West Indies' Six-Hitting Spectacle: Holder's Late Onslaught Caps Dominant Innings

Phil Salt toasts to his fifty-one-ball century. 

In a dazzling display of power-hitting, West Indies turned Grenada's National Stadium into a six-hitting extravaganza, showcasing their prowess against England in a series-defining clash. The focus keyword, "six-hitting," became the defining theme as Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, and Jason Holder took center stage, each contributing to a relentless assault that left England scrambling to keep pace. As the series hung in the balance, Holder's late onslaught not only solidified West Indies' dominance but also propelled them past the previous highest score on the ground. Join us as we unravel the thrilling highlights of West Indies' formidable innings, where every boundary and six added to the narrative of a record-setting spectacle.

At Grenada's National Stadium, Nicholas Pooran gave a career-best performance demonstrating the West Indies' mastery of six-hitting in a stunning display of T20 skill. Phil Salt followed suit, paving the way for his first T20 century and indicating that England's batting form was returning to normal. Harry Brook's devastating assault, which produced a remarkable turnaround by stealing the 21 runs required in the last over, set up the climax.

With two matches left in the series, which was tied 2-1 in favour of the West Indies, Brook scored an undefeated 31 off seven balls, which included a crucial 4-6-6-2-6 against Andre Russell. England completed a historic chase with a ball remaining, guaranteeing their spot in the ground's T20I record books. With nine sixes in his 109 from 56 deliveries, Salt was a major contributor to England's third-highest-scoring T20I chase. As they surged back into contention, England's last sixes total of 18 against the West Indies' 16 mirrored their euphoric cry.

Just as in the last meeting, England elected to bowl first and managed to put West Indies through some early problems. On the whole, nevertheless, England was beaten by the West Indies batsmen's unrelenting power hitting. After losing both openers in the first two overs, Nicholas Pooran showed tenacity by guiding a brilliant innings of 82 off 45 balls. The late-inning contributions, especially the quick 39 off 21 deliveries from Rovman Powell, strengthened the West Indies total and produced an impressive Manhattan skyline in the last parts of their innings.

Even though they were unable to reach their objective of 177 runs in the previous game, England gave the series a glimmer of optimism. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler had a fearsome partnership, scoring runs quickly and surpassing the century mark. But at a crucial point, West Indies, spearheaded by Gudakesh Motie's left-arm spin, were able to maintain control over the score. After Motie's stint, England had a daunting requirement of 102 runs from the final seven overs, which had the potential for an exciting finish.

But Liam Livingstone's arrival changed the course of the match, as he and Phil Salt combined to score an explosive 70 runs off of just 34 deliveries for the third wicket. Two sixes off Jason Holder punctuated Salt's brilliant century, which he reached in 51 balls. Even though Livingstone did fall, Harry Brook did not take long to signal his aggressive intentions. He hit his opening delivery for a six, setting up England with an unlikely but difficult task of 31 runs from the final 12 deliveries.

Alzarri Joseph gave up 10 runs in the decisive 19th over, which tipped the odds significantly in favor of Andre Russell and the West Indies. But in a wild and nerve-jangling ending, Brook struck the decisive hit, sending the all-around star of the West Indies flat-out on the ground. The series hung in the balance, but England had turned the tables and secured a famous victory with the dramatic finish.

With 51, Jos Buttler found his rhythm again.

Dynamic Opening Stand: Salt and Buttler Shine

England looked to their top order for a decisive reaction against a daunting necessary run rate of over 11. As anticipated, Jos Buttler gave a powerful performance. Despite his inconsistent play of late, Buttler demonstrated his skill by coming back to smash Akeal Hosein's second ball over long on. Then he chipped the next delivery for another six through long-off with ease. In the next over, Phil Salt came on board and hit his maiden boundary. Holder's pitch hit Buttler's pads, giving the openers a scare, but DRS on leg stump backed the umpire's decision to declare him out. Salt remained immobile as Buttler narrowly averted a run-out in a moment of chaos.

Salt's Aerial Assault and Century Stand

At the conclusion of Holder's over, Salt made his move by clearing the ropes, and he carried on his assault with sixes at the start and finish of Motie's over. England ended the powerplay with a dominant 73 runs without losing because to their aggressive batting. Boundaries grew fewer as the field expanded, but Salt's daring strokeplay remained. In the tenth over, he brought up England's century by dismantling Hosein over long-off. This was a historic moment since it was England's first century since their thrilling triumph over India in Adelaide during the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, and Salt and Buttler's first century stand as an opening pair. The pair's dynamic collaboration created the conditions for a captivating competition.

Phil Salt toasts to his fifty-one-ball century.

Motie's Strategic Revival

Just two nights prior, Gudakesh Motie had faced one obstacle after another after casting an economical charm on this site. Surprisingly, he scored more runs in his first over of this match than he did in his entire prior performance, which was eighteen runs. That being said, Motie pulled off an incredible comeback in just four balls. Just before the midway point, the left-arm spinner took a more measured approach and accelerated his pace above 100 kph. Powell, his captain, benefited greatly from his control as he gave up just five runs in his second over in the ninth inning and four economical runs in the eleventh.

Buttler's Departure and Motie's Last Stand

Pressure on England grew as the needed run rate increased. The challenge was increased by Jos Buttler's departure, which Andre Russell skillfully caught at deep backward square leg. Buttler's memorable innings ended with a well-executed catch by Hosein inside the rope, followed by a toss to Joseph as he ran out of bounds. Motie got rid of Will Jacks, who was facing six balls, after he annoyingly edged behind, for just three runs in his last over. England had to score at an almost unbelievable rate of fifteen runs an over at this point, a statistic that would rise to seventeen and a half by the end of the sixteenth over.

There was still a shocking turn in the story, even if the cards were stacked against them, which prepared the audience for an exciting conclusion.

Topley's Resurgence at the Helm

Rehan Ahmed and Chris Woakes were replaced by seamers Reece Topley and Gus Atkinson when England made a tactical lineup change. After Brandon King was bowled out by Mooen Ali with his sixth ball, Topley took the field to prove his mettle with the new ball. In his first game since his ODI World Cup adventure was cut short due to a finger injury in mid-October, Topley adapted to the rhythm with ease. With his third throw, he skillfully demonstrated swing and bounce, so squaring up Kyle Mayers and taking the opener for a duck.

West Indies Stumble, Topley Shines

At 8 for 2, the West Indies were in serious trouble and risked a worse start than what was seen in the second game. In his first three-over spell in the powerplay, Topley was almost faultless even though Pooran and Shai Hope counterpunched. With only one boundary conceded, he concluded with amazing stats of 3-0-14-1. Topley's comeback with the new ball was key in forcing the West Indies to pay early costs and establishing the pattern for England's bowling supremacy during the vital powerplay stage.

Pooran and Powell's Dominance

Into the first over early, Nicholas Pooran showed off his power-hitting ability, blasting two fours and a six in his first ten balls. Pooran took a conservative approach in the first half of the inning despite his aggressive start, reestablishing relationships with Powell and Hope initially. At the midpoint, he had reached 32 off of 23 balls. Pooran's intentions were made clear with a forceful shot off Gus Atkinson for a third six.

But Powell took over during their fourth-wicket partnership, making a substantial contribution to a partnership of 58 runs in 5.2 overs. Showing a desire to surpass his 27-ball fifty from the previous game at this same location, Powell sent off a flurry of sixes, especially against Liam Livingstone. A Sam Curran bouncer stopped his onslaught of attacks, and he was found behind and dismissed. Curran produced two tight overs to help England recover some distance, but Pooran persisted in making his presence felt.

Pooran's Calculated Assault

Powell's exit didn't deter Pooran from accumulating runs, as he reached a half-century off 37 balls with a deft swipe off a Rashid googly. In the next over, Sherfane Rutherford unleashed another devastating blow to Tymal Mills as the West Indies displayed their six-hitting prowess once more. As a result of Rutherford hitting Mills for a straight four and a six over square leg, Pooran was able to lay on a 4-6-4 assault that included a flat smash over cover. In the subsequent over, Rashid suffered a same fate, giving up two more sixes until Pooran was eventually caught at long-on. With an astounding 28 runs from the final seven balls, his final assault cemented West Indies' dominant position in the innings.

Holder's Flourish Caps West Indies Innings

Sherfane Rutherford, who replaced the injured Shimron Hetmyer, brought excitement to the proceedings with a strong 29 off 17 balls. Rutherford was an aggressive contributor, setting the tone for an explosive finish, even if he ended up being a second wicket for Sam Curran, who had to face an expensive 19th over that cost 21 runs. On his third ball, Andre Russell unleashed his devastating power-hitting ability, hitting Curran for the 14th six of the innings.

Holder's Late Onslaught Sets Record

With a fantastic start to his final over from Tymal Mills, Jason Holder came up to make sure West Indies would not only match but smash the record. With two more knocks sailing over the ropes, Holder's powerful strokes brought the innings to a spectacular finish. His quick 18 runs off of five balls helped West Indies easily surpass Ireland's 208 for 7, which was the previous record on this field in 2020. Holder's late barrage completed a dominant West Indies innings and gave England a serious challenge in the series-deciding match.