{"id":127141,"date":"2023-12-20T17:43:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T17:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=127141"},"modified":"2023-12-20T17:43:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T17:43:21","slug":"cricket-crazy-cricket-in-the-caribbean-by-michael-roberts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/cricket-crazy-cricket-in-the-caribbean-by-michael-roberts\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket Crazy Cricket in the Caribbean-by Michael Roberts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cricket Crazy Cricket in the Caribbean-by Michael Roberts<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>Thuppahis<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Roberts:\u00a0Histrionic Hitting\u00a0by Harry Brooks in the 20h over by Eric Russell secures a\u00a0Magical Win\u00a0for England against the Windies in the Third 20-over ODI\u00a0<\/strong>at St. Georges, 16 December 2023<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Note the \u2018steps<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

END OF OVER 19<\/strong>10 runs<\/span><\/p>\n

ENG:\u00a0202\/3<\/strong>CRR:\u00a010.63\u00a0\u2022\u00a0RRR:\u00a021.00\u00a0\u2022\u00a0Need 21 runs from THE LAST OVER<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>.END OF OVER 19\u00a0<\/strong>10 runs<\/span><\/p>\n

ENG:\u00a0202\/3<\/strong>CRR:\u00a010.63\u00a0\u2022\u00a0RRR:\u00a021.00\u00a0\u2022\u00a0Need 21 runs from 6 balls<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

19.1\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Russell to Brook,\u00a0SIX runs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

HARRY BROOK!<\/strong>\u00a0Sharp, full, outside off and punished right over extra cover! That might be the shot of the day, and what a time to play it!<\/span><\/p>\n

17 needed off 5<\/span><\/p>\n

19.2\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Russell to Brook,\u00a0SIX runs \u2026\u2026\u00a0<\/strong>Another one!<\/strong>\u00a0Russell tries to follow Brook to the leg side but ends up serving up a rank full toss that is just helped over fine leg!<\/span><\/p>\n

19.2\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>12 needed off 4 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.\u00a0 Russell to Brook,\u00a0<\/strong>2 runs \u2026\u2026<\/strong>Short, straight, Brook pulls out to midwicket and calls two early. Salt obliges and they make it comfortably<\/span><\/p>\n

19.3 \u2026.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Russell to Brook, SIX runs\u00a0 \u2026\u2026\u2026.Another one!<\/strong>\u00a0Russell tries to follow Brook to the leg side but ends up serving up a rank full toss that is just helped over fine leg!<\/span><\/p>\n

19.4 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/strong><\/em>Russell to Brook, FOUR runs<\/span><\/p>\n

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Full, into leg stump,\u00a0flicked around the corner for four!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

19.5 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/strong><\/em>Russell to Brook,\u00a0SIX runs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And Harry Brook has won it!<\/strong>\u00a0Brook opens the face to lift a wide delivery over third to take England to a stunning victory by seven wickets!<\/strong>\u00a0What a win, and what a way to keep the T20I series alive. Salt strolls off to a host of well-wishes from the West Indies players after his remarkable 109 not out held the chase together. Remarkable game of cricket<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026and guess who received the Man of the Match Award?<\/span><\/p>\n

It was\u00a0Phil Salt of England<\/strong>\u00a0for his score of\u00a0 not out in 56 balls<\/span><\/p>\n

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***********************<\/span><\/p>\n

Alan Gardner in ESPNcricinfo \u2026..\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Salt 109*, Brook late cameo fire England to dramatic chase of 223\u2033 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u00a0<\/strong>Andre Russell concedes 24 from last five balls as tourists keep series alive in thrilling fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nicholas Pooran<\/a>\u00a0produced a T20I career-best as West Indies showcased their six-hitting chops once again in Grenada\u2019s National Stadium.\u00a0Phil Salt<\/a>\u00a0then did the same on the way to a maiden T20 hundred as England rediscovered their batting mojo. And at the end, an explosive assault from\u00a0Harry Brook<\/a>\u00a0was the clincher, as England burgled the 21 runs required from final over to bring themselves kicking and screaming back into the series at 2-1 down with two to play.<\/span><\/div>\n
Brook finished unbeaten on 31 from seven balls, having taken\u00a0Andre Russell<\/a>\u00a0for 4-6-6-2-6 to seal a record chase on the ground with a ball to spare. Salt was the man watching on from the other end, having himself hit nine sixes in 109 from 56 to set up England\u2019s third-highest successful chase in T20Is. The final sixes count, after Brook\u2019s ice-cool finish: West Indies 16-18 England.<\/span><\/div>\n
As in the second match, England opted to bowl first and managed to inflict early damage only for West Indies\u2019 power to leave them bruised in the final analysis. Pooran weathered the loss of both openers in the first two overs and batted astutely through the gears to make 82 from 45 balls, with a series of muscular cameos \u2013 most notably Rovman Powell\u2019s 39 off 21 \u2013 helping to raise a formidable Manhattan through the back end of the West Indies innings.<\/span><\/div>\n
Having limped home short of a target of 177 two days earlier, England found a spark of their own in a valiant attempt to keep the series alive. Salt and\u00a0Jos Buttler<\/a>, who made 51 from 34, put on a century stand as the runs flowed from the outset, only for West Indies \u2013 notably through the efforts of left-arm spinner\u00a0Gudakesh Motie<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 to keep a lid on the scoring at a crucial juncture. After Motie had finished his allocation, England were left staring down a requirement of 102 from the last seven overs.<\/span><\/div>\n
But Liam Livingstone helped add 70 from 34 for the third wicket, Salt bringing up his century from 51 balls moments after hitting Jason Holder for back-to-back sixes. Livingstone holed out but Brook signalled his intent by launching his first ball for six to leave England needing 31 from 12. Alzarri Joseph conceded 10 from the 19th, nudging the odds in Russell\u2019s favour \u2013 only for Brook to leave West Indies\u2019 talismanic allrounder flat out on the canvas after a delirious finale.<\/span><\/div>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Buttler in action<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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SALT AND BUTTLER STAND TALL<\/span><\/h4>\n

Asked to score at more than 11 runs an over, England needed a statement at the top of the order. It was provided, predictably enough, by Buttler. Never mind the patchy form of the last few months that had seen him pass 50 twice in 20 white-ball innings for his country \u2013 here he rocked back to launch his second ball, from Akeal Hosein, over long-on before leaning into the next and chipping it languidly for six more through long-off.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Salt notched his first boundary in the following over, and the closest the openers came to being parted early on was when Holder struck his pads next ball \u2013 Nigel Duguid\u2019s not-out decision supported by DRS returning umpire\u2019s call on leg stump. Amid the confusion, Buttler might have been run out, stranded two-thirds of the way down the pitch with Salt unmoving.<\/span><\/div>\n
Salt cleared the ropes at the end of Holder\u2019s over and then boxed Motie\u2019s ears with sixes at the beginning and end of his first, as England raced away to 73 without loss at the end of the powerplay. The boundaries began to dry up with the field spread, though Salt mangled Hosein over long-off to bring up England\u2019s 100 in the tenth \u2013 a first century stand for Salt and Buttler as an opening pair and England\u2019s first since they had dismantled India at Adelaide in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final.<\/span><\/div>\n
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MOTIE TURNS IT AROUND<\/span><\/h4>\n

Motie had delivered his full allocation on this ground two nights ago at a cost of nine runs. This time that figure was surpassed in the space of four balls, as his first over went for 18; but when he switched ends shortly before the halfway mark, the left-arm spinner was able to exert a vital measure of control for his captain, Powell. Pushing his pace up above 100kph, he conceded just five runs from his second \u2013 the ninth of the innings \u2013 and then four more from the 11th.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With the required rating rising, Buttler was then smartly caught at deep backward square leg off Russell \u2013 Hosein taking the catch comfortably inside the rope before tossing it to Joseph as he went out of bounds. In the next over, Motie\u2019s last, he conceded just three runs to go with the wicket of Will Jacks, edging behind for a frustrated 1 off six balls. England at that stage needed to score at almost 15 runs an over \u2013 the rate would rise as high as 17.75 by the end of the 16th \u2013 but there was still a twist to come.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Salt shakes it up<\/span><\/h2>\n

Few batters in the English game possess the same level of native belligerence as Salt, but he has struggled to find the right balance between attacking intent and building an innings. This was only the second time in his T20I career that he had faced more than 35 balls, and yet he managed the closing stages of England\u2019s chase superbly before giving way to Brook for the\u00a0coup de grace<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With Salt on 81 from 47, and West Indies seemingly on the brink of shutting the game down, he struck three consecutive sixes off Joseph and Holder before a single took him to his second hundred in an England shirt \u2013 and his first significant score of a tour on which he will have hoped to reassert his credentials in both white-ball formats. There was one more six to come, lofting Joseph over long-off in the penultimate over to keep England just about in touch. But equally impressive in searing afternoon heat was his fitness, running 24 singles, six twos and a three to help England stay the course.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n