Phil Salt reacts during his knock.
AP News
England once again showcased their firepower in securing an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the first of their five T20 internationals, thanks largely to Phil Salt’s brutal unbeaten century in what was a thrilling contest at Kensington Oval on Saturday.
Salt’s blistering 103 off 54 balls, which featured nine boundaries and two sixes, set the stage for England’s successful pursuit of the 182-9 set by West Indies—the highest run chase ever achieved at the venue—as they comfortably got to 183-2 with 19 balls to spare.
He was well supported by Jacob Bethell, who carved out his maiden T20 half-century, finishing with a splendid 58 off 36 deliveries in what was a deeply meaningful knock.
Bethell, 21, became the youngest player to reach this milestone in this format for England, at a venue close to his heart as he spent his early years in Barbados.
Scores: West Indies 182-9 (20 overs); England 183-2 (16.5 overs)
Sent in to bat first, West Indies struggled early, with wickets tumbling at regular intervals. Seamer Saqib Mahmood dismantled the top order as he accounted for Brandon King (3), Evin Lewis (13), and Shimron Hetmyer (zero), while spinner Adil Rashid snared the scalps of captain Rovman Powell (18) and Sherfane Rutherford (two) to leave the Caribbean side 69-5 in the ninth over.
However, Andre Russell smashed four sixes in a 17-ball 30, and Nicholas Pooran (38) initiated a gritty recovery, putting together a 39-run partnership that began to stabilize the innings. Pooran had two sixes and three fours in his 29-ball knock.
When both fell in quick succession, Romario Shepherd, who was left unbeaten on 35, and Gudakesh Motie (33) came to the rescue with an invaluable 49-run stand for the ninth wicket, which boosted West Indies to a respectable 182-9.
Motie used 14 balls for his knock, which had four boundaries and two sixes, while Shepherd had three fours and two sixes in his 22-ball innings.
Mahmood ended with 4-34, and Rashid (3-32).
Despite the late fightback, West Indies’ total was put into perspective by Salt’s heroics. His century marked his third against the Caribbean side and proved to be a masterclass in chasing under pressure.
Salt, along with opening partner Will Jacks (17), added a solid 73 runs before the latter was cleaned up by Motie. The defining moment, however, was the seamless 107-run partnership with Bethell, as the two took West Indies bowlers to task to seal a comprehensive win.
The second encounter is scheduled for Sunday, as West Indies will be looking to regroup and rebound to level the series.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Rangpur Riders dominate Victoria to win inaugural Global Super League title
Rangpur Riders dominated Cricket Victoria to win by 56 runs and become the inaugural ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) champions on Friday at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
The Bangladeshi outfit put in a near flawless performance in the final and carried on where they left off after Thursday’s victory over the Lahore Qalandars that saw them finish second in the standings on net run rate.
Victoria had looked the team to beat all tournament and Riders duly did put in an impressive all-round performance.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Riders captain Nurul Hassan couldn’t have dreamed of a better start to the evening as his Steven Taylor and Soumya Sarkar hit the ground running, showcasing some quality batting to put together a towering 124-run partnership for the first wicket.
Both Taylor and Sarkar hit half centuries, with the former eventually falling for 68.
Sarkar carried on despite losing his partner, smiting seven fours and five sixes to make 86* runs off 54 deliveries, a player of the match performance in the final that saw him help Riders post an imposing 178-3 off their 20 overs.
Victoria had looked confident all tournament but wilted in the final in the face of such a lofty target.
Joe Clarke offered the most resistance for the Australian outfit with 40 off 22 deliveries but a procession of wickets saw Victoria bowled out in the 18th over for 122 as Riders capped off a superlative evening with both bat and ball.
The wickets were shared around by Riders’ bowlers but Harmeet Singh’s slow left arm tweak was the standout, he collected 3-19 off his four overs to challenge Sarkar for player of the match and secure Rangpur Riders grasp on the GSL trophy.
South Africa pull away from Sri Lanka on day three
South Africa ended day three of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a 221-run lead, with Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs combining to put the hosts in the ascendency.
Sri Lanka resumed at 242-3 but lost their final six wickets for just 67 runs as the Proteas took a slim 30-run lead from the first innings.
Marco Jansen dismissed Angelo Matthews (44) and Kamindu Mendis (48) in quick succession to get the ball rolling for the Proteas, with Dane Paterson then proceeding to tear through the Sri Lanka tail.
He added four more wickets to Friday's dismissal of Dinesh Chandimal to bring up his first five-for in Test cricket, with three of them coming in a terrific 89th over.
Tony de Zorzi put on a 55-run first-wicket stand when the Proteas took up the bat, before spinner Prabath Jayasuriya beat him all ends up with a full delivery.
Aiden Markram also made 55 before falling victim to a sensational one-handed catch from the diving Kusal Mendis, with Ryan Rickelton (24) following as South Africa slipped to 109-3.
However, Bavuma and Stubbs restored calm, sharing 84 runs in an orderly stand that took South Africa to stumps without further loss. They will resume at 191-3 on Sunday, knowing no team has ever completed a chase of more than 271 runs at St George's Oval.
Data Debrief: Bavuma and Stubbs show the way
South Africa were teetering somewhat at 109-3, but some watchful batting from Bavuma and Stubbs ensured they would enter day four in a commanding position.
Bavuma (48*) is now closing in on his fourth straight half-century of the series, while Stubbs (36*) hit the best score of his Test career (122) in South Africa's second innings of the first Test. Anything close to that knock would surely put the contest beyond Sri Lanka.
West Indies 2025 home Test series against Australia expanded from two to three games
Australia will play three Tests during their 2025 tour of the West Indies after Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) agreed to expand the original schedule of two Test matches which is set to take place in June-July.
The series will be part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which asks for a minimum of two Tests between participating teams.
Australia’s previous Test series in the Caribbean took place in 2015, where the Michael Clarke-led side dominated with victories in Dominica and Jamaica. Since then, Australia has toured every Test playing nation except the West Indies.
This upcoming tour will be the first time the teams have played a three-match series in the West Indies since 2012, when Australia secured a 2-0 victory.
The most recent clash between the sides, held in Australia earlier this year, ended in a 1-1 draw. The highlight of the series was West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph’s heroics at the Gabba, where he guided a rare Test win over Australia, breaking a 21-year drought.
After taking a five-wicket haul on debut at the Adelaide Oval, Joseph backed it up with a famous second innings haul of 7-68 in Brisbane to spearhead the tourists to an eight-run win.
While the exact venues are yet to be confirmed, according to ESPNCricinfo reports, Barbados, Grenada, and Jamaica are potential hosts.
The tour will also feature three ODIs and three T20Is. Meanwhile, Australia is eyeing a place in this year’s WTC final at Lord’s and will aim to carry momentum into the next cycle.
For the West Indies, the series is a significant opportunity to play against one of the world’s strongest Test teams on their home turf.
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