Buttler, Dawson give England upper hand against Windies

Perth Now

a day ago

Former captain Joss Buttler and Liam Dawson have helped England make a winning start to their T20 series against the West Indies with a 21-run win at Durham's Riverside Stadium ground.
Buttler scored a superb 96 off 59 balls and Dawson took four wickets on his international return, as the hosts drew first blood on Friday.
After making a 3-0 winning start to Harry Brook's captaincy in the one-dayers, England kept the momentum in the shorter format after posting 6-188.
West Indies finished on 9-167, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match.
Buttler, in at No.3 with England 1-16 after Ben Duckett was caught by Windies captain Shai Hope off Shepherd, brought up his half century from 25 balls in the eighth over.
He had earlier smashed three sixes and scooped a four from the first four balls of a devastating sixth over with Alzarri Joseph bowling.
The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last February following England's group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, continued to look like a man relieved of a heavy burden as he hit six fours and four sixes.
Needing just four for the century, he was out lbw to Joseph in the penultimate over.
The tally was Buttler's highest T20 international score on home soil.
The Windies were 2-33 off 5.2 overs after losing Johnson Charles for 18, stumped by Buttler off Dawson, and Hope caught by Duckett, who repaid his own dismissal in like-for-like fashion, for three off debutant Matthew Potts.
England restricted the visitors to 2-44 at the end of the powerplay, compared to 1-78 at the same stage of the home innings.
Evin Lewis hit West Indies top score of 39 off 23 balls, before being caught by Brydon Carse with Jacob Bethell bowling.
Dawson, back in the side at 35 and playing his first England match since 2022, claimed his second and third wickets when Duckett caught Sherfane Rutherford (2) and Roston Chase (24) in quick succession.
The left-arm spinner wrapped up with a fourth wicket, for 20 runs from his four overs, by bowling Rovman Powell as West Indies slipped to 6-115 on a tough night in the north-east.
"I feel really good. Really pleased to contribute to a really good win," said Dawson after winning the player of the match.
"When you get 190 on the board, you can go out there and simplify everything. You can bowl defensively and they've got to come to you. Tonight, it worked.
"It's been maybe three-and-a-half years since I played. I was nervous going into the game but I'm happy to contribute."
Hope said his side had not bowled as well as they had wanted to and needed also to perform better with the bat.
"We've got to put this behind us and we've got two games to win the series," he said.
The next T20 game in the three-match series is in Bristol on Sunday.