wickets for the hosts, followed by Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase, who made one scalp apiece.

Chasing a daunting 219-run target, the home side knocked the winning runs for the loss of just five wickets and six balls to spare.

West Indian openers came out all guns blazing as they registered a solid 136-run partnership inside 10 overs with both scoring quickfire half-centuries.

The marathon opening stand followed a team hat-trick, which saw West Indies slipping to 136/3 in 9.3 overs.

The top-order collapse marked the ouster of both set batters and Nicholas Pooran, who fell for a two-ball duck.

Lewis remained the top-scorer for the West Indies with a 31-ball 68, while Hope made 54 from just 24 deliveries.

Later, brisk cameos from skipper Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford sealed West Indies’ first victory in the ongoing series.

Powell contributed with a 23-ball 38, while Rutherford remained not out for 17-ball 29.

Rehan Ahmed bagged three wickets for England but was expensive as he conceded 43 runs in his four overs, while John Turner took one wicket.

For the unversed, England lead the five-match T20I series 3-1 with the final fixture scheduled at the same venue on Sunday.