Following their disappointing performance at the World Cup, the English white-ball team has been metaphorically compared to a malfunctioning laptop that has been reset, rebooted, and updated. However, when it came time to start fresh, they encountered yet another malfunction.

After achieving a new highest score in ODI on this field, they were unable to defend it as West Indies surpassed it with seven balls remaining, winning by four wickets. Despite Jos Buttler’s strong batting performance, which highlights potential programming issues, it was Shai Hope, the opposing captain, who led his team to success.

Hope achieved the milestone of scoring 5,000 runs in ODI games while also scoring a fantastic century that ultimately determined the outcome of the match. He played a crucial role in steadying his team during the middle overs and then picked up the pace to successfully chase down the target of 326 runs. In the end, he secured the victory by hitting three sixes off four deliveries from Sam Curran, as England’s bowling performance faltered in the final stages. Hope declared this as his best performance out of his 119 innings and 16 centuries in this format.

“I believe it’s likely at the highest point,” he stated. “This definitely boosts our confidence for the remainder of the series. We must have faith. We have adequately prepared and put in the effort, so it’s only a matter of time before these performances come together. I see improvement, but we must replicate it next time.”

Despite Hope’s composed and strong performance, the West Indies were on the verge of losing until Romario Shepherd’s appearance changed the game in their favor. The versatile player’s quick 48 runs off 28 balls left England reeling, with both Curran and Brydon Carse struggling to contain the pressure from Shepherd and Hope. Curran, in particular, was heavily punished, giving up a whopping 98 runs in his last three overs. This set a new record for the most runs conceded by an English player in an ODI.

The anticipated new beginning has not gone as planned. Phil Salt and Will Jacks, who were not considered important enough to receive central contracts, were given the opportunity to open for England during this series. They approached the challenge with a bold and aggressive style. This was their third time opening together and all three of their partnerships rank in the top 10 out of 33 for England’s best in the past two years.

England had a strong start against West Indies, with Salt aggressively targeting their opening bowlers, Thomas and Joseph. The team scored 76 runs in the first eight overs without losing a wicket. However, they soon began to lose wickets and their momentum. In the next eight overs, they only added 34 runs at a rate of 4.25 per over, losing three wickets in the process. Crawley and Brook were able to stabilize the innings, with Crawley taking advantage of Motie’s mistake in the field to reach 48 runs. Unfortunately, he was eventually run out in a decisive manner, bringing Buttler to the crease.

Buttler has scored 78 runs in his last eight innings, with an average of 9.75 and a strike rate of 75.72. In this particular match, he scored three runs off 13 balls by hitting a few easy singles and then attempting a reverse sweep off Motie. However, he ended up gloving the ball to slip, where Alick Athanaze initially juggled it before finally taking the catch on his second attempt. Buttler had already put his bat under his arm and started walking back to the dressing room by the time the ball was caught.

Buttler expressed that he is feeling positive and continues to push through. He is disappointed and frustrated that his struggles have persisted longer than he had hoped, but acknowledges that only he can improve his own performance. He understands that hiding away will not lead to scoring runs, so he remains determined to work hard and trust that things will improve.

Brook was the top scorer for England with 71 runs off 72 balls, while Curran and Carse also contributed valuable late runs. However, their runs were not as valuable as the ones they allowed West Indies to score towards the end of their innings. Despite this, England’s total of 325 felt sufficient on a challenging pitch with some turn.

Brandon King and Athanaze led the home team’s response without any signs of worry. Athanaze, a 24-year-old member of the new generation being introduced to the West Indies team, scored 66 runs off 65 balls with nine fours and two sixes. One of his sixes was a powerful pull shot that landed in the car park, contributing to their opening partnership of 104.

In the first innings, the opening batsmen were dismissed in consecutive overs and this, along with the introduction of spin bowlers Rehan Ahmed and Liam Livingstone, caused a decrease in scoring and an increase in the required run rate. It appeared that the game was slipping away from them, but they remained composed and never gave up. Finally, Hope and Shepherd were able to take charge, leading to an increase in boundaries and England losing their composure.

Source: theguardian.com