West Indies in England, 2011
Wisden's review of the first T20I between England and West Indies, The Oval, 2011
Lawrence Booth
15-Apr-2012
At The Oval, September 23 (floodlit). England won by ten wickets. Toss: England. Twenty20 international debuts: J. M. Bairstow, S. T. Finn, B. A. Stokes; N. E. Bonner, J. Charles, D. O. Christian.
England cruised home on a turning track which demanded more than the block-or-thrash tactics adopted by a feeble West Indies. At 97 for two in the 14th over, the tourists had the edge, but then displayed an alarming lack of sophistication against spin bowling which invited batsmen to think for their runs. Bopara's changes of pace then condemned West Indies to a ghastly collapse of eight for 28 in six overs: having previously claimed one wicket in 13 Twenty20 internationals, he suddenly found himself with four for ten, the best figures in the format by an England bowler. Hales hammered Sammy's first ball through the off side, and he and Kieswetter crashed 11 fours and three sixes in a chanceless stand - England's highest for any wicket in Twenty20s. A lame victory was completed with 28 balls to spare, confirming in the minds of many the folly of scheduling the two early autumn games at all.
Man of the Match: R. S. Bopara. Attendance: 18,642.