‘It’s been a good eye-opener’ – Jos Buttler reflects on fourth T20I loss against West Indies after 3-1 lead

Jos Buttler (Source : Getty Image )

England suffered their first defeat of the five-match T20I series against West Indies, as the hosts successfully chased down a target of 219 in the fourth T20I in St Lucia on Saturday. Despite holding a 3-0 lead in the series, the loss has been a learning curve for Jos Buttler’s young team.

The visitors posted 218/5 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to Phil Salt’s 55 off 35 balls and an explosive unbeaten 62 from 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, who laced his innings with five sixes, including three consecutive ones off Roston Chase.

However, the Caribbean side responded brilliantly. After a cautious start that saw them get just five runs from the first two overs, including a maiden from Saqib Mahmood, opening pair Evin Lewis and Shai Hope began their assault on the English bowlers.

Their 136-run partnership in just nine overs put the hosts’ in a good position and eventually guided them to their highest successful T20 chase at home. England captain Buttler spoke about the quality of the opposition’s performance while mentioning the learning opportunity for his team. 

“To get 219, whatever the conditions, the opposition has got to play well. Credit to the West Indies, they did. If we could have prised a wicket, it maybe would have been a different game. When you get conditions like this, it puts a premium on your execution and skill level. It’s what you expect against top teams in international cricket – you get good surfaces and you’ve got to be on it. It’s been a good eye-opener with the standards we need to have for ourselves and where we need to improve,” Buttler said after the game.

Also Read: West Indies chase down mammoth target to register first win of the series

Rehan Ahmed got us back in the game by being brave: Jos Buttler

One bright spot for England was the performance of young spinner Rehan Ahmed, who claimed three crucial wickets, including Lewis and Nicholas Pooran. Filling in for the rested Adil Rashid, Ahmed showed his credibility as England’s future premier spinner. 

“His greatest attributes are that he’s confident, up for it and always wants the challenge. He got us back in the game by being brave, taking risks and using his variations. He’s done really well. It’s good to see him in the side without Adil and being the main leg-spinner. Rash has been the most important member of our team but we need to get some games into people. Not just for Rehan but the rest of the bowling attack to feel what it’s like without Adil there,” Buttler added

The Rovman Powell side managed to register their first win of the series, and they will hope for another consolation win in the fifth T20I of the series.