Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 76 and Gudakesh Motie’s three-wicket spell powered West Indies to a commanding 30-run win over England in a crucial Group C clash of the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Rutherford lit up the evening with a 42-ball masterclass, smashing five sixes and two fours to anchor West Indies to 196/6. Backed by Motie’s clever use of turn and grip off the surface (3/32), the Caribbean side successfully defended the total as England were bowled out for 166 in 19 overs.
Chasing 197, England started with intent. Phil Salt came out blazing, plundering 30 off just 14 balls and taking 24 runs off Jason Holder’s second over. The powerplay belonged firmly to England as they raced to 67/1. However, the momentum shifted when Salt mistimed a charge against Romario Shepherd and was caught at cover.
Jos Buttler (21) followed soon after, hitting Roston Chase straight to long-on. From there, West Indies’ spinners tightened the screws.
Motie struck twice in quick succession, removing Tom Banton (2) with sharp turn before breaching Jacob Bethell’s (33) defence with a skidding delivery. At 93/4 at the halfway stage, England were under pressure.
The collapse continued as Motie produced a sharp return catch to dismiss skipper Harry Brook (17), while Chase trapped Will Jacks leg-before. Jamie Overton fell to Akeal Hosein after a stunning running catch by Rovman Powell at long-on.
Despite Sam Curran’s fighting unbeaten 43, England never regained control and were eventually bundled out with an over to spare.
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Earlier, West Indies had recovered superbly after a shaky start. Reduced to 8/2 and later struggling at 79/4 at the halfway mark, they were rescued by Rutherford’s composure and power-hitting.
He stitched a 51-run stand with Powell (14) and then added 61 off just 32 balls with Holder, who smashed 33 off 17 balls, including four sixes. Holder’s assault on Curran, three sixes in an over, provided the late surge.
Roston Chase chipped in with a steady 34 during a mid-innings slowdown, while Adil Rashid (2/16) impressed for England with sharp turn, dismissing both Chase and Powell.
Jofra Archer removed Shai Hope early, and Curran accounted for Brandon King, but West Indies rebuilt patiently before exploding in the final 10 overs, scoring 117 runs to post a formidable total.
In the end, Rutherford’s flair and Motie’s spin proved too much for England, handing West Indies a vital win in the group stage.
