England vs West Indies LIVE: T20 World Cup latest score and updates
Follow all the action from the Dubai International Stadium
Follow all the action as England begin their T20 World Cup campaign against reigning champions West Indies.
Eoin Morgan’s side will attempt to banish the woes of 2016 when Carlos Braithwaite hit four monstrous sixes in the final over to vanquish Ben Stokes and complete a tremendous chase. “It’s definitely going to be in the back of their minds. For us to be in that situation and get over the line, it shows that sort of never-say-die attitude,” said West Indies captain Kieran Pollard, who missed the final due to injury five years ago. “I thought what Carlos did in those four deliveries in that last over, it’s unbelievable. It’s something that as a team we actually saw last night and it brought goosebumps back to us.”
Morgan has kept his cards close to his chest over his team selection, with plenty of scrutiny on the captain himself due to his poor recent form, and England can afford few slip-ups in a tricky group. If they can prevail in spin-friendly conditions in Dubai, though, and add the T20 World Cup to their ODI crowd, Morgan will go down as one of cricket’s great captains. “The name of the country on the shirt is irrelevant really when it comes to a World Cup,” he said of the task in front of his team. “You need to prove your worth through performance.” Follow all the latest updates below:
Moeen Ali will complete his allocation with four off the reel as Nicholas Pooran arrives at number six. He’s such a dynamic batting talent with real strength against spin who has thrived in a similar situation before, but this will be a test of Pooran’s temperament.
OUT! Chris Gayle c Malan b Mills 13 (13b 3x4 0x6) West Indies 31/4 (6 overs)
Chris Gayle is gone! Four for England in the powerplay and they begin to turn the screw!
Gayle had just scythed Mills over the offside for four and was this time looking to the leg side to another back-of-the-length ball, but is hurried for pace and can only spoon skywards. A back-pedalling Dawid Malan takes a good catch at mid-wicket, and Mills has his man. Everything has gone to plan for England - that’s precisely how they would have hoped to get rid of Gayle, who is gone without wreaking much havoc at all.
West Indies 27-3 (5.4)
It was the ball that in many ways restarted Mills’ career, an exocet of a yorker at extreme pace that knocked over Gayle (playing for Somerset) on a bitterly cold spring day in 2016. It helped earn Mills an IPL gig, eventually ill-fated, but proved that a man who had once been one of England’s most promising talents could come again as a T20 specialist after such injury strife.
There have been ups and downs since but Mills has evolved into an outstanding bowler with a unique approach, and he starts well here, with four dot balls as Gayle swings airily at a couple.
West Indies 27-3 (5)
There it is - West Indies promote a right-hander. Dwayne Bravo is thrown up the order all the way from number eight to break up the left-handers and try to prevent England continuing to use Moeen against them. He sees out the remainder of the over, and that’s an outstanding opening twirl from Moeen, who is playing with such confidence after starring for IPL winners the Chennai Super Kings. Three overs, two for fifteen for the off-spinner.
Tymal Mills replaces Chris Woakes for the final over the powerplay - he’s got history against Chris Gayle...
OUT! Shimron Hetmyer c Morgan b Ali 9 (9b 2x4 0x6), West Indies 27-3 (4.4 overs)
But he’s gone! A loud exclamation from Hetmyer, furious with himself as he steps away from another attempted shot over mid-on,y failing to commit and timing it horrifically.
It floats gently into the hands of Eoin Morgan, and the England captain cannot believe his luck - his side have three inside the powerplay and the West Indies have been properly punctured.
FOUR! West Indies 27/2 (4.2 overs)
Moeen gets a third in the powerplay but Hetmyer is in no mood to sit in against him, even after those early wickets. He first swings him over mid-on out of control for four but it is the second shot that is better, a gorgeous inside-out drive to the right of long-off that hops over the boundary. He’s a real talent - not sure about the blue iced gem haircut, though.
West Indies 19-2 (4)
This could be a good battle. Woakes nearly forces an error from Gayle with another canny slower ball that floats dangerously off the outside half of the bat but short of the off-side ring. Gayle turns over the strike with a ball controlled push into a similar region.
A slip comes in for the last ball of the over at Hetmyer, with a sweeper cover pushed out. Hetmyer duly finds that fielder in the deep to get off the mark and retain the strike. Ten from the over.
FOUR! West Indies 17/2 (3.2)
Woakes does continue and Chris Gayle is away - a trademark punch without ideal foot movement between extra cover and mid-off, beating a diving fielder to race to the boundary.
And again! This time an uppish slash that just evades a leaping Jason Roy at backward point. Not far away. This could be fun...
West Indies 9/2 (3)
This is a dream start for England. They will need to take powerplay wickets throughout this tournament, something that hasn’t been a strength in the last couple of years, but part of the reason for picking Chris Woakes in the squad was to strengthen in that regard. If Moeen can bowl his full quota it will aid Eoin Morgan’s team balance, too, and this is an outstanding start, completing a wicket maiden with a loud appeal as Shimron Hetmyer is beaten down the leg-side. That flicked the pad, though, and Jos Buttler indicates as much as he trots to the other end.
OUT! Lendl Simmons c Livingstone b Ali 3 (7b 0x4 0x6), West Indies 9/2 (2.2)
What a curious shot! Both West Indies openers are gone! Lendl Simmons charges down the track as Ali just holds the ball back a touch, and Liam Livingstone is the grateful recipient of a dragged slog at deep midwicket. Livingstone swallows it like a greedy gull tossed a chip at the seaside and England have two inside three overs.
That’s strange from Simmons, who you’d have thought might have looked to play more of an anchor role. Shimron Hetmyer replaces him - two left-handers for Moeen to now target.
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