STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsWest Indies when playing against England at home, the aura around the players are different. In the four T20I bilateral series played at home, baring the series white-wash in 2018/19, West Indies have emerged victorious in the remaining three, including the recent one. Heading into the limited-overs tour against India in India, the series win was very much a necessity as a confidence booster. The Windies will be playing three ODIs and three T20Is against India.
As usual, with both teams producing some of the fiercest hitters of the ball, there were cascades of sixes. In a series where nearly 100 sixes were hit, Jason Holder bagged 15 wickets, including a five-for and a double hat-trick. That’s not it, there were plenty more other stats from the series:
Ball flying all-over the park
As said earlier, both teams' batsmen have the special ability to hit maximums on a consistent basis. In total, both teams had 96 sixes in the series, four short of a century. West Indies hit 51 sixes and England filed in with the remaining 45. Only in a bilateral series against New Zealand in 2019/20 had England hit more sixes (46). As for West Indies, this was the third time in a bilateral series where they had hit more than 50 sixes. Overall, the 96 sixes hit by the two teams, is the most in a bilateral T20I series.
First West Indian to a hat-trick in T20I
Holder was the latest to enter the elite list of bowlers with a hat-trick. However, he was the first West Indies bowler to achieve the feat. Among the Test playing nations, only a bowler from England and Zimbabwe do not have a hat-trick.
Holder just didn’t stop with three wickets in three legitimate balls. He added one more of his fourth ball and entered an even better elite list of bowlers to pick up four out of four. Rashid Khan against Ireland in 2019 was the first to achieve this feat.
England chip-chopping a lot
In desperation to find the right combination, England fielded 16 players this series. In the third T20I, they had handed debuts to three players. An injury to Eoin Morgan before the start of the third T20I saw Moeen Ali captain the side after Morgan was ruled out for the remainder. The 16 different players fielded by England in this series is the most for them in T20I series, let be in a bilateral or a multi-nation.
Holder sets a new record
Holder’s last match heroics were backed up by stupendous performances in the previous matches. The reason England were dismissed for a paltry total of 103 in the first innings was because of Holder’s four-wicket haul. In the five matches, apart from the third T20I where he bagged only one wicket, Holder in the remaining four had a two-wicket haul or more. Throughout the series, Holder bagged 15 wickets in five matches, which is the most for a bowler in bilateral series. In addition, he is only the third bowler after Yuzvendra Chahal in 2017 against Sri Lanka and Rashid Khan in 2019 against Ireland to pick up two four-wicket hauls in a bilateral series.
West Indies brutal during last five overs
With finishers like Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell and Kieron Pollard on peak, any team would get smashed in the last five overs. Unfortunately, England bowlers weren’t just smashed, but mascaraed. West Indies batsman hit 18 sixes in the last five overs in this series, which is the joint most for any team in a bilateral series. Co-incidentally, the other occasion also involves the West Indies, but against South Africa in 2021.
As a result of the brutal hitting, England bowlers conceded at an economy of 12.5 in the last five overs. Among the Test playing nations, this is the worst for a team in a bilateral series in which they have bowled in three or more innings.
The expensive Shephard
Just like the England bowlers, there was one West Indian bowler who struggled a lot and that was Romario Shephard. In the four overs bowled by Shephard in the last five overs this series, he bagged only two wickets and conceded at 16 runs per over. Among bowlers who have bowled four or more overs during the last five overs in a T20I series, only Barry McCarthy of Ireland against Afghanistan in 2017 had conceded at a higher rate (17).
FEW OTHER INTERESTING STATS
1st T20I
In the first innings, England were bowled out for just 103 runs, their second lowest total against West Indies in T20Is.
Holder ended with figures of 4 for 7, the second cheapest four-wicket haul for West Indies in T20Is. Sulieman Benn against Zimbabwe had conceded just six runs.
2nd T20I
Akeal Hosein, batting at number 10, scored an unbeaten 44, which is the highest score for a 10 or lower batsman. Also, he struck those runs at a strike rate of 275, which is the second best for a West Indies batsman with 40+ runs in an innings.
The ninth wicket partnership between Shephard and Hosein of an unbeaten 72 is the second highest after Saber Zakhil and Saqlain Ali of Belgium against Austria (132*).
3rd T20I
Powell became the first West Indian batsman apart from an opener to hit a century in T20Is. Overall, he was the third batsman to achieve this feat after Chris Gayle (2) and Evin Lewis (2).
Powel in his innings hit 10 sixes, which is the joint most for a non-opener batsman in a T20I innings.
Philip Salt became the second England batsman after Dawid Malan against South Africa in Cardiff, to hit a half-century in his debut T20I match. Salt had scored 57 runs at a strike rate of 237.6. Among debutants with a 50+ score, his strike rate was the second highest.
4th T20I
Holder became only the second West Indies all-rounder after Dwayne Bravo in 2009 against India at Lords to pick up three wickets and score 35 runs in the same match.
5th T20I
Adil Rashid with 81 wickets, surpassed Chris Jordan’s tally of 80 wickets to become the leading wicket taker for England in T20Is.
West Indies opening bowlers Hosein (4/30) and Holder (5/27), picked up nine wickets out of the 10. Among the Test playing nations, this is the most wickets for the opening bowlers in a match for a team. Overall, Mozambique opening bowlers, Francisco Couana (5/19) and Jose Bulele (4/13) against Cameroon in 2021 had achieved this feat.
