Jason Holder also stars with his tally of 15 wickets, the highest for any bowler in a bilateral T20I series
Sampath Bandarupalli31-Jan-2022Nearly a ton of maximums
The Kensington Oval was host to a six-hitting contest: there were 96 of them as West Indies and England battled for supremacy across five matches. This is now the most number of sixes hit during a bilateral T20I series, eclipsing the 94 that were struck by New Zealand and England in 2019. Thirty-one of the 96 sixes came from just one game (the world record is 32)West Indies edge the six-hitting battle
West Indies won not only the series but the six-hitting battle as well (51 vs 45). This is the third bilateral T20I series where West Indies amassed a half-century of sixes. The previous two were against Australia (58) and South Africa (53) in 2021. No team other than West Indies has hit fifty sixes in a bilateral series, with the highest being 48 by New Zealand against England in 2019.
Holder into the record books
Jason Holder’s love affair with the Kensington Oval continued, with the local boy bagging several records. His haul of 15 wickets is the highest for any bowler in a bilateral T20I series. He also took four wickets in four balls (while defending 20 runs in the final over of the deciding game). That makes him only the fourth player ever to achieve this feat in men’s T20I cricket. Holder also became the first West Indian to take a hat-trick in men’s T20Is.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland’s sloppy work at the death
England’s death bowling was a big talking point after their semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup, and it still remains so. Each death over (17-20) in the West Indies cost them about 13.22 runs, a new low for bowling sides in a T20I series or tournament (min: 15 overs bowled). England conceded 67, 55, 64 and 66 runs in the last four overs of the last four matches (they bowled only seven balls at the death in the first one). In the second game, they leaked 59 runs in the last three overs, the joint-second worst effort for any team in men’s T20Is.
Rashid surpasses Jordan
Adil Rashid became the leading wicket-taker for England in men’s T20Is with two he picked up in the final game against West Indies. He went past team-mate Chris Jordan who had been on top since eclipsing Stuart Broad in December 2020. Rashid started the series five wickets behind Jordan. The legspinner took seven wickets in this series, while Jordan picked up only one. Twenty-two of Rashid’s 81 T20I wickets have come against West Indies, the third-most wickets for any bowler against a single opponent.
