Phil Salt's perfectly calculated knock of 87* off 47 balls helped the defending champions England rout West Indies by eight wickets in the second match of the Super Eight stage at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia on Thursday, June 20 (as per IST).
Salt was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM) for his magnificent knock of 87* off 47 balls. The right-handed batter took the game away from the Windies as he smashed seven fours and five sixes during the course of his innings and paced it at a strike rate of 185.10.
Chasing 181 to win, West Indies were presented with an opportunity to see the back of Salt on the fourth delivery of the third over but Nicholas Pooran grassed it. An under edge off Salt's willow went straight into the gloves of the Windies wicketkeeper at a comfortable height but he failed to close his hands on time and it popped out.
The England batter never looked back after the reprieve and made the Men in Maroon pay a hefty price for the missed opportunity. He stitched a 67 run-stand with his skipper Jos Buttler before the latter got out to Roston Chase.
West Indies also saw the back of Moeen Ali soon after Buttler got out but a strong showing by Jonny Bairstow shut the door down on the face of the co-hosts. Bairstow stitched a 97-run stand with Salt for the third wicket and West Indies had no answer to their onslaught.
Salt killed the chase in the 16th over as he accumulated 30 runs against a hapless Romario Shepherd. The over brought the required rate down drastically and Bairstow picked up a single on the third delivery of the 18th over to take his side over the line.
Earlier in the day, the toss was won by Buttler and he asked West Indies to set a score on the board. West Indies suffered an early setback after a set Brandon King was forced to retire hurt with some issue in his groin. Pooran and Johnson Charles added 54 runs for the second wicket but the real injection of momentum was provided by their skipper Rovman Powell.
Powell's six-hitting onslaught helped Windies to cut loose as he hammered five sixes during his 17-ball 36. The final flourish came off Sherfane Rutherford's willow as he scored a quickfire 28* off 15 balls to help West Indies post 180 on the board.
