5 talking points as England collapse to lose first T20I vs West Indies

England were bowled out for the fourth-lowest total in T20I cricket as they were beaten comprehensively by the West Indies

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Fire still burning bright for Stuart Broad after Sydney five-wicket haul

The West Indies completed a dominant nine-wicket win over England in the first T20I of their five-match series as Eoin Morgan ‘s side were bowled out for just 103.

Having been put into bat, England produced the kind of performance that fans have been used to watching during the Ashes.

They lost four wickets in the powerplay as they collapsed to their fourth-lowest total in T20I cricket.

Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder made the early breakthroughs for the West Indies, with Jason Roy getting bowled by Cottrell one ball after dispatching him into the stands for six.

Holder then picked up two in two, getting Tom Banton caught at slip for four and getting Moeen Ali caught at backward point for a golden duck.

James Vince was one of four players to reach double figures, making 19 before smacking a simple catch to cover off a long hop to leave England 26-4 after the powerplay.

Sam Billings, fresh out of quarantine after featuring in the Ashes, and Liam Dawson, playing in his first England game since 2018, both fell for two in poor fashion.

Billings was stumped off Akeal Hosein after dancing down the wicket, while Dawson was run out after making a suicidal call for a single and falling over.

At the other end, Morgan absorbed the pressure before striking his first boundary off the 28th ball of his innings, launching Romario Shepherd for six.

However, he got caught at cover the next ball for 17 to leave England 49-7.

An important partnership of 36 between Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid took England past their lowest-ever total of 80 and they ended up getting bowled out for 103 in the final over.

In response, Brandon King and Shai Hope played smartly, safely navigating their way through the powerplay and sharing a 50-run partnership.

Rashid broke that partnership in the tenth over, getting Hope stumped for 20 with a beautiful delivery, but it was too little too late for England.

King, who made 55 not out, and Nicholas Pooran promptly chased down the remaining 52 runs with 17 balls to spare as the West Indies went 1-0 up in the series.

Here are five talking points…

Billings straight into the action

Despite featuring in the final Ashes Test in Hobart, Billings was able to play in the first T20I just six days later.

The 30-year-old was drafted into the Test team as a late injury replacement for Jos Buttler, but with England losing the match inside three days he was able to get to Barbados and complete his quarantine in time for the first game.

However, Billings was unable to make an impact, making four off just two balls and he will be hoping for a much better showing in the remaining four games.

England bat first

Although it was Pollard who won the toss and put England in, Morgan said they would have chosen to bat first anyway.

Prior to their semi-final clash with New Zealand at the T20 World Cup in November, England had not batted first in a T20I since September and that lack of experience cost them as they crashed out of the tournament in dramatic fashion.

This time, England mustered just 103 with the bat and it is clear that they need to continue testing themselves by batting first in the lead up to this year’s World Cup.

Jordan’s cameo

More than useful with the bat, Jordan top scored with 28 off 23 balls in an important cameo which included three sixes and ensured England escaped the ignominy of getting out for their lowest ever total.

Although England’s top order failed spectacularly, Jordan’s partnership with Rashid rescued them when they were 49-7 and provided a reminder of the importance of tail-end runs in T20 cricket.

Holder’s success

Holder was outstanding for the West Indies, picking up career best figures of 4-7 as he claimed wickets with the new ball and at the death.

Holder’s height and bounce proved a potent weapon on an inconsistent surface, illustrating the kind of impact he can have in T20 cricket.

Often overlooked in this format, Holder only featured in last year’s World Cup as an injury replacement for Obed McCoy, he was excellent against England and should remain a key part of their plans for this year’s World Cup.

Livingstone’s absence

With Ben Stokes missing last year’s T20 World Cup, Liam Livingstone stepped into the breach and filled the substantial hole he left with his explosive ball striking and ability to bowl both leg spin and off spin.

At the tournament, he produced a higher strike rate than any other England batter and took seven wickets at 14.33.

However, with Stokes absent due to his involvement in the Ashes and Livingstone sidelined from this game with a non-Covid related illness, England struggled to balance their side.

They opted for an extra bowler, with Dawson batting at seven, and even before their top-order collapsed England looked a batter short.