Sherfane Rutherford's explosive unbeaten 76 and a clinical performance from the spinners guided West Indies to a comfortable 30-run victory over England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday night, propelling the Caribbean side to the top of Group C (#ENGvsWI) in the T20 World Cup 2026.
In a high-stakes clash between two former champions, West Indies proved why they remain a force in the shortest format.
After being put in to bat by England captain Harry Brook, the Caribbean side overcame a shaky start to post a formidable 196/6, before their spinners dismantled the English chase to secure two vital points and back-to-back wins in the tournament.
The West Indies innings didn't start as planned. Jofra Archer removed skipper Shai Hope for a duck in the very first over, and Sam Curran dismissed Brandon King shortly after — Phil Salt pulling off a diving catch at deep point. At 8/2 inside the first seven balls, the Windies were staring down the barrel.
Shimron Hetmyer (23) and Roston Chase (34) steadied the ship with a 47-run stand during the powerplay, pushing the score to 55/3. However, Jamie Overton — brought into the side in place of Luke Wood — justified his selection by dismissing Hetmyer with a well-directed cutter, before Adil Rashid produced a gem of a googly to trap Chase LBW.
Enter Sherfane Rutherford. The Mumbai Indians star, playing at a ground he knows well from the IPL, turned the game on its head with a breathtaking knock. Rutherford smashed an unbeaten 76 off just 42 balls, featuring seven towering sixes and two fours, striking at an incredible 180.95.
He shared a crucial 51-run partnership with Rovman Powell (14) for the fifth wicket and then combined with Jason Holder for a devastating 61-run stand for the sixth.
Holder's quick-fire cameo of 33 off 17 balls — with four sixes including 18 off one Sam Curran over — provided the late-order surge that propelled West Indies past the 190-mark.
This was Rutherford's career-best T20I score, his fifth half-century in the format, and a continuation of his sensational 2026 form where he has averaged 71.2 across all T20s with a strike rate of 168.8.
Adil Rashid was the standout with the ball for England, returning exceptional figures of 2/16 from four overs. In the process, he reached the milestone of 400 T20 wickets in his career and became the highest English wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history with 32 scalps. Overton also impressed with 2/33, but the remaining bowlers proved expensive.
England's response started with a bang. Phil Salt looked in devastating touch, smashing 30 off just 14 balls including a spectacular assault on Jason Holder's bowling. Jos Buttler joined the party, and England raced to 67/1 at the end of the powerplay — the second-highest powerplay score of the tournament.
But Romario Shepherd — the five-wicket hero from the Scotland match — removed Salt, with Rutherford taking a sharp catch at cover. From there, the West Indian spinners spun a web that England simply could not escape.
Gudakesh Motie was the star with the ball, picking up 3/33, including the prized wicket of Harry Brook with a brilliant caught-and-bowled dismissal. His chinaman deliveries tormented the English middle order, with Jacob Bethell (33 off 23) and Jos Buttler both falling to his guile.
Roston Chase complemented him perfectly with 2/29, including a plumb LBW of Will Jacks, while Akeal Hosein chipped in with 1/32.
Despite a fighting knock from Sam Curran (37 off 25), England's middle order crumbled under spin pressure. The batters struggled to read the turn on a surface that began to grip, losing wickets at regular intervals.
England were eventually bowled out for 166 in 19 overs, with the last wicket falling when Roston Chase took a stunning diving catch at deep square leg to dismiss Adil Rashid off Shamar Joseph's bowling.
West Indies' decision to bring in Roston Chase for Matthew Forde proved to be a game-changing call. Captain Shai Hope had described it as a "tactical" move to "counteract England's left-handers," and Chase repaid the faith with both bat and ball — scoring 34 crucial runs during the early wobble and then taking 2/29 to tighten the noose in the chase.
The Wankhede Stadium continued its trend of favouring the team batting first in this World Cup, with all matches at this venue now being won by the side setting the target.
With back-to-back victories, West Indies move to the top of Group C with a superior net run rate, putting themselves in a commanding position for Super 8 qualification.
For England, the road gets slightly tougher — they'll need to fix their middle-order collapses and find answers against quality spin before their next fixture. Given the fight Scotland and Nepal have shown in this group, another slip-up could put England's tournament progression at serious risk.
Comments (0)