Innings break England 325 (Brook 71) vs West Indies
Salt gave this white-ball reboot a jumpstart, racing out of the blocks with a flurry of boundaries after Buttler had won the toss and opted to bat first. Salt helped himself to 36 of the team’s first 53 runs, his third six – swinging Romario Shepherd over midwicket – taking England past the first milestone after just 5.4 overs, before crunching a four through cover to close out the 6th over.
It was at that point Shai Hope turned to Motie with the dual purpose of slowing the pace of the ball and rate of scoring. It did not take long for both to come to pass.
The left-arm orthodox spinner removed Salt for 45 in his second over, albeit with a short, wide delivery that should have been hit anywhere but the hands of Keacy Carty at cover. Seven deliveries (and no runs) later, Alzarri Joseph, who had changed ends for Motie’s introduction, produced a delivery with extra bounce and seam to remove Will Jacks for 26, caught behind by Hope, making it 77 for 2.
Only a single run would be added by the end of the first Powerplay, as Test openers Crawley and Ben Duckett set about a measured stand. Duckett used his reverse-sweep effectively to strike Motie for back-to-back fours in the 12th over but was guilty of being too cute against leg spinner Yannic Cariah – bowled leg stump attempting a paddle around the corner.
That ushered in a more impactful partnership between Crawley and Brook, measured through to its end on 71 midway through the 30th over. And yet even that should have come to an end earlier. Crawley was dropped appallingly on 30 by Motie after skying an unconvincing slog sweep off Cariah, before edging the leggie between keeper and slip on 33.
A third ODI fifty looked on the cards for Crawley, off the back of captaincy duties against Ireland at the end of the 2023 season as the World Cup squad rested. Brook, however, robbed him of the landmark with a late call of “no” when the Kent batter dropped and ran into the covers on 48, only to be sent back. Alick Athanaze swooped from point to effect a simple run out.
Then came yet more woe for Buttler, gloving a reverse-sweep to first slip to give Motie his second dismissal. So continues a grim streak since the start of the World Cup of just 141 runs across 10 innings. But just as the impetus looked to be draining from the innings, Brook, with the help of Liam Livingstone, counter-punched with four sixes between them.
The first from Brook ended a 33-ball wait for a boundary, as Shepherd was pulled high over deep midwicket, taking England beyond 200. A single off the next delivery moved the Yorkshireman to 50 from 58 for a third half-century in the format. He began the next over from Cariah with a powerful slap-sweep behind square leg to clear the fence once more. Livingstone finished the over with back-to-back sixes to ensure 23 was ransacked from the 38th.
Livingstone’s demise – LBW to a grubber from Shepherd – was as good an indicator as any of the changing nature of this surface and suggested the tourists were in good shape with the 232 they had in the 39th over. And though Brook walked off after failing to force Shepherd’s slower ball beyond the reach of Joseph at mid-off – moments after Athanaze had almost pulled off a spectacular catch at backward point to remove him on 70 – a reinforced tail was able to provide the necessary final flourish.
Curran finished with 38, the bulk of which had come in a boundary-heavy double act with Carse. They took apart Joseph, finding 17 from the quick’s ninth over to muck up his figures, and ran smartly throughout. The only misunderstanding came when Curran’s edge to third up in the circle brought about his end, as Carse scampered through with little communication, leaving his partner well short at the non-striker’s end. Curran had started that over with a six down the ground to take England to 305.
Carse saw things through, though spent the final over off strike, as a six down the ground from Rehan Ahmed and lofted cover drive for four from Gus Atkinson landed some final blows. Both fell to ensure Oshane Thomas’ strong early work was rewarded in the wickets column, finishing with 2 for 57 as England were bowled out off the final delivery.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo