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Jos Buttler played a captain’s innings in his first T20 appearance since giving up the role as he and the returning Liam Dawson carried England to a 21-run victory over the West Indies.
Buttler helped new skipper Harry Brook secure a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series but took centre stage for himself as the teams switched formats in Durham, smashing four sixes and six boundaries in a match-winning turn of 96 in 59 balls.
Brook has made it clear he views his predecessor as the best white-ball batter in the world and Buttler made good on that billing, with England building a total of 188 for six and an advantage they refused to squander.
Dawson ensured his work did not go to waste, marking his return after almost three years in the international wilderness with an outstanding four for 20 as the tourists managed 167 for nine.
The 35-year-old’s left-arm spin has been deemed surplus to requirements since 2022 but his consistently impressive returns at Hampshire have earned him a belated second chance and he took it greedily at the Banks Homes Riverside.
England roared out of the traps, Jamie Smith smiting the second ball of the match down the ground, then helping himself to two more boundaries before Jason Holder’s first over was done.
Romario Shepherd nipped Ben Duckett out with a slower ball at the other end but that success came with strings attached – ushering Buttler to the crease with the majority of the powerplay still in front of him.
He made enthusiastic use of the fielding restrictions, launching into a tirade. He flicked between two distinct modes of attack – hitting long, hard and straight or bamboozling his opponent with reverse sweeps and ramps.
England took 45 off 12 legal deliveries in the fifth and sixth overs, Smith heaving Andre Russell over the ropes twice before Buttler tucked into Alzarri Joseph with abandon. Joseph, theoretically the high-speed enforcer of the attack, was thoroughly de-fanged as Buttler struck three sixes and a four in successive deliveries.
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Gudakesh Motie applied the brakes with some smart spin bowling, hustling through four overs for 21, and the pressure helped his team make inroads. Smith (38) failed to clear the deep-midwicket fielder, Brook got his footwork wrong as Roston Chase bowled him for six and Tom Banton lasted just four balls before Russell had him lbw.
Having scored 108 in the first half of their innings, England decelerated with 80 off the back half. Buttler remained their most dangerous asset but fell lbw four short of his ton, Joseph managing a rare success in an otherwise chastening outing.
England trusted Dawson with the new ball as he returned from his long exile and he more than met the challenge. There were just two runs from his first two visits, plus the stumping of Johnson Charles as he misread a slower ball. Shai Hope followed, gifting a wicket to hometown debutant Matthew Potts, but Evin Lewis briefly swaggered with a powerful 39 off 23 balls.
A one-over experiment with Jacob Bethell’s part-timers cost 24 runs but also ended the assault as Lewis failed to clear the long leg-side boundary and was well caught by Brydon Carse. That was the cue for Dawson to return and he killed off what remained of the fight in a polished comeback.
Sherfane Rutherford and Chase both sprung the trap at long-on before Rovman Powell was castled by a quicker one that speared into his stumps. Adil Rashid, Bethell and the expensive Potts kept the wickets coming to make it 1-0 ahead of Sunday’s clash in Bristol.
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