Phil Salt’s third T20 International century against the West Indies gave the Three Lions a 1-0 lead in their five-match series, with the visitors winning the opening match by eight wickets on Saturday night at Kensington Oval.
Both of Salt’s previous hundreds had come in the Caribbean, 109* at St George’s and 119 at Tarouba, both in 2023. On this occasion, he was unbeaten on 103, taking him to 581 runs scored in eight matches against West Indies, at an average of 83. For his career, he has 1047 runs in 32 innings at an average just under 39.
Salt’s assault made this match fairly straightforward. West Indies overcame early struggles to post 182/9, but the tourists were in the driver’s seat almost immediately their chase got underway, and they made the runs with 19 balls remaining.
England won the toss and elected to field, in the first of two matches this weekend at the Oval. After heavy rain overnight, the sun came out in time for the day-night tilt to be played in its entirety.
West Indies limped through the powerplay, losing three wickets for 58 runs. Brandon King was out for three, Evin Lewis for 13, and Shimron Hetmyer for duck by the end of the sixth over. Saqib Mahmood took all three wickets, and ended with 4-34.
A minor recovery from Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell yielded 41 runs in 17 balls before Powell exited for 18 off 10. Sherfane Rutherford added just two runs, but Andre Russell joined Pooran to add 39 from 26.
The two departed within the space of four balls, Pooran top scoring with 38, Russell contributing 30. Akeal Hosein lasted just six balls, which brought Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie together for a 49-run stand that gave the home team a respectable total.
Shepherd was unbeaten 35 from 22 balls, with three fours and two sixes. Motie blazed his way to 33 off 14, inclusive of four fours and two sixes, before succumbing in the 19th over, Mahmood’s final victim.
Well aware of the possibility of rain, which had briefly threatened proceedings during the West Indies innings, England were off the mark with a vengeance.
They got to 50 by the end of the fourth over, Salt hitting 40. The visitors were 73-1 after the powerplay, losing Will Jacks for 17 right at the end of six overs. Captain Jos Buttler was taken in the next over, but that was the end of any joy the West Indies might have had.
Their hundred came up in 9.3 overs, and by the halfway stage they were 106-2, 25 runs clear of West Indies at the same stage.
Salt faced just 54 deliveries for his 103. Remarkably, his strike rate of 190.74 was the lowest of his three hundreds in this format. He hit nine boundaries and cleared the ropes six times.
At the other end, Barbados-born Jacob Bethell was a worthy foil, hitting an unbeaten 58 from 36 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
West Indies will seek to regroup, whilst England will hope to consolidate their series lead on Sunday at Kensington, before the series moves to Saint Lucia for the final three matches.
And what about Alzarri Joseph walking off the field in a previous encounter after openly defying the captain, such gross indiscipline deserves the most severest of punishment. Instead he was given a two match suspension by CWI. All this means is that he got an undeserved rest. CWI should have let him continue walking right off the WI team, and also the Saint Lucia Kings. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but Alzarri Joseph has proven to be the exception to that rule, just look at him, he looks ignorant and sure is!