Spinners Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase shared five wickets between them after Sherfane Rutherford blasted 76 not out off 42 and shared two half-century partnerships as the West Indies overcame England by 30 runs in Match 15 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Motie was brilliant in bagging 3-33 while Chase, who scored 34 crucial runs earlier in the day, claimed 2-29 as West Indies bowled out England for 166 in 19 overs after posting a massive total of 196/6, recovering from early jolts on a pitch that helped the seamers and gripped the ball.
With this win, West Indies moved to the top of Group C with four points, while England slipped to the third position behind Scotland with two points but behind on NRR.
Chasing a big target on a pitch that was still aiding spin, England got off to a decent start with Phil Salt (30, 14b, 4x4, 2x6) and Jos Buttler (21, 14b, 2x4, 1x6) raising 38 runs for the opening wicket as they ended the Power-play at 67/1 and looking on course to victory.
But they were soon down to 90/4 with Ton Banton (2) and Jacob Bethell (33) succumbed to Motie, then turned the match on its head as West Indies applied the pressure.
Skipper Harry Brook (17, 14b, 1x4) and Sam Curran added 41 runs for the fifth wicket partnership, but Motie landed another telling blow by dismissing Brook, out-thought by the spinner for a tame dismissal as England were sent reeling at 131/5.
Sam Curran kept fighting with some fine shots, but England kept losing wickets from the other end as Will Jacks 92), Jamie Overton (5) and Jofra Archer (6) fell in quick succession as England fell to 151/8.
Everything depended on Curran for England, but the mounting asking rate -- with 47 needed from 18 balls -- and lack of support from the other end meant they were bowled out for 166 in 19 overs. But Liam Dawson (1) was run out, and Adil Rashid was caught by Roston Chase off Shamar Joseph to seal victory for West Indies. Sam Curran was left stranded with 43 not out off 30 balls (3x4, 2x6) as England lost their second match after surviving Nepal scare in their opener.
Earlier, England made a good start in the clash of two two-time champions when Jofra Archer and Sam Curran claimed West Indies skipper Shai Hope (0 off 3) and Brandon King (1) in the first two overs and reduced West Indies to 8/2.
Roston Chase (34), brought into the match in place of Matthew Forde, and Shimron Hetmyer (23) provided the West Indies some relief with a 47-run partnership for the third wicket.
Hetmyer struck Curran a four and six off successive balls while Chase hammered a hat-trick of fours off Will Jacks in the fifth over as the West Indies batters did not slacken on the scoring rate.
But just when it looked like the West Indies had turned the tide, Jamie Overton, who was brought in place of Luke Wood, sent back Hetmyer (23, 12 b, 2x4, 2x6), frustrated by the hard length as he offered Curran a simple catch off a slower one that steepled off the pitch.
Roston Chase followed suit soon, trapped lbw off a googly by Adil Rashid for 34 (29b, 6x4) as West Indies fell to 77/4. Sherfane Rutherford took over the charge from there and figured in two crucial partnerships -- 51 runs for the fifth wicket with Rovman Powell (14) and another half-century stand for the sixth wicket with Jason Holder.
Rutherford raced to his fifty off 29 balls (2x4, 5x6) as he went after the bowling -- hitting sixes off Archer, Jacks (back to back in 12th over), Overton and Dawson as he kept the West Indies on course for a challenging total.
He and Holder added 61 runs for the sixth wicket, Holder contributing 33 off 17 balls (1x4, 4x6). Holder, the seasoned all-rounder, blasted three sixes off Curran as they smashed 20 runs in the 17th over. He was out in the final over, caught at long on off Overton after he had smashed another six off Overton with a lofted drive over wide long-on.
Rutherford, who was dropped by Rashid off his own bowling, struck Archer for a six and four in the 18th over before blasting a six off Overton in the last ball of the innings to help West Indies recover to post a challenging total.
Adil Rashid was the best bowler for England with mesmerising figures of 2-16 in four overs. Overton too bagged a brace (2-33) while Archer and Curran were slightly expensive in claiming a wicket each. But in the end, it proved insufficient against a charged-up West Indies as they produced a superb all-round performance to secure a comfortable victory.
Brief scores:
West Indies 196/6 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 76 not out, Roston Chase 34, Jason Holder 33; Adil Rashid 2-16, Jamie Overton 2-33) beat England 166 all out in 19 overs (Sam Curran 43 not out, Jacob Bethell 33, Phil Salt 30; Gudakesh Motie 3-33, Roston Chase 2-29) by 30 runs
Picture Courtesy: IANS
