England thump West Indies in World Cup opener

Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali share six wickets as the Windies are bowled out for their second-lowest T20I score in Dubai

Dubai: West Indies 55, England 56-4 - England won by six wickets

Scorecard

England completely outplayed defending West Indies to clinch victory in their opening Super 12s match at the men's T20 World Cup.

The Windies were bowled out for just 55, their lowest score in the competition's history and second-worst in the 20-over format.

Adil Rashid claimed 4 for 2 but it was Moeen Ali's four overs in the first seven which allowed captain Eoin Morgan to deploy his front-line bowlers in the middle overs.

Despite losing four wickets, including Liam Livingstone to a stunning caught and bowled by Akeal Hosein, the 50-over world champions strolled to victory with six wickets and 70 balls in hand, giving a major boost to their net run-rate.

A repeat of the 2016 final in Kolkata, won by a breathless display of ball-striking by Carlos Brathwaite, promised much but delivered little in terms of genuine excitement.

Akeal Hosein, take a bow!#T20WorldCup | #ENGvWIpic.twitter.com/Az6YQmBc3d

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) October 23, 2021

Ali would prove crucial and he set the tone with a catch to dismiss Evin Lewis in the second over and then bowled a maiden over which included getting Lendl Simmons.

The Windies continued to go on the attack but kept picking out England fielders or being bamboozled by an on-song attack.

Only Chris Gayle reached double figures as they were dismissed for a paltry total, just 10 more than the 45 they mustered against England in 2019 in St Kitts.

Eyeing a handsome win to boost their net run-rate, England went hard from the outset but lost Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Livingstone, the latter following a remarkable one-handed grab off his own bowling by Hosein.

But Jos Buttler showed his class and poise while scoring an unbeaten 24, hitting the winning runs with a pull behind square.

South Africa are West Indies' next opponents on Tuesday (October 26), while England are back in action the following day when they face Bangladesh in Sharjah.

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