WI VS ENG 5TH T20I

Right then, a damp end to an otherwise fascinating series. Jos Buttler collects the trophy and joins his teammates, marking a happy return after his injury layoff. Interestingly, in both the ODI and T20I series, the captain who won the toss and opted to chase saw his team emerge victorious in all completed games. With this, England’s white-ball tour of the West Indies comes to a close. While the West Indies clinched the ODI series 2-1, England ensured they didn’t leave empty-handed, claiming the T20I series 3-1. Both teams now shift their focus to Test cricket, with the West Indies hosting Bangladesh for a two-match series, followed by ODIs and T20Is, and England heading to New Zealand for a three-match Test series. We will bring you all the action from those fixtures. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Jos Buttler, the captain of England says that he is absolutely delighted and says they played some brilliant cricket earlier on. Mentions that Saqib Mahmood really set the tone for them in the Powerplays and the other guys too chipped in with crucial contributions. Adds that it is a really exciting time for English cricket to have a luxury of options. Ends by saying that different guys stepping up at different times and making winning a habit is his favourite highlight from this series.

The captain of West Indies, Rovman Powell says that it was a tough series for them. He commends Jos Buttler and his team for dominating in challenging conditions away from home. Powell admits that while they played well in patches, they struggled to sustain their performance for extended periods. Reckons that they need to assess faster and there are areas in the bowling department where they need to sharpen up. Feels that as some of them will wander off to different leagues, it is important to keep the communication among the players.

Saqib Mahmood is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his exceptional bowling display. He snagged 9 wickets in this T20I series of which 8 came inside the Powerplay overs. He says that as a group they had their mindset clear of what to do in these conditions. Says that he had worked really hard to come back into the England team. Further tells that coming to the Caribbean, you know that the crosswind would play a major factor. Adds they have got a lot of fast bowlers and it presents a lot of options for the side. States that winning the series on foreign soil has been the key highlight.

Time for the presentation ceremony! With the rain still coming down, the ceremony is being conducted indoors.

Summarizing whatever play we had – Jos Buttler won his fourth toss of the series, and as has been the trend, he opted to chase. Shai Hope and Evin Lewis showed intent from the very first over, with Lewis, in particular, taking on Archer and Turner. However, the surface didn’t quite allow the free-flowing shot-making we saw in the fourth T20I. Just as the two openers were starting to get into a groove, the rain arrived, and unfortunately, we never got back onto the park. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony.

UPDATE - 10.16 pm GMT - IT'S OFFICIAL! THE MATCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED DUE TO RAIN! Persistent rain has had the final say in this fifth and final game of the T20I series, with England winning the series 3-1. Despite it being a dead rubber, there was a lot of interest and buzz around the game, especially considering the amount of entertainment the fourth T20I offered. We thought we were in for more fireworks, but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.

UPDATE - 10.11 pm GMT - With the rain showing no signs of easing and considering the puddles forming in the outfield and standing water on top of the covers, even the most optimistic outlook suggests that a resumption seems unlikely. Although we still have time left before the cut-off for a potential 5-over blitz, it seems more likely that common sense will prevail, and the match officials may call it off early. No official word has been given yet, but we will keep you posted. Stay tuned.

UPDATE - 9.48 pm GMT - The rain continues to hammer down at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium. Nikhil Uttamchandani informs that steady rain has been falling for the last 90 minutes, and he adds that this has been a recurring pattern across the Caribbean islands over the past month. Nikhil also mentions that 11.48 pm GMT is the latest time England's 5-over chase could resume. He further notes that this is the heaviest rain he has seen this season. While there is still time, it would require a drastic improvement in the weather conditions to get back on the field. Stick around for more news.

UPDATE - 9.33 pm GMT - Well, just to break it down for you all, we have already started to lose overs as the 60 minutes of buffer time has passed. Also, if the match is reduced to a 5-over blitz, as per our estimation, the DLS target for England will be 69. Let's hope that the rain subsides soon. However, the threateningly dark clouds over Gros Islet and the rain now coming down even harder tell an otherwise story. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned for further updates.

UPDATE - 9.09 pm GMT - The rain continues to fall heavily, and the situation remains grim. The ominous signs above and on the ground persist, with areas near the fence soaking wet and significant water pooling on the covers. The skies in the distance remain a threatening shade of grey. Fingers crossed that the situation improves soon.

UPDATE - 8.56 pm GMT - Not much has changed since the last update as it continues to rain. We have a buffer of 60 minutes before overs start being deducted, and approximately 30 minutes of that buffer has already elapsed. With the current outlook, it seems increasingly probable that if and when play resumes, it will be a shortened game.

UPDATE - 8.33 pm GMT - It is still raining steadily as the ground staff work diligently to ensure the areas near the boundary cushions are well-covered. Ian Bishop points out that if the rain doesn’t ease soon, it could jeopardize the game, as the outfield is already struggling with saturation. He highlights that the areas near the fence are particularly concerning, which is why the ground staff are focusing their efforts there.

UPDATE - 8.22 pm GMT - Evin Lewis has copped a nasty blow and the physio has made his way out for the concussion check. Oh no, the rain has picked up and the umpires are taking the players off the field. On a positive note, the wind is blowing across, which might help clear the rain soon. It is absolutely pelting down now as more covers are being brought on. Stay tuned for further updates.

Nasty, that's pretty nasty! John Turner follows it up with a lethal bumper, targeting the bodyline of the left-hander. Evin Lewis gets blinded by the pace and tries to just back away from the line but fails to do so and takes a blow right on his helmet grill. That was some serious pace by Turner.

FOUR! John Turner has been taken to the cleaners here. Change of length from Turner as he bowls it fuller on the stumps, Evin Lewis clears his front leg and lofts it over the bowler for a boundary straight down the ground.

SIX! Gee, that sounded so well off the willow! Turner bowls a short-pitched delivery on the leg stump line, Evin Lewis opens his body and swivels, executes the pull shot and deposits the ball behind deep mid-wicket for a six.

Good length, just around off, Shai Hope stands tall and slashes it a bit in the air as the ball lands behind the chasing Will Jacks at cover. They cross.

FOUR! A shot of confidence! Back of a length, over the top of the stumps, Shai Hope flicks it aerially and gets it over mid-wicket for a boundary.