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• Powell defends decision to leave out McCoy against England

  West Indies fans were left perplexed when pacer Obed McCoy was left out of the XI to play England in their opening Super 8 encounter at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia on Wednesday.

  The Vincentian left-arm quick took 3-14 from his four overs in the last game against Afghanistan at the same venue after coming into the team for Romario Shepherd who left the squad to attend the birth of his second child.

  Historically, McCoy’s eight wickets in three games at the venue is the third most among active cricketers with only Pakistan Saeed Ajmal with 11 wickets in five games and Hayden Walsh Jr with 12 wickets in five games ahead of him.

  Despite these statistics, McCoy was left out of the team that suffered a brutal eight-wicket loss on Thursday.

  Shepherd, who came back into the side in place of McCoy, conceded 41 runs in two overs.

  His last over was belted for 30 runs by Phil Salt who finished 87*.

  West Indies Captain Rovman Powell defended the call to leave McCoy out of the side.

  “I think when you're selecting a team and you have players that are playing good you will always have to make the tough decision. We sat down as a selection group and thought that the team that played today is our better team to face England and it just didn't work out tonight,” Powell said in a post-match press conference.

  The hosts will next take on joint hosts the USA in Barbados on Friday before facing South Africa in their final Super 8 game in Antigua on Sunday.

  Despite Wednesday’s loss, the West Indies still have their fate in their own hands as wins in those two games will see them having a good chance of making it to the last four.

  “I think our destiny is still in our own hands. It's just for us to continue to play good cricket. And once we do that, we think we'll be ok,” Powell said.

   

   

• Bairstow impresses Buttler with 'senior player's innings'

  England captain Jos Buttler has praised Jonny Bairstow's "mature innings" after their impressive eight-wicket victory over West Indies at the T20 World Cup.

  England successfully chased down their target of 181 with 15 balls to spare thanks to dominant batting from Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow.

  Salt scored 87 not out, including a 30-run over, while Bairstow's 48 not out saw them over the line after losing two wickets to get off to a winning start in the Super 8s.

  After mixed results in the group stage, Buttler was pleased with the commanding performance of his team, praising the batters for their smart display.

  "That was a really good performance from us," Buttler said at the post-match presentation. "We planned really well. We've been practising well and executed both with the bat and ball and deserved to win.

  "I thought we bowled really well to restrict such a powerful batting line-up, such great six-hitters especially. [It was a] decent score, and you had to play well to chase it down.

  "I thought we were very smart with the bat. Guys were very calculated when they took their options on. The Bairstow and Salt partnership was so good. Jonny came in with great intent and took the momentum straight back. Salty tucked in behind him for a bit and when he got that one big over, he broke the back of it.

  "[Bairstow] is a class player, he has been for a really long time. That's what we decided to do, you just keep backing class players.

  "He hasn't had many opportunities but today was an incredibly impressive innings. A really mature, senior player's innings. With a lot of power, he scored at a great gear when the game was just in the balance.

  "A lot of people say you learn when you lose, but I truly believe you learn when you win as well. [It is] important to reflect on what we did well today. We had a good performance, put that to bed and focus on the next performance."

  England's opening game was washed out against Scotland before they lost to Australia in the second, but back-to-back wins against Oman and Namibia were enough for them to qualify for the Super 8s.

  Salt, on the back of his best run-tally in the tournament so far, is confident England have found their footing as they prepare to face South Africa on Friday.

  "Tournament cricket, in my experience, is all about having the confidence and momentum at the same time - and having a little bit of luck here and there," Salt said.

  "If we can just keep building on that game by game, we'll be in a pretty good spot."

• West Indies face major blow as Brandon King suffers injury in loss to England

  The West Indies' T20 World Cup campaign took a severe hit after their eight-wicket defeat to England in the Super 8s match in St Lucia on Wednesday night with the news that they could be without opener Brandon King for the remainder of the tournament. The Jamaican retired hurt due to an apparent side strain early in their innings of 180-4.

  King had given the West Indies a strong start, smashing 23 runs off just 12 balls, including a massive 101-metre six off Reece Topley that flew over the midwicket boundary. However, his promising innings was abruptly halted on his 13th delivery when he attempted to drive Sam Curran through the covers and suffered a side strain, forcing him to retire hurt after medical attention.

  Cricket West Indies (CWI) later confirmed the injury: "Brandon King has suffered a side strain and will not return to the field of play in this evening's match." King did not field during England's chase, with Shimron Hetmyer taking his place.

  Side strains usually take several weeks to heal, making King's participation in the remaining matches of the World Cup highly unlikely with only ten days left in the tournament. West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed concern over King's injury. "Yes, a little bit worrying but hopefully he can pull through for the next game," Powell said. "We know how important a player he is for us."

  King's absence would be a significant setback for the West Indies. Despite a modest tournament so far with a top score of 34, King’s experience and leadership, having recently captained the team against South Africa, are invaluable.

  The West Indies have five standby players: Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Matthew Forde. Kyle Mayers, who narrowly missed the initial squad, is the frontrunner to replace King, though Fletcher's experience as a top-order batsman also makes him a strong candidate.

  The team will travel to Barbados on Thursday ahead of their next Super Eight match against the USA at Kensington Oval on Friday. With their World Cup ambitions in jeopardy, the West Indies will need to quickly adapt and find a way to mitigate the loss of their dynamic opener.

  As the tournament continues, the focus will be on the West Indies to see how they handle this adversity and whether Brandon King can make an unexpected return to bolster their World Cup hopes.