West Indies beats England by 30 runs

KATHMANDU: West Indies delivered a commanding performance to defeat defending champions England by 30 runs in a thrilling ICC T20 World Cup Group ‘C’ clash, strengthening their chances of reaching the Super Eight stage.

Powered by a blistering unbeaten half-century from Sherfane Rutherford and disciplined bowling from Gudakesh Motie, the Caribbean side registered their second consecutive victory in the tournament.

In Group ‘C’, which also features Nepal, West Indies now sit comfortably at the top with four points from two matches.

England and Scotland have two points each, while Nepal and Italy remain without a point.

After being invited to bat first at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, West Indies posted an imposing total of 196 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

The innings got off to a shaky start as they lost two wickets inside the second over.

However, Rutherford anchored the recovery in spectacular fashion.

The left-hander smashed an explosive 76 off just 41 balls, striking two fours and six towering sixes to remain unbeaten. Roston Chase contributed a steady 34, while Jason Holder played a quickfire knock of 33 off 17 deliveries.

Shimron Hetmyer added 23 runs and captain Rovman Powell chipped in with 14.

For England, Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets each, while Jofra Archer and Sam Curran picked up one apiece.

Chasing a challenging target of 197, England were bowled out for 166 in 19 overs.

Sam Curran top-scored with 43, but his effort was not enough to steer his side to victory. Jacob Bethell scored 33, Phil Salt made 30, and skipper Jos Buttler managed 21.

The rest of the batting lineup collapsed under pressure, leaving England well short of the target.

Gudakesh Motie led the bowling attack for West Indies with three crucial wickets.

Roston Chase claimed two, while Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein took one wicket each to dismantle England’s batting order.

Meanwhile, Nepal are set to face Italy later today in another key Group ‘C’ encounter.