Wood , Banton star as England Crush West indies by 6 Wickets and clinched the Series 2-0

@Luke Wood celebrates after taking a wicket vs Windies 2025

On June 8, 2025, England beat West Indies by 4 wickets in the second T20I match at Bristol, finishing the run chase with 9 balls left. As a result, England now have a 2-0 advantage in the series, showing their firm control over the three games. With strong support from the batters and good bowling by Luke Wood, England managed to win against West Indies despite their six-packed batting display.

Match Context : England’s 3-0 win in the ODI series culminated in a 7-wicket win on June 3 using the DLS method, and the following match was a test game as part of West Indies’ tour of England. On June 6, England won the first game by 21 runs, as Jos Buttler scored 96 and Liam Dawson took 4 wickets. Including England’s new captain Harry Brook, the team aimed to keep playing aggressively, whereas Shai Hope’s West Indies wanted to catch up in the series. Because Bristol is so small, it was expected that the teams would score a lot, and that’s exactly what happened, with the match making history by being the first T20I with both teams failing to make a fifty.

West Indies managed to score 196 runs after 20 overs with six wickets down :

At the beginning, the West Indies team struggled to gain speed with their innings. The openers found it tough against England’s disciplined attack and reached 44/2 until the end of the powerplay. Luke Wood got rid of important batsmen in the starting overs and ended with 2/25, receiving Player of the Match. His excellent bowling in the middle overs prevented the opposition from getting many runs;   After losing three quick wickets, West Indies stood at 91/3 by the 10th over, but Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid’s bowling slowed them down and made it difficult to reach the score. Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, and Rovman Powell all fell quickly, as Dawson’s delivery made Roster Chase lose his wicket. 3 Sixes in row from Jason Holder (29* in just 9 balls) and some other batters helped West Indies reach 196/6 in the end. But Shai Hope acknowledged after the game that they were a bit short on runs since they missed out on runs against spin during the middle overs. Brook stated that the total was about 30 runs less than what was expected from the pitch.

England Innings :

Early Momentum

The start of England’s innings was very aggressive. Jamie Smith did not last long (4 off 5), but Ben Duckett and Jos Buttler worked hard to build a 63-run partnership in the powerplay. . Duckett scored 30 out of 18 deliveries before getting caught, and Buttler was the leading scorer with 47 off 36 . Mid‑Innings Battle

After 10 overs at drinks, England was on 87/2, with Buttler providing some stability . After that, England stepped up: There was a 40‑run partnership formed by Buttler and Brook, with Brook hitting 34 off only 20 balls This book is called The Turning Point 

After the equation tightened and England lost three more wickets, Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton stepped up with great performances. Banton’s strong innings of 30 off 11 (including a reverse-flick six) went well with Bethell’s 26 off 10 (including three huge sixes), resulting in 56 runs in just 21 deliveries  In 15 balls, they put together a 43‑run partnership that helped England gain a strong lead Finishing Touches

When Banton and Bethell were out, Brydon Carse and Banton (with bat in hand) finished the match smoothly, giving England a win with 9 balls to spare (199/6 in 18.3 overs).

Bowling Highlights :

• Luke Wood was back in style, picking up Lewis and Charles and ended with 2/25, which earned him the award for Player of the Match

• Rashid took the important wicket of Hope and controlled the middle phase, but he gave away 31 runs in the final over

• Brydon Carse took wickets towards the end to stop West Indies from scoring more and England won the game.

Best Players & Important Strategies :

Standout Batting

• Jos Buttler gave a sense of composure as he made 47 runs off 36 deliveries while building the foundation for the win.

• Harry Brook: Made 34 runs and led the side well, continuing his unbeaten run as captain .

• Jacob Bethell & Tom Banton scored a number of runs late on, which was crucial for Somerset. West Indies’ chance was stopped when Banton and Bethell scored 30 and 26 off 11 and 10 balls, respectively

Tactical planning & carrying out actions :

England performed well in the field when facing pressure from the opposition. The dismissal of Powell by Luke Wood’s tumbling catch was very important. Being captain of the England team, Harry Brook pointed out the short boundaries and stated the importance of sticking to the team’s plans as the West Indies made a late push.

The consequences and lasting results :

• Following this win, England won the series 2–0 and there’s one more match left in Southampton 

• This triumph is Brook’s fifth time at the helm, keeping up the team’s positive results after a recent ODI sweep .

• Wood’s bowling in the match shows that England can cope with Liam Dawson’s expected return in the first T20.

• Rejuvenation of hope: Adding Duckett, Bethell, and Banton to the team makes the future of England look promising .

Conclusion :

Their victory by 4 wickets on June 8, 2025, proved how Harry Brook and his team have become stronger in T20 cricket. Because of Luke Wood’s bowling and the batters’ efforts, the chase was made comfortable despite the West Indies making a good score. With the series won, the victory also pointed out points that West Indies can improve on in the next game. Even though both teams are working on their strategies ahead of the World Cup, England’s strong performance in Bristol makes them look like serious contenders.

Brief Scores : 

WI Innings : 196/6 ( 20 Overs) SHai Hope 49 off 38 Balls(2 Fours And 4 Sixes), Johnson Charles 47 off 39 Balls (3 Fours And 3 Sixes).

Eng Bowling : Luke Wood 2/25 (4 Overs), Jacob Bethell 1/24 (3 Overs).

Eng Innings : 199/6 (18.3 Overs) Jos Buttler 47 off 36 Balls (4 Fours And 2 Sixes), Tom Banton 30* off 11 Balls ( 3 Fours 2 Sixes).

WI Bowling : Alzarri Joseph 2/45 (4 Overs), Akeal Hosein 1/33 (4 Overs),

Player of the Match : Luke Wood

Result : England Won by 6 Wickets.