West Indies v England: Danni Wyatt leads tourists to comfortable eight-wicket win in first T20
- Published
Danni Wyatt's unbeaten 59 led England to a comfortable victory in the first of five T20s v West Indies
West Indies v England: First Twenty20 international, Antigua |
|---|
West Indies 105-7 (20 overs): Williams 23 (26); Bell 3-26 |
England 106-2 (12.4 overs): Wyatt 59* (34), Dunkley 25 (21) |
England won by eight wickets |
England strolled to a comfortable eight-wicket win over West Indies in the first Twenty20 in Antigua.
The hosts limped to 105-7 from their 20 overs after a fine all-round bowling performance from England.
Seamer Lauren Bell starred with 3-26 and spinner Sophie Ecclestone conceded just six runs from four overs.
Opener Danni Wyatt hit an unbeaten 59 off 34 balls as England reached their target with 7.2 overs to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England continued to dominate West Indies on this white-ball tour, having completed a 3-0 one-day international series clean sweep with ease on Friday.
West Indies batters struggled throughout the 50-over encounters and the trend continued in the shorter format, with Rashada Williams' 23 and Chinelle Henry's 21 the only contributions of note.
Wyatt then took control of the chase, supported by opening partner Sophia Dunkley's 25, and capitalised on some loose bowling from a deflated West Indies attack.
The second T20 takes place on Wednesday at 22:00 GMT in Barbados.
Bell continues to impress
Bell's introduction to international cricket was rather inconsistent, as expected from a young fast bowler, with moments of brilliance combined with a lack of control.
But a devastating spell of 4-33 in the second ODI showed her potential with the new ball and she backed it up with a fine performance in just her third T20.
Aaliyah Alleyne was bowled for two in her first over as Bell handed England the perfect start.
The tall fast bowler complemented Ecclestone's left-arm spin perfectly as batters were unable to settle, and with Nat Sciver, Heather Knight and Katherine Brunt chipping in with a wicket each, West Indies simply had no answers to the consistency and variation.
When Shemaine Campbelle holed out to mid-off from Bell's third over, they had slipped to 60-6 and only through some late-hitting from Henry were they able to pass the 100 mark.
With Issy Wong and Freya Davies on the sidelines, England look very well-equipped in the pace bowling department, which is going to be crucial as the coaches continue to manage the workload of Brunt and Sciver.
Wyatt shows her class
It is unsurprising that England oozed confidence after three crushing wins, and equally unsurprising that West Indies lacked it.
Wyatt's innings was reflective of that, playing with a swagger and scoring all around the ground.
She had to wait until halfway through the third over to face her first ball as West Indies started positively, keeping her away from the strike, but she was determined to make it count when she got there.
And after Dunkley was frustratingly run out in the fifth over, Wyatt took charge in a stand of 45 with Lauren Winfield-Hill, who was playing her first T20 for England since February 2020.
Winfield-Hill's recall, off the back of impressive domestic performances during the summer, is symbolic of England's increasing strength in depth, a key factor in the gulf in standard between these two teams.
That depth also allowed England to recall captain Heather Knight after resting her for the final ODI, though she was not required with the bat, and all-time leading wicket-taker Brunt featured for the first time on the tour to strengthen the bowling attack.
West Indies' reliance on skipper Hayley Matthews is becoming an increasing concern, as a collapse inevitably follows almost every time she is dismissed early. But for England, there is confidence that if Wyatt or Dunkley do not attack first, somebody else certainly will.