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• Hope, Lewis shine in Windies record chase to defeat England by five wickets

  Half-centuries from openers Shai Hope and Evin Lewis propelled West Indies to a stunning five-wicket victory over England as they chased down a mammoth 219-run target in the penultimate contest of their five-match T20I series at the Darren Sammy Stadium on Saturday.

  Hope (54) and Lewis (68) set the tone with a record-breaking 136-run stand off a mere 55 balls that paved the way for a famous win and, by extension, etched the chase into the history books as the highest ever at the venue and the second-highest in West Indies T20I history.

  Lewis had four boundaries and seven maximums in his 30-ball knock, while Hope’s 24-ball innings had seven fours and three sixes. Captain Rovman Powell (38) and Sherfane Rutherford, with an unbeaten 29, were the only other scores in double figures.

  The win saw the Caribbean team salvaging some pride as England still hold an unassailable 3-1 lead heading into Sunday’s final encounter.

  Scores: West Indies 221-5 (19 overs); England 218-5 (20overs)

  West Indies’ response to England's formidable 218 for 5 was nothing short of spectacular. Despite a slow start, with just five runs off the opening over, Hope and Lewis exploded into action in the third over bowled by debutant John Turner.

  Lewis launched the assault with a towering six, followed by a flurry of boundaries from Hope that turned the tide firmly in the hosts' favour. 

  Hope reached his half-century off just 23 balls, as he combined sublime timing with power, while Lewis joined the party with a blistering 26-ball fifty of his own. The pair dismantled England's bowling attack, racking up 10 sixes and 11 fours in the opening stand. 

  Lewis’s standout moment came in the eighth over when he smashed a 105-meter six off Liam Livingstone, followed by another in a 30-run over that left England reeling.

  Though Lewis departed when he holed out to Dan Mousley off Rehan Ahmed, the damage was done, despite the drama that followed his dismissal.

  Hope was then run out in a chaotic sequence that saw West Indies lose two wickets in as many balls, as Nicholas Pooran (zero) was bowled off a googly from Ahmed immediately after.

  Shimron Hetmyer’s brief cameo ended with a sharp catch by Livingstone, who later left the field with an apparent knee injury.

  However, Powell steadied the innings with a quick-fire 38 off 23 balls, including three sixes and two fours, before falling to John Turner. His contribution, however, ensured that the West Indies remained in control, requiring only 23 runs off the final 21 deliveries. 

  Rutherford, who lofted a six down the ground off Mousley, brought the equation within striking distance and then unleashed a powerful slog over deep midwicket to clinch victory in dramatic style. Roston Chase was also unbeaten on nine.

  Ahmed ended with 3-43 from his four overs.

  Earlier, England's innings, led by Phil Salt’s 55 off 35 balls and Jacob Bethell’s unbeaten 62 off 32, appeared daunting.

  Salt, who had five fours and four sixes in his 35-ball knock, and Will Jacks (25) added 53 in just 4.2 overs, while Bethell’s late blitz, including three consecutive sixes off Chase, propelled England to a venue-record-equalling 218-5.

  Bethell had five maximums and four boundaries in his unbeaten 32-ball knock. Captain Jos Buttler (32) and Sam Curran (24) also got in on the act.

  However, West Indies bowlers, despite early punishment, found key breakthroughs. Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie struck at crucial junctures, while Chase and Motie held their nerve in the middle overs to prevent England from running away with the game. 

  Motie was the pick of the pack with 2-40 from his four.

• Crystal clear: Sunshine Girl Plummer sets sights on series, future success after stalemate with England in Horizon Series opener

  Sunshine Girl Crystal Plummer is no stranger to high-pressure situations, but Jamaica’s dramatic 49-49 draw against England in the opening game of the four-match Horizon Netball Series was an experience that even she found exhilarating.

  Still, as the Sunshine Girls look to improve in the second match on Sunday, Plummer is focused on channeling the lessons from Saturday’s thrilling contest into consistent success for the remainder of the series and, by extension, her career.

  “It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Plummer told SportsMax.Tv as she reflected on the match played at the AO Arena in Manchester.

  “There were moments when we should have had the upper hand and allowed England to slip. But that’s what makes netball so exciting—it’s a constant test of resilience and focus. All in all, I’m super excited to be back on the international stage, and I am just looking to build on the lessons as they come,” she added.

  Plummer, who started at centre before being substituted at the beginning of the second quarter, acknowledged the intense pace of the match. Both teams traded turnovers early on, but it was England who managed to pull away in the second quarter to establish a 26-20 halftime lead. 

  

  Despite sitting out portions of the game, Plummer remained a vocal presence on the sidelines, urging her teammates to push through their challenges.

  Though they eventually rallied in the last two quarters, it was the comeback from two goals down in the closing seconds of the final quarter to level the game that really took the prize.

  “Our team showed so much heart. We made some errors, but we also demonstrated how capable we are of bouncing back, so basically it is a case of all the hard work we put in that paid off. The way we rallied in the third and fourth quarters was truly inspiring,” Plummer opined.

  “Those last few minutes were nerve-wracking. Again, we had chances in which we could have opened up big leads, but we let it slip. That’s something we’ll address as a team because we know we have what it takes to win these tight games,” she noted.

  That said, Plummer believes consistency will be the key to victory as the Sunshine Girls look to gain the upper hand in the second game of the series on Sunday.

  “We’ve shown that we can match England in every aspect, but it’s about sustaining that level of play for all four quarters. If we can clean up our errors and stay composed under pressure, I’m confident we’ll come out on top. We just have to take things one quarter at a time,” Plummer stated.

  

  The talented 22-year-old, who has been a pivotal player for Jamaica since her debut at the Americas qualifiers on home soil in 2022, is also eager to step up her individual performance.

  “As a midcourt player, my role is to connect the defence and attack seamlessly, so I want to be sharper in my decision-making and ensure that I’m providing the best support to my teammates on court,” said Plummer, who was a part of the bronze medal-winning Netball World Cup team.

  “I always tell myself that I am a hard cookie who will battle to the very end, and I am very confident in my abilities, which is why I consistently set goals and then put in the mental and physical work to ensure I fulfil them. So my goals for this series have already been locked in, and so I just want to put my best foot forward for myself and the team,” she declared.

  While her immediate focus is on helping Jamaica secure a series win, Plummer also has her eyes set on long-term goals. With the next Netball World Cup scheduled for 2027, she is determined to elevate her game and contribute to Jamaica’s quest for global dominance.

  “This series is a great opportunity to test ourselves against one of the top teams in the world, but it’s also a stepping stone for bigger things. We want to keep building and ensure that when the World Cup comes around, we’re ready to challenge for the title. For now, it’s about putting it all together because I believe our best is yet to come, and I’m excited to be part of this journey,” the jovial Plummer ended.

• Galthie hails 'special match' as France edge to narrow win over All Blacks

  Fabien Galthie says it was a "special match" after France edged past New Zealand 30-29 on Saturday.

  The All Blacks held the lead at half-time as tries from Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard helped put them 17-10 up, with Romain Buros powering over on his debut to keep France in touching distance.

  However, the hosts flipped the script in the second half, coming out strong as Paul Boudehent dotted down after a powerful maul to help level the scoreline.

  Louis Bielle-Biarrey then gave them the lead, and though Damien McKenzie's penalties kept the All Blacks on France's heels, Tomas Ramos also stayed perfect with his kicks, doing enough to help them record a third straight win over New Zealand.

  Les Bleus had gone 14 games without a win against New Zealand prior to this run, while it is the first time since 1994-95 they have managed three in a row against their opponents.

  Galthie was delighted with his players' focus to ensure they overcame the half-time deficit.

  "It was a special match; we know the opponent. When you see the scenario of the match, winning by one point, it brings back memories," he told TF1.

  "We have six years of experience with this team. For a few years, we have had arguments, we have identified how to play them, we are sticking to this roadmap. We had to keep our heads down.

  "At half-time, we found solutions. It's a close call, but a point is a lot. I am very proud, this is the third time we have hosted them. Three times we have beaten them. We have confidence. They have given us weaknesses, cracks."

  New Zealand, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning run ended as they suffered their first defeat since early September.

  Ardie Savea admitted that they struggled against France's aggressiveness in the second half, and was disappointed they did not deal with the threat better.

  "Extremely disappointed with ourselves not to win the game. We made silly mistakes. We turned the ball over to this French squad, which can punish us and they did. I'm pretty gutted," he told TNT Sports.

  "Of course, you [have to credit France in the second half]. We felt like we were in control, and we were pretty accurate in the first half, but in the second half, we let them in the game.

  "They applied pressure on us, and we couldn't handle it. Towards the end, we just got stuck in our line and we couldn't do it. I'm extremely disappointed but proud of the boys.

  "We didn't hit our targets. We want to win everything, but we couldn't, and that's credit to the French squad, they're a quality side. We have to look in the mirror and see where we could've put the nail in the coffin because we didn't do that."