Marvellous Gayle takes Windies close but England survive
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Opener Alex Hales, in his first match of the series, stroked 82 at the top of the order while opening partner Jonny Bairstow slammed 56. The visitors took their cue from Hales and Bairstow who provided a rollicking start when they posted 100 off 83 balls to put West Indies immediately on the back foot.
While Hales struck eight fours and two sixes in a 73-ball knock, Bairstow belted four fours and sixes in his 43-ball stay.
Fast bowler Thomas (2-84) then struck two key blows, removing Bairstow playing on in the 14th over before having Joe Root caught at the wicket for five in the 18th over at 120 for two.
Hales added another 45 runs for the third wicket with Morgan before holing out in the deep off off-spinner Nurse, but his dismissal only paved the way for the Morgan and Buttler show.
Together, they put the Windies bowlers to the sword as England gathered a whopping 154 runs from the last 10 overs.
Buttler slammed 13 fours and a dozen sixes of just 77 deliveries while the left-handed Morgan faced 88 balls and counted eight fours and half-dozen sixes.
The partnership was finally broken in the 48th over when Morgan holed out to his opposite number Jason Holder at long off off left- arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell. Needing to mount a record effort, West Indies suffered two early setbacks when John Campbell (15) drove Wood to mid-off in the fourth over and Shai Hope (5) tickled a catch behind in the bowler’s next over.
With the Windies stumbling on 44 for two in the sixth over, Gayle took matters into his own hands with his second century in three innings, following his 135 in the opener in Bridgetown last week.
More importantly, he put on an exhilarating 176 for the third wicket with Bravo who punched four fours and sixes in a stylish 59-ball innings, before posting another 69 for the fifth wicket with Holder (29).
For his part, Gayle thumped 11 fours and 14 incredible sixes – two in the seventh over from seamer Chris Woakes which leaked 21 runs and another couple in the 12th over from pacer Ben Stokes which cost 22 runs, as he raised his half-century off 32 balls.
Gayle needed only another 23 deliveries to raise three figures, reaching the landmark with a rare sprinted single in the 20th over, before motoring to his next fifty off 30 balls.
He ripped apart Rashid in the 31st over which cost 21 runs but the fireworks ended in the 35th over when he backed away and was bowled missing a tired heave ENGLAND J Bairstow b Thomas A Hales c Hetmyer b Nurse J Root c wkp Hope b Thomas *E Morgan c Holder b Cottrell +J Buttler b Brathwaite B Stokes c Hetmyer b Brathwaite Moeen Ali not out 0 Extras (b1, lb1, w7, nb 2) 11 TOTAL (6 wkts, 50 overs) 418 Did not bat: C Woakes, A Rashid, L Plunkett, M Wood.
Fall of wickets: 417, 6-418.
Bowling: Cottrell 9-0-64-1, Holder 7-0-88-0, Nurse 10-0-68-1, Bishoo 4-0-43-0, Brathwaite 10-0-69-2, Thomas 10-0-84-2.
WEST INDIES C Gayle b Stokes J Campbell c Root b Wood
+S Hope c wkp Buttler b Wood 1-100, 2-120, 3-165, 4-369, 5-
at Stokes.
Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer (6) had earlier perished in the 56 82 5 103 150 11 162 15 5 D Bravo c Stokes b Wood S Hetmyer c Hales b Wood *J Holder st Buttler b Rashid C Brathwaite c Morgan b Rashid A Nurse c Plunkett b Rashid D Bishoo c Hales b Rashid S Cottrell not out O Thomas st Buttler b Rashid
Extras (lb5, w12, nb1)
TOTAL (all out, 48 overs)
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-44, 3-220, 4-226, 5295, 6-301, 7-389, 8-389, 9-389, 10-389.
Bowling: Woakes 10-0-91-0, Wood 10-0-60-4, Plunkett 8-0-40-0, Stokes 8-0-77-1, Rashid 10-085-5, Moeen Ali 2-0-31-0.
Result: England won by 29 runs.
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1.
Man-of-the-Match: Jos Buttler.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: B Oxenford, G Brathwaite; Wilson.
space of three deliveries in the 24th over from Wood but it was the wicket of Gayle which made TV 61 6 29 50 43 0 0 0 18 389 –P
the difference, with Holder following in the next over stumped off Rashid.