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Key Points

England secured a thrilling 21-run victory against West Indies in the first T20 International at Chester-le-Street. Jos Buttler was the batting hero, scoring a blistering 96 runs and setting up a massive total of 188/6. Liam Dawson made a remarkable comeback, taking 4 wickets for just 20 runs and breaking West Indies' batting momentum. The win gives England a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series, showcasing their dominance in the format.

Key Points: Buttler's 96 Leads Dawson's Heroics in England T20 Win

  • Buttler smashes 96 runs in dominant batting display
  • Dawson takes crucial 4/20 wickets on comeback
  • England takes 1-0 series lead
  • West Indies crumble in chase
3 min read

Dawson, Buttler shine as England beat West Indies by 21 runs in 1st T20I

Jos Buttler's explosive batting and Liam Dawson's stellar bowling power England to a commanding 21-run victory over West Indies

"Liberated from the burdens of captaincy, Buttler looked in pristine touch - Match Commentary"

Chester-le-Street, June 7

A fiery spell on comeback from all-rounder Liam Dawson and a blistering 96 from Jos Buttler helped England seal a 21-run win over West Indies in the first T20I at Chester-le-Street on Friday night.

With this win, England has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

England won the toss and opted to bat first. Ben Duckett perished to Romario Shepherd for just one in four balls after an expensive start, over which saw Jamie Smith crunch Jason Holder for three fours and gather 16 runs.

Buttler arrived next and clobbered Alzarri Joseph for 23 runs with three sixes and a four in the sixth over, finishing the powerplay at 78/1. Liberated from the burdens of captaincy, Buttler looked in pristine touch.

Smith gave a catch to Sherfane Rutherford at deep mid-wicket, ending a 79-run stand with Buttler as he departed for 38 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes, just a ball after Buttler reached his fifty in 25 balls. England was 95/2 in eight overs.

Skipper Harry Brook (6) fared poorly in his first T20I as captain while Tom Banton did not trouble scorekeepers either, reducing England to 116/4 in 11.4 overs. A 60-run stand between Bethell (23* in 23 balls, with a six) and Buttler followed. England's innings ended at 188/6 in 20 overs, with Buttler (96 in 59 balls, with six fours and four sixes) being the top scorer.

Shepherd (2/33) was the top bowler for WI, while Andre Russell, Roston Chase and Joseph took one each.

During the run-chase, Johnson Charles (18 in 15 balls) and skipper Shai Hope (3) fell early, reducing WI to 33/2 in 5.2 overs. The visitors got some temporary respite as a 58-run stand between Evin Lewis (39 in 23 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Chase (24 in 20 balls, with two fours and a six) followed. Bethell was taken down for 24 runs by the duo, including two fours and two sixes, but he got the last laugh by removing Lewis from the equation. WI was 91/3 in 10 overs.

From this point onwards, Dawson bowled his magical spell, removing Chase, Rutherford (13) and Rovman Powell (15) to break the back of the WI batting and leaving them at 115/6 in 13.4 overs. Not much went in favour of WI from there as they could score only 167/9 in their 20 overs.

Dawson (4/20) was a standout bowler in his comeback for England. Bethell and Matthew Potts got two wickets each while Adil Rashid bowled an economical four-over spell of 1/22.

Dawson took home the 'Player of the Match' honours.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

Here are 6 authentic Indian perspective comments for the cricket match report:
R
Rahul K.
What a comeback by Dawson! 4/20 after being out of the team is brilliant. England's bench strength is scary good - this is why they're T20 World Cup favorites. Hope our Indian team is taking notes!
P
Priya M.
Buttler without captaincy pressure is a different beast altogether! 96 off 59 with that strike rate 🔥 But West Indies' middle order collapse was disappointing - they need to work on chasing under pressure.
A
Arjun S.
England's strategy of going all out in powerplay is working well for them. But I feel they missed 200 by about 10-15 runs today. Pitch looked good for batting in first innings. WI bowlers did decent job in death overs.
S
Sunita R.
As an Indian fan, I'm watching these matches closely before our team faces England. Dawson's performance shows how crucial spinners are even in England conditions. Hope our Kuldeep and Jadeja are paying attention!
V
Vikram J.
West Indies need to sort out their batting order. Why was Russell held back so late? Their T20 team looks unbalanced compared to their glory days. Still 2 matches left - hope they bounce back!
N
Neha P.
Entertaining match but fielding standards from both teams could be better. Saw at least 3 easy catches dropped. In T20s, every run and every catch matters. Hope they improve in next game! 😊

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