Buttler smashes England past Windies in second T20

Second T20, Barbados

West Indies 158-8 (20 overs): Powell 43 (41); Livingstone 2-16, Mahmood 2-20

England 161-3 (14.5 overs): Buttler 83 (45), Jacks 38 (29)

England won by seven wickets; lead series 2-0

Scorecard

Jos Buttler smashed a blistering 83 from 45 balls as England cruised to a seven-wicket win over West Indies in the second T20.

The England captain came in after Phil Salt was dismissed from the first ball of the tourists' chase and proceeded to hit eight fours and six sixes in a stunning knock.

Buttler dominated a 129-run stand with opener Will Jacks before the pair fell in the same Romario Shepherd over.

However, the damage had been done and the visitors went on to overhaul West Indies' 158-8 with 31 balls to spare.

England are 2-0 up in the five-match series after victory in both matches in Barbados and now head to St Lucia for the last three games of the tour.

Earlier, West Indies again had to rely on lower-order runs to take them up to a somewhat competitive total.

After slipping to 35-3 in the powerplay, Rovman Powell led the rebuild for the home side, but when Dan Mousley bowled him for 43, they were 102-6.

A few lusty blows from Shepherd, Matthew Forde and debutant Terrance Hinds got West Indies beyond 150 but, with Buttler in such fine form, England made light work of knocking off the runs.

The decision to move Buttler down to number three after so much success as an opener for England raised a few eyebrows.

But given he was in to face the second ball of the innings after Salt, a day on from his century in the first T20, chipped Akeal Hosein to cover first ball, the England skipper might as well have been opening.

After a golden duck of his own on Saturday, Buttler made a careful start and it was Jacks who got things started as England upped the tempo late in the powerplay.

From the moment he clobbered Shepherd for a huge straight six in the sixth over, with a pair of boundaries either side, Buttler then led the charge.

The 34-year-old hammered Gudakesh Motie on to the roof of the Kensington Oval and clubbed Roston Chase into the stands to bring up a 32-ball fifty.

When he nailed back-to-back maximums off Chase a couple of overs later, an England victory seemed assured, as did a Buttler hundred.

However, he skied a slower ball from Shepherd in the next over and was denied a second T20 international ton.

Liam Livingstone came in and smacked an unbeaten 23 from 11 balls to get the job done in a hurry for England.

Relinquishing the wicketkeeping gloves and moving to bat at three were the big decisions made by Buttler before this series and it remains to be seen whether they are the right calls in the long run.

But with two wins from two and a trademark, swashbuckling innings so far, the early signs are certainly positive.

After winning the toss and choosing to bowl for the second night running, England again started well with the ball on a surface providing plenty of assistance for the seamers.

Saqib Mahmood had Brandon King caught off his second ball before a brutish, rising delivery from Jofra Archer – in for the injured Reece Topley – was gloved behind by Evin Lewis.

Mahmood struggled for control given the prodigious swing on offer, sending down a flurry of wides, but when he did get it right, Chase had no answer and was trapped lbw.

Windies captain Powell batted steadily alongside Nicholas Pooran but the latter fell to Livingstone just as they looked set to kick on after a watchful rebuild.

Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed in Livingstone's next over but Powell did manage to accelerate before he was undone by the unexpected pace of England 'spinner' Mousley.

The Warwickshire all-rounder got his yorker right to castle Powell for his maiden international wicket in an impressive spell of 2-29.

Just as in the series opener, West Indies had their lower-order, assisted by all-rounder Shepherd, to thank for preventing them slumping to a significantly below-par total as they took 32 runs from the last two overs to give themselves hope.

England captain Jos Buttler: "It is great to spend time in the middle. I was a bit scratchy for the first few balls but I managed to come through that period and really enjoyed it.

"I have played for a while and batted in lots different positions. I am just waiting to see what happens and playing what is in front of me."

West Indies captain Rovman Powell: "Unfortunately we've not been on the mark in all three departments in the first two games. St Lucia provides a new challenge and hopefully the guys will be ready, with the series still on the line.

"We need to show heart, determination not to go 3-0 down. If you win to go 2-1 then we set up the series. I like when we play cricket with our destiny still in our hands."

England opener Will Jacks, speaking to TNT Sports: "Everyone knows the toss here is huge. It looked tricky in their innings and it got easier as the innings went on.

"Jos Buttler makes it look very easy. You just have to stand there and admire it."