Gayle, Brathwaite ensure West Indies continue to dominate in T20s

Photo: Twitter/ICC

Chester-Le-Street: West Indies successfully defended 176 by bowling out England to win their one-off Twenty20 by 21 runs on Saturday.

After being put in to bat, West Indies finished nine down after a whirlwind start by Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle.

Captain Carlos Brathwaite (3/20) and Kesrick Williams (3/35) then undermined England's reply. Spinner Sunil Narine picked up 2/15 and England was dismissed for 155 with three balls to spare.

"We had a good start and fell away but then the way we finished the game it was fantastic," Brathwaite said.

Lewis and Gayle smashed 72 runs off 39 balls for the opening wicket before West Indies lost its momentum. Lewis made 51 off 28 balls and Gayle 40 off 21 balls.

Adil Rashid (3/25) and Liam Plunkett (2/27) put the brakes on West Indies' run spree once Gayle was run out in the seventh over.

Gayle hit three fours and four sixes in his typically aggressive knock. West Indies was 106/1 in the 10th over but fell away and lost eight wickets for 70 runs. 

Gayle became the first player to hit 100 sixes in T20 internationals. He now has 103 sixes to his name. Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is a close second with 91 sixes.

Huge hitting from Gayle to become the first player to hit 100 IT20 sixes!

WI 40/0 #ENGvWI

Follow: https://t.co/Y5NV0iqvZd pic.twitter.com/pWD34esZtZ

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 16, 2017

In reply, England lost Jason Roy off the very first ball of its run chase when he was dismissed by Jerome Taylor.

However, Alex Hales (43) smashed eight fours and a six and took England to 64-1 inside the first batting powerplay. Then England lost three wickets in three overs.

Brathwaite ignited the collapse when he had Hales clean bowled off a straight delivery, then Joe Root (17) caught in the next over off Ashley Nurse.

Root attempted a needless reverse sweep off Narine and was caught at short third man as England slumped to 68-4 in the eighth over.

Jos Buttler (30) and Jonny Bairstow (27) added 50 runs before Williams broke the stand in the 15th over when Buttler holed out in the deep.

Bairstow left England reeling at 129-8 when he was caught at backward square leg in the 17th over. Plunkett narrowed the margin of defeat by hitting two boundaries in his knock of 18.

"Bowling at a pair like Lewis and Gayle was a huge opportunity to test ourselves and we didn't bowl that well," England captain Eoin Morgan said. "We were happy chasing but I think losing three quick wickets cost us."

The one-day international series starts on Tuesday at Old Trafford.