| Second T20 international, St Kitts |
|---|
| England 182-6 (20 overs): Billings 87, Root 55 |
| West Indies 45 (11.5 overs): Jordan 4-6 |
| England win by 137 runs |
| Scorecard |
England dismissed West Indies for just 45 – the second-lowest score in T20 internationals – to win the second T20 by 137 runs in St Kitts and wrap up the series with a match to spare.
Chris Jordan took 4-6, the best figures by an England bowler in T20s, to skittle the dismal hosts in 11.5 overs.
Sam Billings earlier hit a career-best 87 and Joe Root made 55 as England recovered from 32-4 to post 182-6.
England have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Only the Netherlands have scored fewer runs in a T20 international, making just 39 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20.
This was England’s biggest margin of victory by runs in T20s and the fourth biggest of all time.
The final T20 is also at Warner Park in St Kitts at 20:00 GMT on Sunday.
Jordan rips through woeful Windies
After David Willey removed West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Shai Hope cheaply – the latter to a superb catch by Eoin Morgan, taken while colliding with Tom Curran – Jordan ruthlessly ripped through the middle order.
The all-rounder surprised the hosts with his pace, bowling mostly back of a length but also shrewdly mixing in fuller and slower deliveries.
He had Darren Bravo caught behind for a duck and removed West Indies captain Jason Holder lbw with the next delivery before Nicholas Pooran kept out the hat-trick ball.
Pooran edged the first ball of Jordan’s second over to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, and Fabian Allen then nicked to slip as the Sussex player surpassed Ravi Bopara’s previous best mark of 4-10 by an England bowler in T20s.
Given pace bowling is England’s main area of concern heading into the World Cup, Jordan bowling with such speed and accuracy, together with his hitting power and superb fielding, could well be forcing his name into the selectors’ thinking for the 50-over format.
Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid took two wickets apiece to complete a startling downturn for the hosts, who were on top as late as 16 overs into England’s innings, having shown much more application in the field.
But they never recovered from Billings’ late onslaught and England capitalised to secure their first series win of the tour, having lost the Test series 2-1 and drawn the ODI series 2-2.
Billings takes his chance
That England were able to post a competitive total was mainly down to Billings and Root.
Billings has been a fringe player in England’s one-day set-up since making his debut in both formats in 2015; an exciting batsman who has never quite broken through when given, admittedly limited, opportunities.
With Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali rested and Jason Roy back home for the birth of his first child, the Kent captain took his chance in easily his finest performance for England.
After rebuilding in a stand of 82 with Root, he accelerated with aplomb, mixing big hits down the ground with inventive reverse shots.
Billings, 27, smacked 10 fours and three sixes – hitting 35 of the 44 runs England added in the last two overs – before he was caught behind off debutant Obed McCoy on the final ball of the innings.
The right-hander is unlikely to make England’s first-choice team in this summer’s World Cup but more innings of this ilk could see him cement a place in an England T20 side still finding its identity before the next World Cup in this format, in Australia in 2020.
Test captain Root, who was playing only his fifth T20 international since the start of 2018, also wants to be an integral part of this team and his calm accumulation after England’s top-order collapse was similarly vital in a comprehensive victory over the world champions.
Trio stake their claim – analysis
by Simon Mann, BBC Radio 5 Live in St Kitts
A T20 series at the end of a long tour can seem like an afterthought, especially with all roads leading to this summer’s 50-over World Cup.
Not so for three of England’s main performers here.
Sam Billings played what could prove to be a breakthrough innings.
He benefited from England’s early slump because, for once, he had the time to piece together the type of innings he plays for Kent.
His calmness and then late-innings hitting showed why he is close to England’s World Cup squad.
Joe Root could easily have been relaxing at home – others have taken that option. But Root is determined to be a fixture in England’s T20 team, particularly with the World T20 coming up in Australia next year.
As with Billings, the match situation played to his strengths.
Chris Jordan has been cast of late as a T20 player, but he has been assured he is still part of England’s 50-over plans.
With good reason. Jordan would be a reliable replacement if England lose bowlers to injury during the World Cup.
‘I got on a roll and kept going’ – reaction
England captain Eoin Morgan on the Test Match Special podcast: “I won’t be scrubbing out the first six overs – being 32-4 is not somewhere you want to be very often but to have won the game in the manner we did is something to be extremely proud of.
“That innings will give Sam a lot of confidence – having been in that position before myself, where you are just starting in internationals to get your foot in the door, you want an innings like that to propel yourself forward.”
Man of the match Sam Billings, who hit 87 off 47 balls: “I haven’t taken my opportunity in the past. I’ve showed glimpses of what I can do and I know I’ve been consistently performing in various T20 competitions around the world and for Kent.
“I’ve tried too hard in the past. So it was just nice to be able to give myself a bit of time and just play. There was nothing to lose from a team point of view and I really enjoyed the responsibility.”
England all-rounder Chris Jordan, who took 4-6: “I’ve been working hard at my game, trying to improve certain areas and I set my standards high. It clicked and came off here – I got on a roll and kept it going.
“After struggling early on, the way Root and Billings batted to get us into that position and go out there with some confidence as a bowling unit was brilliant. If not for them we wouldn’t have been in a position to put in a performance like that.”
