England equalizes with a clinical triumph.

On December 6, England defeated West Indies by six wickets in the second ODI at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, thanks to a clinical display of play by England. England’s efforts were led by the returns of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran with the bat and the ball, respectively, as they bowled West Indies out for 202 in 39.4 overs before racing to the target in 32.5 overs to ensure that the series-deciding match will take place in Barbados.

Will Jacks and Philip Salt assisted England in gaining an early advantage in the pursuit with a fifty-plus opening stand within six overs. Alzarri Joseph’s debut was costly, as he conceded 38 runs in three overs, one of which was dismissed for sixes by Jacks. The stand, nevertheless, came to an end in the sixth over when Salt was delivered a slightly low one by Romario Shepherd. Jacks persisted in teeing off, frequently connecting for fours and sixes. He reached fifty off 43 balls, which was situated between the dismissals of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, both of whom were dismissed by Gudakesh Motie’s spin.

England were in a bit of a bind at 85/3, but Jacks and Harry Brook maintained their aggressive batting style as they reduced the score below 100. Jacks was ultimately dismissed leg-before Sherfane Rutherford, returning home with 73 off 72 balls, four of which were fours and sixes.

While England were 117/4 at that juncture, Buttler had not scored a fifty in his previous thirteen ODI appearances prior to that. It was a precarious position for the visiting side on a pitch that at moments remained low and provided traction for the spinners. However, Buttler and Brook each hit sixes as England rushed towards the target.

Howevertler also reached fifty with a six, accomplishing the feat on 43 deliveries after previously becoming the fifth England player to accumulate 5000 ODI runs. With four fours and three sixes, Buttler concluded unbeaten on 58 off 45 balls, while Brook struck the winning four and was not out on 43 off 49 balls.

Earlier, when West Indies were given the opportunity to bat first, they experienced a top-order collapse, falling to 23/4 in seven overs. Gus Atkinson began by dismissing Alick Athanaze, and Curran followed suit by dismissing Brandon King, Keacy Carty, and Shimron Hetmyer, all of whom contributed to West Indies’ dire situation. Curran’s vindication came in this match after he had scored 98 runs in the previous contest.

West Indies mounted a comeback led by the inform Shai Hope, who and Rutherford shared a fifth-wicket stand of 129 runs, with both batsmen scoring 60s. However, Liam Livingstone instigated an additional setback by promptly dismissing Rutherford, Yannic Cariah, and Hope, bringing the hosts down to 163/7. Shepherd and Joseph made valiant efforts to assist their team in achieving a respectable finish; however, West Indies were only able to surpass 200 runs as their innings concluded with 10.2 overs remaining. Atkinson increased his victim total, and Rehan Ahmed secured two more as England concluded a dominant innings with the ball.