West Indies tailenders set insane cricket record but fall short in thrilling finish against England
West Indies went down fighting this morning (AEDT) after smashing England for 28 in the final over and losing the second Twenty20 international by just one run to leave the five-match series level at 1-1.
After following up their 0-4 Ashes defeat with a nine-wicket loss to West Indies in the T20 opener, England appeared on course for an easy victory.
Batting first after being sent in, they scored 8/171, including 45 for opener Jason Roy off 31 balls, before reducing West Indies to 7/87 after 13 overs.
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At 8/111, West Indies still needed 60 runs off the last three overs to match England's total before letting rip to finish agonizingly short on 8/170.
Akeal Hosein of West Indies cuts a dejected figure as England players console him. Getty
They needed 30 off the final over, in which England bowler Saqib Mahmood bowled two wides and got belted for 26 runs off the bat in astonishing scenes.
West Indies' No.10 batter, Akeal Hosein, hit Mahmood for three straight sixes off the last three balls of the game, finishing on 44 not out off 16 balls with three fours and four sixes. All-rounder Romario Shepherd was also 44 not out in 28 deliveries, with one four and five sixes.
Shepherd and Hosein shared an unbroken 72-run stand from just 29 balls.
Moeen Ali was the outstanding bowler for England, returning 3-24 off four overs.
Adil Rashid (2-24) earlier snared Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo as the hosts crumbled from 2/47 to 7/65 before giving England a huge scare at the end.
Roy top-scored for England with more than half his runs coming from one over from Fabian Allen (2-50), while Ali added a sketchy 31 and Chris Jordan a cameo 27 on the ground where he spent a lot of his childhood.
The third T20 is on Thursday (AEDT).
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