ENG vs WI T20Is | Jos Buttler and Liam Dawson star as England starts T20 leg with clinical win

‌Brief score: ENG 188/6 (20) [Jos Buttler 96(59), Jamie Smith 38(20); Romario Shepherd 2/33(4)] beat WI 167/9 (20) [Evin Lewis 39(23); Liam Dawson 4/20(4), Jacob Bethell 2/27(2)] by 21 runs.

England continued their dominant form from the ODI series into the T20I leg with yet another comprehensive win as they beat West Indies by 21 runs in the first T20I in Chester-le-Street on Friday. Jos Buttler carried his blistering touch from the Indian Premier League as he smashed four sixes and six fours to top-score in the match with a 59-ball 96 to take England to a formidable 188/6 in 20 overs. In reply, the visitors could manage only 167/9 with left-arm spinner Liam Dawson shining with a spell of 4/20 on his return to international cricket in more than 30 months.

Opting to bat first at the Riverside Ground, opener Jamie Smith got off to an aggressive start with three boundaries in the first over of the innings bowled by Jason Holder before losing fellow opener Ben Duckett for one in the next over. The home side ended the powerplay on a high with Smith hitting two sixes and number three Buttler smashing three sixes and two fours in the last two overs to power the team to 78/1. The former England captain reached fifty in just 25 balls, his 27th in T20Is, as the pair added 79 runs in 40 balls before Smith holed out in the deep with the score reading 95 after eight overs. Smith’s dismissal led to a mini collapse as the hosts slipped from 95/1 to 116/4 in the gap of four overs. But the Gujarat Titans batter, in the company of Jacob Bethell steadied the England ship with a 60-run association in seven overs. But just as Buttler looked poised to get to his second T20I century, he was trapped in front by Alzarri Joseph in the penultimate over for his second-highest knock in international matches in the shortest format and England ended their innings 12 short of 200. Medium pacer Romario Shepherd was the pick among the Windies bowlers with 2/33 in four overs.

In return, the West Indies were never in the chase though they had a decent start with openers Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles adding 27 runs in the first three overs. But Dawson, who opened with the new ball conceding just four runs in the first over of his much-awaited international return, struck first. He outfoxed Johnson Charles with a flighted delivery as the batter was caught short with Buttler doing the rest behind the stumps. Pacer Matthew Potts dismissed captain Shai Hope in the last over of the powerplay as the visitors ended at 44/2 after six overs. Though Lewis and Roston Chase added 58 runs for the third wicket, West Indies crumbled once Bethell dismissed Lewis for a 23-ball 39 with the score reading 91/3 after 10 overs. Captain Harry Brook brought back Dawson and the move worked instantly with the southpaw striking with his first ball to dismiss Sherfane Rutherford, who was caught in the deep by Duckett. The pair was in action a ball later as Chase also succumbed to the guile of the 35-year-old to be his third wicket of the day. Dawson finished his spell with another wicket, this time cleaning up former captain Rovman Powell after getting hit for two fours as West Indies slipped from 91/2 to 115/6. Though Shepherd and Holder added 37 runs for the ninth wicket, it only delayed the inevitable as Dawson won the Player of the Match award for his 4/20 in his comeback match.