Southampton, June 11
England created history, scoring their highest score in T20Is at home soil during the third and final T20I against West Indies at Southampton on Tuesday.
During the third T20I, England raced to a massive 248/3 in their 20 overs, outdoing their previous record of 234/6, which they scored against South Africa back in 2022 at Bristol, as per Wisden.
Also, they also played the least amount of dot balls in a T20I inning, playing just 25 of them.
Spinner Adil Rashid, England's top wicket-taker in T20Is, made history as he entered among top five wicket-takers in T20Is. He took two wickets, giving away just 30 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 7.50.
In 127 T20Is, he has taken 135 wickets at an average of 24.45 and an economy rate of 7.41. His best figures is 4/2. The top wicket-taker in T20I cricket is Tim Southee of New Zealand, with 164 wickets in 126 innings.
Coming to the match, a 120-run partnership between Jamie Smith (60 in 26 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Ben Duckett (84 in 46 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) started off things well for England. Blistering finishes from Harry Brook (35* in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Jacob Bethell (36* in 16 balls, with a four and four sixes) took England to 248/3.
Akael Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Sherfane Rutherford took a wicket each.
During the chase, WI kept losing wickets regularly. Though fighting knocks came from skipper Shai Hope (45 in 27 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (79* in 45 balls, with nine fours and four sixes), WI was restricted to 211/8.
Luke Wood (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Rashid took two wickets. Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse and Liam Dawson got one wicket each.
Duckett took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
— ANI
Reader Comments
What an explosive batting display by England! 248 is massive in T20s. Our Indian team should take notes on how to maintain this kind of aggression throughout the innings. Hope Bumrah and Kuldeep are watching Rashid's bowling figures closely too! 🔥
England's batting was fire, but honestly WI bowling looked toothless. Our Indian batters would have chased this down with Pant and SKY going berserk! Still, credit to England for setting new benchmarks in T20 cricket.
Rashid's consistency is unbelievable! 135 wickets at that economy rate is world class. Chahal and Jadeja need to step up if we want to compete with such spinners in upcoming World Cups. #Cricket
Only 25 dot balls in entire innings?! That's some next level batting. England's white-ball revolution under Morgan continues to bear fruit. Hope Dravid and Rohit are taking notes for our team's approach. 😊
While England's batting was impressive, I'm concerned about the future of bowling in T20s. 450+ runs in 40 overs makes it look like a video game! ICC should think about balancing rules to keep bowlers relevant.
Powell's 79* was the silver lining for WI. Shows even in massive chases, one batter can make it respectable. Hope our Indian team learns this never-give-up attitude too, especially in overseas conditions. Well played both teams! ðŸ‘
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