England chases down 222 to keep alive T20 series in Caribbean

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) — England kept alive the Twenty20 series with the West Indies by chasing down 222 with one ball to spare on Saturday.

Opener Phil Salt backstopped England by carrying his bat for a maiden T20 century while Harry Brook got them over the line by hitting 24 runs in the last over when 21 were needed.

The West Indies, 2-1 up in the five-match series, has another chance to clinch on Tuesday in Trinidad in the fourth T20.

The home side put up a formidable 222-6, 46 more runs than it scored in a win on the same pitch on Thursday, and the highest T20 score at Grenada National Cricket Stadium. Ireland made 208-7 in 2020.

But England followed a great start — 73-0 after the powerplay and a 115 opening partnership between Salt and captain Jos Buttler — with an even better finish by Salt with help from Liam Livingstone and Brook to reach 226-3 and win by seven wickets.

Salt finished 109 not out from 56 balls, the fifth Englishman to a T20 hundred.

Buttler launched the chase with consecutive sixes back over Akeal Hosein's head in the first over.

West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie's first over went for 18 runs, double what he conceded in four overs on Thursday. Motie came back to take 1-30 but England was up and running.

Salt reached fifty in the eighth over and his fourth six lifted England to 100 runs in the 10th over.

Buttler got his 22nd T20 fifty but was out next ball at 115-1 to a stunning boundary catch. Hosein originally caught it but his momentum was taking him over the rope and he threw inside to Alzarri Joseph.

Livingstone and Salt took 20 runs off the 17th over bowled by Joseph. In a drama-filled 18th over, Salt crashed consecutive sixes off Jason Holder, Livingstone was out, and Brook hit the last delivery into the stands.

England needed 21 runs off the last over bowled by Andre Russell, and Brook smacked a winning 4-6-6-2-6.

West Indies openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers were gone within the first nine deliveries to spinners Moeen Ali and Reece Topley, who replaced Rehan Ahmed.

Shai Hope showed no nerves when he slog-swept Ali over long-on and shared in a 54-run stand with Nicholas Pooran.

Gus Atkinson's excellent fielding on the boundary turned a potential six runs by West Indies captain Rovman Powell into one but when Atkinson bowled the next over, he conceded sixes to Powell over square leg and to a Pooran pull.

The batters combined for 50 from 25 balls then Powell was gone for 39 off 21 in Sam Curran's first over.

Pooran's 11th T20 fifty came from 37 balls, and he combined with Sherfane Rutherford to take 25 off the 17th over bowled by fast bowler Tymal Mills.

Pooran hit two sixes over square leg and was out trying for a third on the leg side off Adil Rashid. Pooran's 82 off 45 balls included five sixes and four boundaries.

Holder finished the innings with 6-4-6 off Topley in an 18-run last over, and most would have thought the West Indies was going to win the series. But England came alive.

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