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2nd ODI: Sam Curran, Jos Buttler back in form as England beat West Indies to level series | Cricket News – Times of India
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NEW DELHI: Sam Curran‘s three wickets and Jos Buttler‘s half-century propelled England to a convincing six-wicket win over West Indies in the second one-day international, drawing the three-match series level at 1-1.
Chasing a target of 203 in North Sound, Antigua, England cruised to victory in under 33 overs, setting the stage for a series decider in Barbados on Saturday.
Opener Will Jacks impressed with a composed 73 off 72 deliveries before falling lbw to Sherfane Rutherford. Buttler anchored the innings with an unbeaten 58, steering the visitors to victory alongside Harry Brook (43) in a solid 90-run partnership.
Buttler’s captain’s knock not only secured the win but also marked a personal milestone as he became the fifth England batsman to surpass the 5,000-run mark in ODI cricket. This half-century marked a significant return to form for Buttler, his first since September, following England’s disappointing World Cup exit.
“Really pleasing,” said Buttler, who scored just three runs in England’s four-wicket defeat in the series opener.
“I’ve been playing for a while now so it’s great when you get to those milestones after playing for a long period of time. It’s been a frustrating time recently.”
Gudakesh Motie was the pick of West Indies’ bowlers, picking up the wickets of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in back-to-back overs.
Earlier, Curran (3-33) decimated the hosts’ top order in a devastating spell, claiming the wickets of Brandon King, Keacy Carty and Shimron Hetmyer.
Curran’s haul was a measure of redemption for his performance in the first ODI, in which he was hit for 98 runs in 9.5 overs without picking up a single wicket, the worst-ever figures for an England bowler.
“It was a tough day the other day, but you need to keep moving forward and bounce back,” Curran said.
“We did so many things right in that first game. The messages from the coaches and captain was just that. We had to come back today and put things right, which we did.”
West Indies lost wickets cheaply early on in their innings and were left reeling on 23-4, but captain Shai Hope (68) and Rutherford (63) put together a partnership of 129 runs to help them to a respectable total.
Spinner Liam Livingstone took the wickets of both Hope and Rutherford to take the wind out of West Indies’ sails, while Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed picked up two wickets apiece.
The third and final ODI will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, before the two sides face each other in a five-match Twenty20 series.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Chasing a target of 203 in North Sound, Antigua, England cruised to victory in under 33 overs, setting the stage for a series decider in Barbados on Saturday.
Opener Will Jacks impressed with a composed 73 off 72 deliveries before falling lbw to Sherfane Rutherford. Buttler anchored the innings with an unbeaten 58, steering the visitors to victory alongside Harry Brook (43) in a solid 90-run partnership.
Buttler’s captain’s knock not only secured the win but also marked a personal milestone as he became the fifth England batsman to surpass the 5,000-run mark in ODI cricket. This half-century marked a significant return to form for Buttler, his first since September, following England’s disappointing World Cup exit.
“Really pleasing,” said Buttler, who scored just three runs in England’s four-wicket defeat in the series opener.
“I’ve been playing for a while now so it’s great when you get to those milestones after playing for a long period of time. It’s been a frustrating time recently.”
Gudakesh Motie was the pick of West Indies’ bowlers, picking up the wickets of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in back-to-back overs.
Earlier, Curran (3-33) decimated the hosts’ top order in a devastating spell, claiming the wickets of Brandon King, Keacy Carty and Shimron Hetmyer.
Curran’s haul was a measure of redemption for his performance in the first ODI, in which he was hit for 98 runs in 9.5 overs without picking up a single wicket, the worst-ever figures for an England bowler.
“It was a tough day the other day, but you need to keep moving forward and bounce back,” Curran said.
“We did so many things right in that first game. The messages from the coaches and captain was just that. We had to come back today and put things right, which we did.”
West Indies lost wickets cheaply early on in their innings and were left reeling on 23-4, but captain Shai Hope (68) and Rutherford (63) put together a partnership of 129 runs to help them to a respectable total.
Spinner Liam Livingstone took the wickets of both Hope and Rutherford to take the wind out of West Indies’ sails, while Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed picked up two wickets apiece.
The third and final ODI will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, before the two sides face each other in a five-match Twenty20 series.
(With inputs from Reuters)
