While evoking memories of their 2016 final, the West Indies asserted their dominance in Group C with a 30-run victory over England. A late-inning explosion from Sherfane Rutherford followed by a clinical spin tussle from Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase left the defending champions at a crossroads in their World Cup campaign.
The West Indies’ innings began in disaster after losing the toss and being reduced to 8 for 2 within the first seven legal deliveries. However, a calculated recovery set the stage for a massive finish:
Sherfane Rutherford: Starting slowly (10 off 13), Rutherford accelerated violently to finish 76 off 42 balls*, including 7 massive sixes.
Holder cameo: Jason Holder provided the perfect foil, smashing 33 off 17 balls. Their 61-run partnership in just 32 deliveries took the total from competitive to imposing.
Adil Rashid’s: While Jofra Archer (1/48) and Sam Curran (1/36) struggled, Adil Rashid was the sole bright spot for England, finishing with incredible figures of 2/16 from his four overs.
England’s chase of 197 started like a rocket, racing to 67/1 in the Powerplay, but the introduction of spin completely changed the complexion of the match.
Motie-Chase duo: Gudakesh Motie (3/33) and Roston Chase (2/29) combined to take five wickets in the middle overs. Motie’s deception accounted for Tom Banton, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell.
England slipped from a comfortable position to 166 all out in 19 overs. A late-inning flurry from Sam Curran (43*) wasn't enough to repair the damage done by a series of soft dismissals and manic run-outs.
Archer Concern: Jofra Archer’s struggles continued; he has conceded 133 runs in the tournament so far, making him one of the most expensive bowlers in the competition.
The West Indies now top Group C with two consecutive wins, while England’s path to the Super Eights has become treacherous.
We were probably a little bit careful. With the power we had at the back end, myself included, I could have taken a risk a little bit earlier. We do think we can chase almost anything; obviously today we didn’t.
Harry Brook, England Captain
