England’s hopes of a 5-0 series sweep over West Indies were ended as the hosts both galloped and stuttered to a five-wicket victory in a high-scoring fourth T20 international in St Lucia.
Shai Hope (54 off 24) and Evin Lewis (68 off 30) slammed 136 from 55 balls for the first wicket, helping the hosts reach a target of 219 with six balls to spare, after Jacob Bethell’s 22-ball half-century had propelled England to what looked an imposing 218-5.
The West Indies openers nailed their century stand in Liam Livingstone’s 30-run eighth over, with Lewis smoking the spinner for three sixes and a four and the bowler also conceding six wides.
England found themselves back in the game after three wickets fell in as many balls in Rehan Ahmed’s 10th over – Hope’s run out sandwiched by Lewis caught on the cover boundary and Nicholas Pooran (0) bowled for a duck by the young leg-spinner (3-43).
West Indies regrouped, with skipper Rovman Powell hitting a vital 38, but wobbled once he was pinned lbw by T20I debutant John Turner in the 17th over with 23 runs required, and Sherfane Rutherford (29no off 17) was fortunate not to hole out down the ground as the ball dropped between four converging England fielders.
However, the hosts did go on to chalk up their first victory thanks to back-to-back sixes for Rutherford off Dan Mousley, ensuring that every game so far has been won by the side batting second.
A worry for England now will be Livingstone’s fitness after the 31-year-old jarred his knee taking a stunning catch running back from mid-on to dismiss Shimron Hetmyer (7) and left the field.
Bethell dazzles for England in losing cause
Earlier, Bethell (62no off 32) clinched his second half-century of the series with the third of three consecutive sixes off Roston Chase in the 17th over.
Phil Salt (55 off 35), Jos Buttler (38 off 23) and Will Jacks (25 off 12) starred early on as the tourists passed 100 inside nine overs, while Sam Curran contributed 24 off 13 before being run out at the death.
The series concludes at the same venue on Sunday (8pm UK) before England’s focus switches to Test cricket, with a three-match series in New Zealand beginning in Christchurch on November 28.
Bethell will be part of the Test squad after being picked as batting cover, despite a first-class batting average in the mid-20s for Warwickshire and without a century to his name.
But he showed in St Lucia on Saturday just how much talent he has, reaching his fifty with a maximum over long-off having smoked Chase’s previous two balls into the stands over the leg-side.
Bethell’s pyrotechnics – he managed five sixes and four fours in total – came after Salt and Jacks had slammed 54 from 31 balls up top and Salt and Buttler added 48 from 26 deliveries.
England beaten as hopes of sweep ended
Powell promptly inserted England after winning the coin flip, having seen the tourists win the first three games of the series chasing, but may have been regretting that decision as his attack bowled poorly on a cracking batting deck.
Jacks had spoken before the game about wanting to make match-winning contributions, after scores of 17, 38 and 32 across the first three matches, but he once again failed to push on, bounced out by Alzarri Joseph (1-33) after striking one four and two sixes.
England’s Phil Salt hit a fifty, having struck a hundred in the opening match of the series, in Barbados
Buttler then took England into three figures with a towering six off spinner Akeal Hosein (0-40), before Salt gloved Chase down the leg-side an over later for an anticlimactic end to a dashing innings.
Buttler fell short of a half-century that looked inevitable when he cracked thee boundaries in four balls but Bethell’s brilliance more than made up for that, while Curran dazzled briefly – including with a slapped six over long-on – after Livingstone (4) was the only man to miss out, hauling Gudakesh Motie (2-40) into the deep.
England quick Saqib Mahmood (0-24 from four overs) was then unable to add to his eight powerplay wickets in this series, although he did bowl a maiden in the second over of the chase.
England’s Saqib Mahmood did not take a wicket but conceded only 24 runs across his four overs
That came immediately before Hope flogged Turner – in for the rested Jofra Archer – either to or over the ropes four balls in a row in a 25-run third over, kickstarting the chase in earnest.
West Indies sprinted to 69-0 by the end of the powerplay, in stark contrast to the previous three matches when they lost 11 wickets combined across the first six overs, including five in the third T20.
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