Fourth successive loss for West Indies on this tour. A slight ray of happiness would be that it was not as one-sided as the ODIs and maybe, one big partnership could have sealed the game. But that batting collapse is a big concern, something which they would want to work upon. England themselves would want more from their batters in challenging conditions. The second T20I comes quickly, on Sunday, 8th June, 2025 in Bristol. One might expect a flatter deck there with lesser assistance for the bowlers on a fairly small ground. Might be a test for the bowlers then. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 7 pm IST (1330 GMT) but our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

The victorious skipper of England, HARRY BROOK, is very pleased with the win. Feels remarkable to have Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid bowl from both ends. Details that as a batter, to see from which end can he score looking at these bowlers in tandem is a terrible feeling and is happy to have them in his team. On Jos Buttler's knock, Brook calls it an an honour to have him come at number 3 and play that kind of an innings. On the dimensions of this ground, Harry admits that the dimensions play a big role on this ground. Clarifies that it was hard to hit the boundaries in the middle overs, so the English batters just concentrated on the running. On the takeways from this game, HB wants his side to keep on learning. Points out to the tricky period with the bat in the middle overs. So wants his batters to get a few more runs while running as one learning. Wants his bowlers to pick up more wickets with the new ball as another learning.

The captain of West Indies, SHAI HOPE, on being asked, which phase was more critical - West Indies' bowling Powerplay or them being 91/3 in the run chase - says that both were important for them. Commends the bowlers for pulling things back after the Powerplay and giving the batters a chance to chase this total. On the Windies bowlers struggling to bowl consistent lines and lengths, Hope admits that the team certainly needs to adapt to the dimensions of each and every ground. Stresses that the talk in the dressing room is always about this and thinks that the bowlers executed it in the middle period. On teams staffing up spin against the West Indies, Shai agrees that a lot of teams are throwing spin against the Windies and it is something which the batters need to work around. Stresses that the West Indies' batting is very deep and they just need to get their act together.

England's LIAM DAWSON has been adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH, for his bowling figures of 4-0-20-4 - his best in T20I cricket. Says that it feels really good and pleasing to contribute to a really good win. On his bowling plans, Dawson says that when you have 190 (actually 188) on the board, you can bowl defensively and is thankful that it worked. On having a chat with coach Marcus Trescothick on the eve of the match, Liam smiles and admits to have the feeling of making his debut all over again, having been out of the game for over 2-and-a-half years. Adds that he was nervous, but is feeling nice to contribute. On the key to bowling against West Indies, LD notes that there are plenty of power hitters in their ranks, so the bowlers need to be calm and stick to their lines and lengths.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

91/2 after 9.5 overs. The equation read - 98 from 61 balls. In today's age, this is doable. But Evin Lewis' wicket sparked a collapse and West Indies slipped to 130/8 - meaning, they lost 6/39 in 38 balls. That's roughly a shade over 6 overs. After Lewis' counter-punching 39, no one from the middle order could show any fight and simply caved in. It is now becoming a worrying trend for the Caribbean sides, with oppositions just dishing out spinners to curtail their hard-hitting batters. Please stay tuned for the presentation...

England bowlers had the advantage of observing what West Indies did in their bowling innings. Pace off was the key but the selection policy was on point, with 4 spinners in the playing XI. The four spinners bowled 12-0-88-7, with Liam Dawson being the most productive, taking 4 scalps, claming his best ever T20I figures, after featuring in a T20I after nearly 3 overs. But the pacers did decently as well, barring those last couple of overs which spoilt their figures.

Adaptation is the key to any game. It took a while for West Indies to analyze the wicket, and by the time they did, maybe the water had flown under the bridge. It is always easy to have a hindsight but had that Powerplay been a bit better, things could have been better for the visitors. The spinners were the ones who changed the momentum, with Motie and Chase returning combined figures of 6-0-40-1, while Romario Shepherd continued his good bowling form, finishing with two scalps.

A positive start to Harry Brook's T20I captaincy as well. An odd-looking batting scorecard for the home side, where only three batters reached double digits and only one crossed 50. But that one batter made sure to bat till the 19th over and it made all the difference. The seeds were sown in the Powerplay, where the hosts hammered 78 runs and even though they managed only 110 in the next 14 overs, the new-ball damage had done the trick. Jos Buttler continued his wonderful form from the IPL, falling just 4 short of what would have been his second century.

Well, the margin of 21 runs does not quite justify the dominance displayed by England in the second half of the innings. The visitors just lost their way post the wicket of Evin Lewis and never really recovered. Considering the amount of runs which came in the last 2 overs, maybe, if someone in the middle order had batted till the end, we might have had a different result.

Interesting last two overs from the two English pacers, who bowled it to their strengths. Carse looked to keep the line at or around the stumps, and looked to use the wicket as he hit the deck hard. Whereas, Potts focused more on the line as he looked to keep the ball out of the batter's arc in the previous over.