BRIDGETOWN - Jason Holder took four wickets in as many balls during a dramatic last over as the West Indies beat England by 17 runs in the fifth and deciding T20I at the Kensington Oval on Sunday for a 3-2 series win.
England needed 20 runs to reach a target of 180 when all-rounder Holder began to bowl the final over of the match on his Barbados home ground. After starting the over with a no-ball, the towering paceman removed Chris Jordan and Sam Billings with his second and third legitimate deliveries of the over via the aid of catches at deep midwicket by substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr. Former West Indies captain Holder then had Adil Rashid taken at deep square leg before ending the match when he bowled Saqib Mahmood, with both batsmen out for golden ducks. Holder finished with excellent figures of five for 27 in 2.5 overs after removing England stand-in captain Moeen Ali earlier in the innings. James Vince top-scored for the tourists with 55 before he holed out off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, who took a format-best four for 30.
Billings kept England in the game before falling for 41 off 28 balls as the tourists were dismissed for 162 in 19.5 overs. West Indies captain Kieron Pollard had led the way with the bat for the hosts with a quickfire 41 not out in a total of 179 for four England spinners Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and Moeen returned combined figures of four for 54, but the pacemen suffered. West Indies openers Brandon King (34) and Kyle Mayers (31) shared a stand of 59 before the run-rate slowed during the middle overs. Pollard and Rovman Powell, a century-maker in midweek, upped the tempo in an unbroken stand of 74 that included 66 off the last 24 balls. Pollard faced 25 balls while Powell smashed four sixes in a 35 not out made from 17 balls.
SCORES IN BRIEF
WEST INDIES 179-4, 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 41 no, Rovman Powell 35 no; Adil Rashid 2-17, Liam Livingstone 2-17) beat ENGLAND 162, 19.5 overs (James Vince 55, Sam Billings 41; Jason Holder 5-27, Akeal Hosein 4-30) by 17 runs.
