Twenty20 cricket: West Indies beats England

Chris Gayle of the West Indies in action against England. PHOTO/Reuters

West Indies beat out defending champions England by 15 runs.

England came close with Eoin Morgan (71 not out) and Alex Hales (68) putting on a resolute 107-run partnership for the fourth wicket but in the end they fell short to the West Indies.

England needed 125 runs in their last 10 overs but Morgan and Hales paced the innings well before Marlon Samuels bowled an excellent last over, conceding only eight runs.

West Indies were set on their way for a big total by openers Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle.

Charles hit three sixes and 10 well-timed boundaries, while Gayle hit four sixes and six fours in his 35-ball 58.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy said spinners made the win possible.

“We backed ourselves to set a target and the openers got us going well,” said Sammy. “With Sunil Narine, and Chris Gayle, we decided to maximise our spinners against England and it worked.”

England captain Stuart Broad was left disappointed. “We had to regroup, obviously losing two wickets in that first over hurt us but we showed how good the wicket was. We were quite happy with our effort with the ball and I think we’re disappointed not to win tonight,” said Broad.