England followed up their 21-run victory in Chester-le-Street on Friday with a four-wicket success in Bristol on Sunday in a game which provided the highest combined total in a T20I match (395) without a batter from either team making a half-century!
There was also time for spinner Adil Rashid (31) to deliver the second most expensive T20I over by an English player as West Indies piled on the runs at the back of their innings, hitting 47 from the final 12 balls.
But despite that late blitz, the Men in Maroon were unable to secure a win in their first T20I in Bristol and now travel to the south coast to another venue where they have never previously contested a game in this format.
Why England can win
After Liam Dawson had marked his return to international cricket with four wickets and the Player of the Match Award in the first T20I, it was the turn of another returning English left-arm bowler to star in Bristol.
Luke Wood had last played an international in September 2023 but wasted no time in getting back into the groove as he dismissed Evin Lewis with the first ball of the game on Sunday.
With the bat, Jos Buttler was England’s top scorer for the second game in a row and continues the streak of English batters with first names beginning with ‘J’ - Root (3), Buttler (2), Bethell, Smith - hitting the most runs for the team in each of their last seven white ball matches!
The former skipper is England’s leading T20I run-scorer at the Rose Bowl where he averages 58.75 and Adil Rashid, who has taken a wicket in each of the first two T20Is, is two dismissals away from equalling Chris Jordan’s tally and England’s record of nine international wickets at the venue.
Why West Indies can win
Without a white-ball head-to-head victory in England since 2017, West Indies looked on track to end that drought on Sunday when one win-predictor had them with a 72.13% chance of victory with ten overs of the game remaining.
But they were unable to seal the victory with skipper Shai Hope believing his side “were a few runs short” and feeling that they failed to capitalise on “the middle overs against the spin”.
Will Jacks will certainly be a spinner West Indies will be looking for better returns after his solitary over conceded only two runs in Bristol.
Captain Shai Hope top scored with 49, two runs more than opener Johnson Charles, but it was the lusty blows of the middle order - Rovman Powell (34 runs from 15 balls), Romario Shepherd (19 runs from 11 balls) and Jason Holder (29* from nine balls) - who brought the tourists back into the contest.
Alzarri Joseph continued his record of failing to go wicketless on this tour of Ireland and England and he comes into this game after returning the best figures for West Indies in two of their five matches against England.
Overall, it has been a very disappointing trip for Shai Hope’s side but they end this leg at a venue where England have lost their last three T20Is!
Venue and conditions
Each of the last four and eight of the 12 contested T20Is at the Rose Bowl have been won by the team batting first, but as, according to the weather forecast, there could be a bit of rain around at the toss, the captains may have to give a little more thought than they otherwise would have done if they call correctly on Tuesday!
There have only been two innings at this venue with team totals of 200+ but since 2021 the average first innings total has been 180+.
Match stats
• West Indies have lost the last four coin tosses on this tour.
• Jos Buttler is averaging three sixes per innings across his last five T20Is vs West Indies.
• Alzarri Joseph has picked up at least one wicket in 19 of his last 20 international innings.
• Jacob Bethell has finished not out in four of his six T20Is vs West Indies and been dismissed caught on the two other occasions.
• Sherfane Rutherford has been dismissed for a single-figure score in five of his last six T20I innings.