In their last 12 T20Is against England, West Indies succumbed to defeat on 9 occasions, and won just two matches. Their last T20I victory against England was way back in November 2024. The re-establishment of a similar narrative — that of the West Indian freefall — was expected from the Group C match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
But in the pre-match press conference, West Indies’ head coach Daren Sammy pledged that though beating England will be difficult, it is not impossible, and they will play a brand of cricket that will inspire the next generation in the Caribbean islands. They did exactly.
West Indies secured a 30-run triumph over England, and with this victory, their chances of qualifying for the Super 8 have increased manifold. On being asked to bat first, a Sherfane Rutherford 76* powered the Windies to 196/6, while Gudakesh Motie starred with three wickets in a bowling performance that bowled England out for 166.
Gudakesh Motie Takes 3 Wickets
England had a decent start to the chase, with the first three overs producing 37 runs. But the introduction of Romario Shepherd in the fourth over turned out to be an efficacious move by Shai Hope, with the all-rounder beating Phil Salt for pace.
It was followed by a quickfire 36-run second wicket stand, and at the end of 6.3 overs, when England’s score read 74/1, it seemed that the Three Lions will have a fairly comfortable chase.
What unfolded, though, was a lesson in spin masterclass from the West Indies bowlers. Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie got the wickets of Jos Buttler and Tom Banton respective in consecutive overs, while Jacob Bethell, who spent his formative years in Barbados, lost his wicket in the tenth over.
There was a semblance of a recovery bid when captain Harry Brook constructed a 51-run stand with Sam Curran, but when he lost his wicket to Motie, England’s defeat was all but confirmed.
Sam Curran did play a valiant knock of unbeaten 43, but with no support from the other end, he was always fighting a losing cause. With this defeat, England now stares at a trip back to the drawing board, for they were saved by the skin of their teeth against Nepal.
Brook’s team will now face neighbours Scotland and Italy, with both matches taking place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. West Indies, meanwhile, will face Nepal in Mumbai, before returning to Kolkata to face Italy.
Sherfane Rutherford Records His Highest T20I Score
Earlier in the innings, West Indies put up an incredible batting display after losing both of their openers inside the first seven deliveries. It will not be unjust should Daren Sammy fret about the form of his captain, for it was Shai Hope’s sixth single-digit score in the last 11 T20s across competitions.
Hope was dismissed by Archer in the first over, after being made to bat first by Harry Brook. In the second over, Sam Curran got the wicket of Brandon King with his very first delivery.
But the momentum switched in West Indies’ favour from the fourth over, when Shimron Hetmyer not only read all of Curran’s moon balls, but also dispatched one to the moon. The next over from Will Jacks saw Roston Chase hitting three consecutive boundaries, and at the drop of a hat, West Indies’ score went from 19/2 after three overs to 52/2 after five.
The next over did bring about a wicket, as Jamie Overton — replacing Luke Wood in England’s playing XI — justified his selection by dismissing Shimron Hetmyer. Out came Sherfane Rutherford, and he played arguably his best T20I knock.
In his first 44 T20Is for the West Indies, Rutherford had scored only three half-centuries. His stocks, however, have risen astronomically in the last few months, with two half-centuries now in his last three T20Is.
Should one consider every T20 match he has played in 2026 — for both West Indies in international cricket and Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 — Rutherford has scored 427 runs in 2026, with his average being only 71.2 and a strike rate of 168.8. This is in striking contrast to his 2025 numbers — 1765 runs at an average of 28.9 and a strike rate of 168.8.
Rutherford scored a 42-ball 76, which included a couple of fours, and as many as seven sixes. This is also his highest score in T20Is. But it will be unfair to not give Jason Holder his due credit. The 34-year-old provided Rutherford with the perfect support he could have asked for, scoring 33 runs in 17 deliveries with four sixes.
From the English bowling unit, Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers. Having conceded 42 runs without any wicket against Nepal, the veteran spinner returned to his best with figures of 4-0-16-2. With this, he now has over 400 wickets in his T20 career, and the most by an English bowler in T20 World Cup (32).