Live Report - WI vs Eng - T20 World Cup, Super Eight - Salt assault takes England home

A devastating 87 not out from Phil Salt, supplemented by 48* from Jonny Bairstow, saw England thrash West Indies by eight wickets in St Lucia. It was the kind of performance that set down a marker to the rest of the teams in the Super Eight of this T20 World Cup.

The defending champions made light work of their target of 181, with a clinical 97-run stand between Salt and Bairstow earning victory with 15 deliveries to spare.

Played out on a fine batting deck at the Daren Sammy National Stadium, Jos Buttler opted to chase after winning the toss. Things looked precarious after seven overs, with 72 on the board for the loss of just Brandon King, who collapsed with a side strain early in the fifth over, having scored 23 off his previous 12 deliveries.

A diet of spin restricted West Indies’ batters thanks to Adil Rashid - the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 21 from his four overs - and Moeen Ali, who would go on to remove Johnson Charles.

Rovman Powell promoted himself up the order to No.4. And while it did not provide immediate results, the home skipper cashed in when Buttler decided to gamble with an over from Liam Livingstone in the 15th.

Powell took 20 from the over, striking Livingstone for three sixes down the ground in four deliveries. But it was the attempt at a fourth off Livingstone’s final ball that brought his downfall, caught low at short third by Mark Wood, returning to the XI in place of Chris Jordan.

It was the first of three wickets to fall in the space of 12 deliveries for just six runs. Jofra Archer removed Nicholas Pooran caught behind in the next over, before Andre Russell nailed a Rashid googly straight to wide long on.

That West Indies were able to reach 180 without any further loss from a positon of 143 for 4 with three overs to go owes as much to Sherfane Rutherford as it does to Wood. The former was able to find 28 from 15 deliveries, 13 of them off the latter as the 18th over was taken for 19.

England’s pursuit began steadily enough, reaching 58 for no loss after six overs. Roston Chase’s flat delivery eventually ended the opening stand on 67, trapping Buttler in front, before Moeen Ali came and went, batting at No.3 for the first time since March 2023.

Salt, remained, and though he did end up slowing down, Bairstow was on hand to pick up the slack, striking 46 off 21 up to the 16th over. It was then that Salt tagged back in and unfurled a brutal attack on Romario Shepherd, striking the seamer for 30 with three fours and three sixes - the joint-most expensive over by a West Indian in a T20 World Cup.

The first of those boundaries brought up Salt’s half-century from 38 deliveries, before he skewered any remaining jeopardy. It left West Indies to rue a half chance to remove Salt on 7 in the third over, when he toed a hack across the line through to Pooran, who could not hold on.

Salt's slowdown is emphatically a thing of the past! He crashed the 16th over, bowleed by Romario Shepherd, for 30 runs - three sixes, three fours - to effectively end any West Indian hopes of defending the target. His first boundary brought up a 38-ball half-century, and he proceeded to throw the bat at everything Shepherd served up. From needing 40 off 30, by the end of the over, England's requirement was down to 10...

Just as it looked like Phil Salt was using up too many deliveries without really going anywhere - he had 12 off 15 coming into the 14th over since his last boundary - Bairstow has stepped up.

Powell decides to replace Roston Chase in the attack with Alzarri Joseph and Bairstow responds by clothing the quick into the stands at midwicket first ball, then ramping over the keeper for another boundary when the fuller length correction comes. Excellent from YJB.

This is the first time Moeen Ali has batted at No.3 in a T20I since England's tour of Bangladesh in March 2023. And he's off the mark with a glorious sweep shot off the parsimonious Gudakesh Motie, before reverse-paddling the final ball of Motie's second over for his second boundary. Off the back of his bat and all!

West Indies had done well to keep Phil Salt quiet early on. In doing so, they turned the opener's intent into anxiety.

He had come into this match striking at 176.47 at this World Cup, but had struggled to get anything away early here, with just three off seven deliveries as he was cramped for room. Then, after a leading edge off Akeal Hosein brought him a first boundary, a leg-side hack went through to Nicholas Pooran, popping out of the keepers gloves.

Was it a drop? You bet it was. Snicko confirmed a touch off the toe, but it would have been one hell of a take if Pooran had clung on. Off the final ball of the fourth over, Salt charged Andre Russell and planted him onto the roof down the ground, taking his runs above deliveries faced for the first time in his innings.

Just to make matters worse, Salt finishes off the Powerplay hooking a six off Alzarri Joseph, taking himself to 35 from 20 and England to 58 for no loss after six overs.

A competitive total? Perhaps, though it was not so for Scotland against Australia on the weekend.

Things could have been worse for the cohosts after losing Powell, Pooran and Russell in the space of 12 deliveries. But from 143 for 4 with three overs to go, they've managed to chuck on another 37 before the end - thanks largely to a 19-run over from Mark Wood in the 18th. But England will be very satisfied with how they assumed control of things through the middle, particularly considering 72 were scored in the first eight overs.

|I think 180 is probably a par score, so I think we will be pleased with that," says Adil Rashid, the pick of the attack with 1 for 21 from his four overs. "I thought as a bowling unit, spinners and seamers, we bowled well."

From 137 for 1 to 143 for 4 in 12 deliveries!

Wowser. Where to start with that over?

Jos Buttler, not for the first time this World Cup, decided to gamble on a spinner. Liam Livingstone, fresh from illness and a damaged side, is always willing to do a job and looked focussed for the 15th over. But so was Rovman Powell.

Sensing this was the bowler to take down, Powell smashed three huge sixes down the ground - the first he skipped to; the next two, he remained in his crease and slapped low to high - and the crowd were on their feet. Then came a skewed edge taken low by Mark Wood at third (up in the circle).

20 runs for one wicket, of a batter who has not exactly been in form, bringing Andre Russell to the crease. Was it worth it? I suppose we're about to find out with Andre Russell now at the crease

Quality quietening of the score from England's spin duo resulted in the wicket of Johnson Charles. It went to Moeen Ali, slowing a delivery down, which was set on a wider line, asking Johnson Charles to reach and muscle the ball if he wanted to send it over the fence. Sadly for the opener, who was embarking on a bit of a slowdown, he could only find the hands of Harry Brook at long on.

Just 10 runs from overs nine and 10, bowled by Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. Adil was the more frugal of the two, conceding just three runs, with plenty of turn on offer for both leggie and googly.

West Indies are currently 82 at the halfway stage, effectively for one with the injury to Brandon King. A score in excess of 200 is still on, but they'll now need to go at 12s to get there.

After scything the first ball from Sam Curran over third, Brandon King ran down the pitch to drive a length delivery from the left-arm seamer. While King got there, he did himself some damage going through with the shot and immediately fell to the ground in pain.

Following a brief conversation with the team physio, he is hobbling off. Big blow for West Indies, especially as King had played himself in and was starting to get England fretting. Nicholas Pooran comes to the crease and signs off the fifth over with an imperious cut through backward point to get off the mark.

It was an absolute monster, heaved by Brandon King over the leg side and out of the ground after bouncing off the roof, as Reece Topley finally veered into the opener's hitting arc. King had literally just changed his bat after duffing the toe, and now we need a new ball. What a hit son

England captain Jos Buttler has won the toss and elected to bowl first against West Indies as both teams kick off their Super Eight campaigns in St Lucia.

Rovman Powell says he would have done the same, but isn’t all that perturbed by having to set on what he regards as a very good batting deck. West Indies are making two changes: Roston Chase wins the battle with Shai Hope for the middle-order spot, while Romario Shepherd returns from paternity leave, replacing Obed McCoy, who impressed against Afghanistan on Monday.

As for England, Mark Wood returns for Chris Jordan, with Sam Curran keeping his spot as the seaming allrounder. Liam Livingstone has been passed fit enough to start despite missing training yesterday with sickness having just recovered from a side niggle sustained against Namibia. It means Will Jacks misses out once more.

West Indies XI: 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh Motie,

England XI: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Matt Roller has arrived at the Daren Sammy Stadium: "Steadily filling up with a few St George's crosses tied up already. The ticketing site suggests it will be standing room only on the grass banks and in the Johnson Charles stand (which is the main grandstand) but with plenty of empty seats in the premium areas (US$135 each).

"Livingstone and Jordan are 'both feeling better' after missing training with sickness yesterday and are at the ground and available for selection. As far as West Indies are concerned, Romario Shepherd is here after heading home on paternity leave and is warming up as though he's playing."

It’s worth noting that both camps are expecting a run-fest this evening, akin to the T20I series played out in the Caribbean at the end of last year.

As many as 120 sixes were struck during that five-match series, which West Indies took 3-2 after England had blasted their way back from 2-0 down. The three matches played at Gros Islet this week suggest many more boundary-clearing strikes will be exchanged.

Over the weekend, Australia chased 181 against Scotland, followed by Sri Lanka racking up 201 for 6 against Netherlands. On Monday, West Indies themselves piled on 218 for 5 against Afghanistan on the same pitch that will be used tonight.

Though the ground is lopsided – 63 metres square on one side compared to 72 metres on the other – the wind that Matt mentioned (and Stephen Fleming discusses in the video above) tends to blow to the latter, minimising the risk of taking on the longer side.

Greetings one and all and welcome to the second match of Group 2 of the Super Eights! What a humdinger we have in store for you tonight.

In the red corner, we have England, their campaign as defending champions still alive after quite the scare in the group stages thanks to Australia and Mother Nature. All told, they seem to be better for it. What anxiety there might have been can now be filed away as character building, and the next phase comes with something akin to a clean slate.

In the yellow-maroon corner sit the West Indies, fresh from a flawless Group C campaign that has Rovman Powell’s charges dreaming of becoming the first hosts to win a T20 World Cup. Their individuals have been ticking along nicely; batters pocketing at least one nourishing score of note - Powell aside - with wickets shared among the quicks and spinners. Everyone’s eating.

The fact that this match is taking place in St Lucia, at the ground named after head coach Daren Sammy, adds a little more on this from a narrative perspective. It was Sammy who led West Indies to their two short-format titles. Jos Buttler will emulate him should he reclaim the trophy he lifted at the MCG two years ago.

Our man on the ground Matt Roller has furnished us with a quick weather report: “It’s been another hot day with one brief shower on the west coast early afternoon. Not aware of any expected showers, and it's been windy enough that if there are any, they should move through quickly.”