England v West Indies, 4th ODI - 5 Talking Points

A brilliant record shattering innings from Evin Lewis went in vain after rain played spoilsport for the West Indies team in the 4th ODI of their ongoing series against England. With the DL method coming into the picture, the hosts managed to eke out a narrow lead when the rain poured down in the high scoring game.

The win has now given the English team an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the five match series. The hosts had won the first game, had to settle with a no result in the second, and then wrapped up the next to games. The Windies team will be playing for their pride in the final ODI of the series.

In the match, West Indies posted a mammoth total of 356/5 on the board riding on a herculean knock of 176 from Evin Lewis. England, in their response, started off well but were jolted severely by an attacking Alzarri Joseph. They were poised at 258/5 in 35.1 overs when the rain poured down. Being 6 runs ahead on the DL par score, they were declared as the winners in the match.

Here are the 5 talking points from the match:

1. Evin Lewis’ record shattering ton

West Indies opener Evin Lewis has been a big name for himself in world cricket. He is emerging out to be a big hitting batsman. It is not easy to overshadow someone like Chris Gayle in an international fixture. Lewis has been doing it in the CPL and now in the international cricket. Lewis hit a brilliant 176 in just 130 balls with 17 fours and 7 sixes to his name.

Despite losing wickets from the other end, with Gayle (2) being dismissed in the very first over, Lewis continued with his counter attack. His thunderous knock broke many records. He was on his way to a record double ton. Unfortunately, an ankle injury forced him to retire hurt in the innings.

2. Mohammad, Holder give finishing blows

It was unfortunate to see Lewis miss out on a very well deserved double ton in the match. However, he did his part in ensuring that the base was set for a high score. The likes of Gayle, Shai Hope, and Marlon Samuels perished cheaply.

It was Jason Mohammad who gave the ideal support to Lewis in the innings. Jason’s knock was a supporting knock of 46 runs that came off 71 deliveries. The final flourish in the innings was provided by Jason Holder. The Windies skipper scored 77 off 62 balls with 4 fours and as many sixes.

3. England openers set the tone for the run chase

The target of 356 was never going to be easy for the hosts and it looked like a daunting task. But the English openers, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, provided the ideal stage for the run chase. Roy, who came into the side after Alex Hales was ruled out, was the chief run maker in the 126 run opening stand. Roy slammed a quick 84 runs off just 66 deliveries with 11 fours and 2 sixes. Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow played the supporting role of 39 runs that came off 51 deliveries with a couple of fours to his name.

4. Alzarri Joseph’ dents the English batting

England looked cruising towards the target with the opening stand being worth 126 runs. It was pacer Alzarri Joseph who put the shackles on the England batting. Josegh accoouted for five wickets in the innings – all the five wickets that fell in the English innings.

He dismissed Roy for 84 and Shai Hope completed the catch. The same Joseph-Hope duo accounted for the dismissals of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root. Later, he sent Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings packing in quick succession to reduce the English score to 181/5 in 27.1 overs. Alzarri bowled 8.1 overs for his 5/56.

5. Moeen-Buttler fight back before rain pours down

Things looked grim for England with 181/5 on the board. Moeen Ali, the star of the previous match, and Jos Buttler then led the English fightback. They counter attacked the Windies bowling to keep England in the hunt. They added an unbeaten 77 run stand for the 6th wicket in just 48 balls before the rain poured down and the match could not be resumed again. While Moeen scored an unbeaten 48 (25) with 6 fours and 2 sixes, Buttler finished with an unbeaten 43 (35) with 5 fours.