England in West Indies: Hosts claim dramatic 26-run victory

Jason Holder sparked England’s collapse and finished with figures of 3-53

West Indies produced an inspired fightback to claim a thrilling 26-run victory over England and level the one-day series at 1-1 in Barbados.

Chasing 290 for victory, England lost their last six wickets for 35 runs as they subsided to 263 all out.

Jason Holder dismissed Jos Buttler and Tom Curran in consecutive balls during England’s collapse, while Sheldon Cottrell took a career-best 5-46.

Shimron Hetmyer made an unbeaten 104 in West Indies’ 289-6.

Just two days ago, England chased down a record 360 with ease to win the opening match of the series by six wickets.

The third ODI takes place in Grenada on Monday.

Holder inspires Windies

A 99-run stand for the fourth wicket between Eoin Morgan, who made 70, and Ben Stokes left England in a comfortable position, needing just over a run a ball.

But captain Holder’s decision to bring himself back into the attack in the 35th over, with England needing 100 to win, changed the game.

Stokes was the first to fall as he chased a wide, full delivery from Holder and edged to wicketkeeper Shai Hope for 79.

Buttler skied a Holder off-cutter to Hetmyer in Holder’s next over, before Curran was lbw to a delivery that replays suggested was comfortably missing leg stump.

Curran was unable to challenge – Stokes had used England’s only review on his dismissal – and the tourists, with the run-rate climbing, never recovered.

With the tension growing, Holder dropped a simple chance to reprieve Adil Rashid at cover, but his decision to bring Cottrell back on reaped instant rewards.

He had Rashid caught behind and two balls later Moeen Ali was bowled around his legs, before Liam Plunkett drove Carlos Brathwaite to long-off.

It was fitting that Holder, West Indies’ inspirational skipper, took the catch that sealed their first one-day win over England since 2014.

Hetmyer shines

Shimron Hetmyer’s century against England was his fourth in ODIs in the past year

Hetmyer’s 83-ball century earlier helped West Indies recover from a quiet middle-over period.

He struck seven fours and four sixes, mixing quick singles with powerful strikes over the leg side, and guided the hosts well in the closing overs.

Hetmyer and Brathwaite took 18 off one Stokes over, including two flat sixes, before Mark Wood bowled Brathwaite with a slower ball.

Nurse and Hetmyer shared an unbroken 52-run stand in 5.3 overs, with Hetmyer drilling down the ground to reach three figures off the penultimate delivery of the innings.

Opener Chris Gayle, who scored 135 in the first ODI, made a 50 which included four sixes before he was bowled aiming to hit leg-spinner Rashid across the line.

Rashid ran out Darren Bravo for 25 with a direct hit from short third man.

Jason Roy also produced a brilliant throw, running to his right from backward point and aiming at one stump, to dismiss Holder.

‘I wanted to get the guys believing’ – what they said

England captain Eoin Morgan: “When you get on top, you really need to nail it home – and we didn’t do that.

“We felt that 290 was well within our capabilities. We simply didn’t play well enough to win. There’s no sense of ‘we should have won that game’.

“That’s a really good test for us – we need to play extremely competitive games. We’re not going to just turn up and win wherever we go.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder: “When I came back I knew I needed to get a wicket. I just wanted one to get the guys believing. I believed.

“On a sticky wicket we got a really good total – and credit for the guys for the way we defended it.”

Man of the match Shimron Hetmyer: “My celebration was for my girlfriend – I try to do good things whenever she is around. The guys will be hoping she’s always around!”

“I felt it was slipping away a bit when Buttler and Stokes were in but I knew if we got one of them out then we could take it home from there.”

West Indies seamer Sheldon Cottrell, who took 5-46: “My celebration is a military-style salute. I’m a soldier back in Jamaica by profession, 11 years strong.

“Me saluting is just to show my respect to the Jamaica Defence Force.

“I’ll do it every time I get a wicket. I just enjoy the saluting, enjoy playing cricket. I practised the celebration for six months when I was training in the army.”

Sheldon Cottrell has taken 13 wickets in seven ODIs