Against the West Indies, in the second ODI in a three-match series, England proved they were capable of a remarkable comeback.
England was eliminated from the ODI World Cup in the league stage after losing the opening game. Captain Jos Buttler and his colleagues received harsh criticism for carrying on with their bad play. In contrast, the West Indies lost embarrassingly because they were unable to perform at the plate.
With Gus Atkinson and Sam Curran ruthlessly using the new ball, the home team was batting first and leading 23/4. In instance, Curran took three wickets early on, which changed the game’s atmosphere. Later, captain Shai Hope (68) and Sherfane Rutherford (63), who combined for 129 runs, were instrumental in the West Indies’ impressive recovery. But Liam Livingstone took three wickets in as many balls, severely derailing the West Indies’ momentum.
202 runs were washed out for the home team, not enough to cross the finish line. Despite their recent disappointments, England began the match with a bang thanks to an offensive display from opener Phil Jacks. Despite his 73 runs scored, the 25-year-old had moments of anxiety, particularly after Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were removed from the game quite early.
But following two swift dismissals, in-form hitter Harry Brook took care of the business. With 58* runs off of 45 deliveries, captain Buttler also displayed outstanding performance. With more than 17 overs remaining, Brook scored 43* runs to help England win the match by six wickets. The bowling and batting departments of the West Indies will need to improve before the series’ final ODI, as their bowlers mostly looked mediocre during this period.
The Shai Hope-led team is good, but their one weakness is consistency. The Caribbeans will have to push one another since the third ODI will be a major mentality test and will determine whether they can return to the top.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
England won the 2nd odi by 6 wicket
Series 1-1 upto barbados
Excellent knock by will jacks
Congratulation My fav Buttler for 5000 odi runs and for comeback into the form 🥳🥳#ENGvsWI #wivseng #WIvsEng #antigua pic.twitter.com/gv7Cuo4lVn— Kayani 🇵🇰 🇮🇹 (@kayR98) December 6, 2023
5000 runs in ODIs – 97 batsmen
5000 runs + 100 SR : 4 batsmen5000 runs with the best SR among all – Jos Buttler – 117.14 SR 💥🔥#WIvENG #WIvsENG #ENGvsWI #BANvNZ #AUSvsPAK #AUSvPAK #PAKvsAUS #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/s2h0HaR6eH
— TCTV Cricket (@tctv1offl) December 7, 2023
SAM REDEMPTION 🫡😎
1st ODI : 98 runs conceded in 9.5 overs + Record most expensive figures for ENG 🙃
2nd ODI : 3 Wickets inside powerplay, finished his quota with 7-0-33-3 💥
Wickets of Brandon King, Keacy Carty, and Hetmyer 💥& MAN OF THE MATCH 😃🔥#WIvENG #WIvsENG… pic.twitter.com/qQp4YasL5h
— TCTV Cricket (@tctv1offl) December 6, 2023
And suddenly #JosButtler finds some overdue but welcome form too. Now, if only there was a #WorldCup coming up! #toolate #WIvsENG https://t.co/YobmqbrFzo
— David Begg (@dadbegg) December 6, 2023
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