Windies vs England: Jos Buttler salutes Sheldon Cottrell after hitting him for a six

Windies lost the high-scoring game by just 29 runs.

Published - 28 Feb 2019, 13:47 IST | Updated - 28 Feb 2019, 13:47 IST

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The fourth ODI between Windies and England played in Grenada was the 100th time the two teams met in an ODI game and it was a special occasion. While England scored a mountain of a total of 418 for 6 in their 50 overs, the Caribbeans gave the best chase of their lives to end up at 389, their highest total in this format. The gap of defeat was just 29 and the win gave England an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series with one match to go.

For England, there were a couple of centurions in captain Eoin Morgan (103) and Jos Buttler (150) who added 204 runs for the fourth wicket in less than 21 overs to take the total beyond 400. Morgan also became the first England batsman to complete 6,000 runs with his century while Buttler scored his highest ODI score.

The Windies’ reply was powered by Chris Gayle’s 162 off 97 deliveries. The 39-year-old belted 14 sixes, just four less than those hit by Morgan and Buttler in combination.

Buttler’s response

However, amid all the exciting hitting, a match also witnessed a unique incident. Jos Buttler whacked opening fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell for a massive six and then gestured at the disappointed bowler with a left-hand salute. The 29-year-old Jamaican pacer is known for his unusual military-style celebration with a march and salute and Buttler thought of giving it back to the former this time.

Cottrell had performed his salute celebration five times during his match-winning spell of 5/46 in the second ODI last week. England collapsed chasing 290 and conceded the game eventually by 26 runs at the Kensington Oval. The final match of the series will be played in Gros Islet on March 2. The two teams will play in three T20Is after the ODIs starting from March 5 as the tour will conclude on March 10.