A Man of the Match performance from left arm spinner Gudakesh Motie guided the West Indies to a four wicket win in the fifth and deciding T20 international and take a 3-2 victory in the T20 international series against England at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
Sent into bat, the English were dismissed for 132 in 19.3 overs with Motie claiming 3-24, while there were two wickets apiece for Andre Russell, Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein.
West Indies bowler Gudakesh Motie said that he did not face any difficulty during the fifth T20I match against England.
West Indies clinched a four-wicket win in the fifth T20I match of the series against England at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Friday. Following this, they have registered a 3-2 series win against Jos Buttler’s side.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, ‘Player of the Match’ Motie said the pitch helped him.
The spinner said that he has been working hard to improve his bowling lengths while playing international cricket. He also added that the Test is the most challenging format in cricket.
“For me, it wasn’t too difficult. I knew my ability. The pitch was assisting. Important to hit your lengths when you play international cricket. I have been working on it for over the years. As a finger spinner, you don’t get much from the wicket. I prefer all the formats. Test cricket is the most challenging. My second series and am very happy,” Motie said.
Recapping the match, after winning the toss, West Indies asked England to bat first at the Brian Lara Stadium.
English opener Philip Salt (38 runs from 22 balls) failed to continue his remarkable form but still smashed 5 fours and a six. Liam Livingstone (28 runs from 29 balls) and Moeen Ali (23 balls from 21 balls) also tried to boost the visitors’ run rate. But the English side did not fare too well against the West Indies bowling attack and could only score 132/10 in 19.3 overs.
Gudakesh Motie led the home side’s bowling attack and bagged three wickets in his four-over spell. After two disappointing matches, the Caribbean bowlers prevailed in the fifth T20I match.
In the run chase, West Indies opener Johnson Charles (27 runs from 22 balls) started well to set the tone of the game. Later, Hope (43* runs from 43 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (30 runs from 24 balls) made a crucial partnership to chase the target. Hope stayed on the crease till the last moment and ended the game by smashing a six-over deep cover.
Reece Topley and Adil Rashid took two wickets each in their respective spells.
Gudakesh Motie was named the ‘Player of the Match’