1ST T20I, ENGAND Vs WEST INDIES, RIVERSIDE GROUND , CHESTER-LE-STREET, 2025 : Jos Butler and Liam Dawson Stunned As England Beat West Indies in an T20I Opener .
Jos Buttler led from the front to blast an unbeaten 83 in his first match as full-time captain as England won the series opener against the West Indies by 21 runs in their opening Twenty20 match at Chester-le-Street on Friday. Buttler, who guided new white-ball captain Harry Brook to a 3-0 sweep in the prelude one-day international series, reinforced his status as one of the world’s best white-ball batsmen with a swashbuckling 96 off 59 balls in a total of 188 for six.
Returning to England duty nearly three years after his previous international appearance, veteran left-arm spinner Dawson then backed that up with a T20 international best 4-20 as the West Indies were restricted to 167-9 in going 1-0 down in a three-match series. Jos Butler and Liam Dawson Stunned As England Beat West Indies in T20I Opener .
TOSS-
England won the toss and chose to bat.
PLAYING XI-
West Indies (Playing XI):
Johnson Charles, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope(w/c), Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph
England (Playing XI):
Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Matthew Potts
ENGLAND-
England by, and batted, at a cloudy Chester-le-Street, Durham. Smith, opening again for the absent Phil Salt (on paternity leave), began with a glorious straight drive. On what was revealed as quite a slow pitch by both sides, Smith took the chance and took two more boundaries off the first over. Ben Duckett (1 off 4) was the first victim of the wicket as he holed out when he chipped a leading edge into the air.
Smith and Buttler, promoted to No 3, took a while to get in, then cut loose in the fifth over from Russell, who was providing pace and got his lengths horribly wrong to finish with 22 off that one. The English pair carted Joseph’s following over, the fifth, for 23 -and England to 78/1 at the end of the powerplay.
The remaining part of the innings was the West Indies bowlers mostly taking the pace off and bowling it in the wicket, learning from their mistakes. Three more wickets fell in quick time thereafter including the set Jamie Smith (38 off 20), Harry Brook (6 off 5) and Tom Banton (3 off 4), who was granted a chance in the middle order.
Though for the most part he lacked timing, Buttler continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with some nonchalant strokeplay as Bethell contributed 23 at a breezy pace. Unfortunately a second T20I hundred wasn’t to be for the former skipper as they trapped him LBW in the 19th over. There was just one four in the 20th over as India claimed a total of 188/6, Jacks being run-out from the last ball of the England innings.
WEST INDIES-
The West Indies had an encouraging beginning here, and they were swift to put away anything which was pace-on and loose. Anything pace-off, however, and it was a different story. Dawson claimed his first wicket, Charles (18 off 15), with a beaut of a sequence of changes of pace. Shai Hope (3 off 7) perished cheaply – though Roston Chase (24 off 20), who began with a wristy flick over midwicket for six, and Evin Lewis (39 off 23) managed to maintain the West Indies’ head above water.
Bowling the 10th Bethell was taken to the cleaners for 24 but he had the satisfaction of Lewis holing out off the last ball. At 91/3 at the halfway point, the West Indies were not down and out by a long way, but Liam Dawson’s double-wicket over in the 12th sent them along a different path.
The only batsman to go past 20 in the remainder of the line-up was none, and complete was the domination by the English slow bowlers in the latter half. The game was done by the time the previously impressive Potts sent down a horrible 20th over, which cost 15, the wicket of Shepherd an afterthought.
Brief Scores:
England 188-6 in 20 overs (Buttler 96, Jamie Smith 38; Shepherd 2-33) beat West Indies 167-9 in 20 overs (Lewis 39, Chase 24; Dawson 4-20, Bethell 2-27) by 21 runs.
Jos Buttler’s performance was absolutely phenomenal, proving once again why he’s one of the best in the game. His unbeaten 83 was a masterclass in leadership and skill, especially in his first match as full-time captain. Liam Dawson’s return was equally impressive, with his T20 international best of 4-20 showing his value to the team. The West Indies seemed to struggle with the slow pitch, and their bowlers couldn’t quite find the rhythm needed to contain England’s batting. It’s exciting to see how this series will unfold, especially with the next matches coming up. Do you think the West Indies can bounce back, or will England continue to dominate?