Brandon King’s unbeaten 82 and skipper Rovman Powell’s explosive 50 powered West Indies to a thrilling 10-run victory over England, establishing a commanding 2-0 lead in their five-match T20 international series in Grenada on Thursday. In a remarkable turnaround, West Indies opener King displayed his prowess with eight fours and five sixes from 52 balls, rescuing the team from a precarious 54-4 to a strong finish of 176-7 at the National Stadium in St. George’s. Despite winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, England struggled against a disciplined home team, finishing at 166-7.

Tourist Sam Curran led England’s batting with a score of 50 off 32 balls, but they faced constant challenges in reaching the required run rate against the formidable West Indies bowling attack. Alzarri Joseph stood out with figures of 3-39 off four overs, while spinner Gudakesh Motie frustrated England with an economical 1-9 from four overs.

Post-match, man-of-the-match King highlighted the significance of his resilient innings, stating,

“It was very important for me to stay there and build partnerships. We’re playing well, and everyone’s playing with confidence.”

England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged the impact of the explosive latter part of the West Indies innings, conceding:

“They had a couple of big overs at the back end which pushed the score up, but we’re only losing by 10 — there’s plenty of ways we can find those 10 runs.”

King’s unbeaten knock received crucial support from Powell, who made a swashbuckling cameo, contributing to West Indies posting a competitive total. Powell’s half-century off just 28 balls, featuring five sixes and three fours, included a standout 16th over where he dominated Curran, scoring 30 runs with four sixes.

Adil Rashid emerged as the top performer among England bowlers with figures of 2-11 off four overs. With the win, West Indies lead the series 1-0, having previously beaten England by four wickets in the opening T20 in Barbados on Tuesday. The third match of the series is set to take place in Grenada on Saturday.