Russell’s fireworks hand Windies series lead

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Man-of-the-Match Andre Russell made an instant impact with bat and ball in his first appearance for West Indies in two years, as the home side staged the highest-ever successful run chase at Kensington Oval to beat England by four wickets on Tuesday night.

In pursuit of 172 to win the opening Twenty20 International, West Indies overhauled their target with 11 balls to spare, to take the lead in the five-match series, which now heads to Grenada for a double-header starting Thursday.

The 35-year-old Russell, a shock recall for this series, followed up his career-best three-wicket haul in the England innings with a 14-ball unbeaten 29 to ease the pressure at the end after the game appeared set for a tense finish.

Arriving at the crease in the 15th over after West Indies had lost wickets in successive deliveries following a break for rain, the right-hander blasted a brace of fours and sixes in a 49-run, unbroken seventh wicket stand with captain Rovman Powell, whose unbeaten 31 required only 15 balls and included three fours and two sixes.

Vice-captain Shai Hop chipped in with a top score of 36 off 30 balls while left-handed opener Kyle Mayers slammed 35 from 21 balls.

“Life is so funny. When I got selected, I kept dreaming from two weeks now … and I was dreaming that in my first game, I would be Man-of-the-Match,” Russell said.

“I didn’t know how it would happen but I [kept] believing that it will happen and I give God thanks tonight.”

His three for 19 from four overs of pace helped restrict England for 171 all out with three balls to spare, after they were sent in.

Alzarri Joseph finished three for 54 while fellow fast bowler Romario Shepherd produced an outstanding spell to pick up two for 24 from four overs.

Phil Salt top-scored with 40 from 20 balls with half-dozen fours and a six as he gave the innings a flying start in a 77-run opening stand with captain Jos Buttler who made 39 from 31 balls with five fours and a six.

Once Russell got Salt to hole out in the deep off the first ball of his spell in the fifth over, England spiralled thereafter and only Liam Livingstone showed any enterprise with a 19-ball 27, before Russell bowled him off an inside edge at the start of the penultimate over.

In reply, West Indies flourished early through Mayers and Brandon King who made 22 from 12 balls, the pair posting 32 for the first wicket.

When King was brilliantly taken at point by Ben Duckett off seamer Chris Woakes in the third over after belting two fours and two sixes, Hope combined in a 46-run second wicket stand with Mayers to keep the innings ticking.

Mayers, who lashed four sixes, eventually pulled leg-spinner Adil Rashid (2-25) into the deep to perish in the eighth over and Nicholas Pooran (13) followed in the 11th when he tugged a return catch to 19-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (3-39).

Pooran’s demise triggered a worrying slide that saw four wickets tumble for 23 runs in the space of 26 balls, West Indies slumping to 123 for six after Hope and Shepherd (0) fell to successive balls from Rehan Ahmed.

But Powell counter-attacked with two back-to-back sixes off off-spinner Livingstone at the end of the 16th before Russell joined in with some hefty blows off Rashid, to erase any doubt over the outcome.

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