T20 World Cup Super 8s: Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow guide England to eight-wicket win over West Indies | Parami News

Eight wickets were all that England had to take against West India, who had never lost a T20 World cup match, in their super 8 opening clash in St Lucia on Wednesday.

As far as home advantage went, the English bowlers restricted the West Indies to 180-4 at the same venue where they had reached 218 runs against Afghanistan two days earlier.

The batters took less than 18 overs to bowl at least one delivery during which Phil Salt opened with a total of 87 from 47 balls.

Having only just made it through their net run rate into next stage, defeating one of the form teams so far in this tournament offers England a major confidence booster.

They are joint top of Group Two with South Africa whose fixture is on Friday at the same venue.

Most credit for winning should go to the English bowlers who stopped hard-hitting local batters from firing on all cylinders.

Not even one batter could get past his fifty-they dealt more than fifty dot balls-and also kept taking wickets when it seemed there was no hope left in the innings.

Even after losing opener Brendan King due to groin injury having scored only twenty three (23) runs by then, West Indies still hoped to make big totals when they were sitting comfortably at eighty-two without loss at half time mark.

Nonetheless, as soon as they began hitting boundary shots, Johnson Charles got caught deep by Moeen Ali’s bowling and was out for thirty eight (38).

Players like Nicholas Pooran and skipper Rovman Powell gave away their wickets after scoring thirty six (36), followed by Andre Russell going out on nought in the next over thus making West Indies sit at 143-4 after seventeenth over.

Sherfane Rutherford remained unbeaten while contributing twenty-eight (28) runs before Romario Shepherd added another 37 but given that Salt and Buttler also build up sixty-seven (67) runs for the first wicket, England felt they still had a chance to reach the target.

Buttler was bowled by Roston Chase for twenty-five (25), however, Salt kept the scoring rate going and Bairstow joined him at the crease.

Bairstow continued to be given most of strike at first while Salt smashed thirty off Shepherd in sixes and fours in the 16th over thus putting a lid on this chase.