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Match reports

World Twenty20, 2009

Wisden's review of England v West Indies, World Twenty20, 2009

15-Apr-2010
At The Oval, June 15 (floodlit). West Indies won by five wickets (D/L method). West Indies 2 pts. Toss: England.
England's stop-start progress in the tournament came to a permanent halt after the Duckworth/Lewis method seemed to weight the game in West Indies' favour. Rain in the interval caused the reduction of their task from 162 in 20 overs to just 80 in nine. West Indies slipped to 45 for five against feisty bowling, but then Sarwan teamed up with Chanderpaul, and the task of taking 35 from 22 balls proved simple for the tournament's most experienced sixth-wicket pair. England's own sixth-wicket pair also played beautifully, though not as batsmen: Foster and Swann combined to dismiss the dangerous Bravo with a quicksilver stumping, but their earlier run-making was less successful. After Wright again departed quickly to a mistimed heave, Bopara and Pietersen laid the foundations for what should have become a decent total. However, England's high-risk strategy of replacing Mascarenhas with Rashid - it meant Foster was two places too high at No. 6 - failed along with the middle order. Had Broad not smitten ten from the last two balls, the total would have been feeble. West Indies won without Fidel Edwards, their leading strike bowler, who injured his back moments before the toss. On National Wind Day, play was held up when a gust sent umpire Koertzen's floppy hat scurrying across the ground. Those who felt the new target did not offer a fair distillation of the original gained some support in September, when, after a scheduled four-year review, Duckworth and Lewis issued new tables reflecting increased scoring-rates. West Indies' revised target would have become 84; chances are they still would have made it.
Man of the Match: R. R. Sarwan. Attendance: 20,465.