England Tour of West Indies: England Falters Against West Indies; Lost 2nd T20I by 10 Runs

The West Indies maintained their dominance over England in the ongoing T20I series, securing a convincing 10-run victory in the second match at the Grenada National Cricket Stadium on Friday, December 14th. England won the toss and opted to bowl first. Windies Power Bat Leaves England Chasing a Mountain:

Brandon King starred for the Windies with a powerful 82* off 52 deliveries, anchoring the innings alongside captain Rovman Powell's 50 off 27 balls. The duo propelled the hosts to a formidable total of 176/7, peppering the English bowlers with 13 sixes in total. West Indies lost from 43/0 to 54/4 after Mayers fell in the last over of the powerplay. The two leggings then put the brakes on the innings. Captain Powell joined King at that point. They both reached their respective fifties and forged an important alliance. After hitting four consecutive sixes in a row, the captain went after Curran and eventually fell in the same over. In the next over, King demonstrated his hitting power once more by scoring 18 runs off a Rehan over. Even though only 24 runs were scored in the final three overs, the hosts would be pleased with this result given the slow wicket. Rashid was the most impressive bowler because he concluded with a great display of cunning figures of 2/11.

In reply, England got off to a flying start thanks to Phil Salt's early aggression. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, and despite a valiant 50 from Sam Curran, the visitors fell short of the target, finishing on 166/7. Butler was taken out early in the pursuit. Jacks and Salt made threats to take it away, but Joseph's short balls defeated them both. Al Jo was a touch pricey, but he carried out his plans quite effectively. Curran batted well and was moved up the order. However, his exit meant that England's chances of winning this would be difficult to achieve. Mo Ali gave it his all at the finish, but he was unable. WI had earlier trailed 54 to 4 until King and Powell had saved them. Windies overcame the 170 barrier and finished with a flourish. Windies performed better because they understood the situation. They greatly benefited from their exceptional catching as well.

Key Takeaways: 

• The Windies have now taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
• Brandon King was named Player of the Match for his match-winning knock.
• England's middle-order once again failed to fire, costing them the game.

Looking Ahead: The third T20I between England and the West Indies is scheduled for December 16th in St Lucia. With the series on the line, expect another thrilling encounter.

The West Indies are proving to be a formidable force in this series, with their explosive batting and strong bowling attack making them a tough team to beat. England, on the other hand, will need to find a way to shore up their middle-order batting if they want to level the series.