Key events
Match report
James Wallace
Righto, that’s quite enough from me. Thanks for your company and ingredients based frivolity. We’ll be back to OBO the deciding ODI of the series on Saturday. Until then, ta for tuning in – goodnight!
Shai Hope then reflects very briefly on the loss today but seems keen to shrug it off and focus on the decider on Saturday:
It’s simple – we win the game, we win the series.”
A much happier looking Jos Buttler on becoming just the fifth Englishman to pass 5,000 ODI runs:
Really pleasing. I’ve been playing for a while now so it’s great when you get to those milestones after playing for a long period of time. It’s been a frustrating time recently.”
Sam Curran is player of the match:
“It was a tough day the other day, but you need to keep moving forward and bounce back. We did so many things right in that first game. The messages from the coaches and captain was just that. We had to come back today and put things right, which we did.”
Fair play to SCurran, I for one laid into him a bit for his under cooked performance in the first game where he bowled like a bit of a busted flush. To come back and take 3-33 off seven overs to set up a relatively easy chase for the batters is a top effort.
Just before we get to the post match presentations, spare a thought for TNT (the channel formerly known as BT) anchor Kate Mason as she is obviously contractually obliged to plug a a new show that Alan Partridge surely pitched to Tony Hayers yonks back – basically a documentary crew following Vinnie Jones as he does up a barn in the countryside. I don’t think it’s a spoof. Mason keeps a relatively straight face.
Err, actually, I might give this a whirl.
Buttler’s 90 run partnership with an ice cool Harry Brook saw England cruise to victory.
One clear big tick for England so far this series is Harry Brook seemingly finding his rhythm in ODI cricket.
He’s batted with real responsibility in both games – like the best players, he can score quickly without taking much risk.#WIvENG
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) December 6, 2023
England win by six wickets!
Brook sweeps Motie for four to notch the win for England and level the series one apiece. A much better performance in all departments from Buttler’s side and a welcome return to the runs for the captain himself who was there at the end to see his side home. The series is still alive and will be decided in Barbados on Saturday.
32nd over: England 202-4 (Brook 39, Buttler 58) Jos Buttler goes to his first 50 in 15 ODI knocks with a sublime strike for SIX down the ground off Oshane Thomas! He’s looked back to somewhere near his best this evening and came in when England were in danger of having a wobble. Scores level! Another Buttler clip for four takes England to 202 – one more needed to level the series 1-1.
Oh, and there’s this too:
31st over: England 180-4 (Brook 34, Buttler 41) Harry Brook opens his shoulders and gets four wide of point, England in a hurry now.
“Ooh, apparently Henderson’s is both veggie friendly and gluten free. Possibly limited availability here in Berlin but I have a mate who’s going back to Leeds for Xmas. I sense an order going in. Great to see a bit of the old Jos back, 5000 in ODI’s. Nice.”
You won’t regret it Mark Beadle. I used to put a couple of bottles in some thick hiking socks and squirrell them back to London on the train from a visit home. You can now get it online – and order it by the VAT too if you so wish.
30th over: England 180-4 (Brook 34, Buttler 41) Buttler looking more regal with every second at the crease – an effortless flick off his pads skims away through midwicket for four. 23 more needed.
29th over: England 171-4 (Brook 30, Buttler 36) Four off the returning Romario Shepherd as England inch closer. Can’t wait for the condiment chat to begin in earnest.
28th over: England 167-4 (Brook 28, Buttler 35) Five runs off the over as Rutherford returns. But fugggeddabout that – Tom v Ducht has swept/swooped/swuppen in and guessed the guest ingredient:
“Evening, like many Chillies, there’s something still slightly tentative about England’s middle overs. A splash more piss and vinegar like the one Salt (of the Phil variety) provided wouldn’t go amiss when making a statement whilst four wickets down.
P.S. does Henderson’s Relish feature in your recipe?”
Send me your address Tom – a padded jiffy brimmed with the good stuff is all yours!
Reyt good on owt!
27th over: England 162-4 (Brook 26, Buttler 32) Buttler’s back! He absolutely crunches one out of the middle of the blade that soars miles for SIX over long on! Cariah responds by going fuller and straighter but Buttler gets those chunky wrists under it and pppppongoes it for another epic strike down the ground. Fourteen runs off the over that will do England’s sad eyed (of late) skipper the world of good – those strikes had that unnering air of confidence about them that has been sadly lacking from Buttler’s recent innings. His side need just 41 more runs to win.
Meanwhile in the OBO mailbag, Colum Fordham is doing my job for me. I’m not against it, long as I still get paid. You aren’t siphoning off a cut are you Col?
“Hi James,
It’ll be interesting to see if Joss Buttler can get through his lean patch and guide England home with Brook. The West Indian spinners (Motie and Cariah are promising) are getting prodigious turn and their quicks are firing. So could be a tighter finish than expected, despite the modest target.”
26th over: England 148-4 (Brook 25, Buttler 19) Gudakesh Motie has been quietly impressive with his flight and guile in this match – he has 2-30 off his seven overs so far and restricts England to just two off his latest.
25th over: England 146-4 (Brook 24, Buttler 18) England starting to dominate once more with Brook and Buttler looking in fine fettle. Eleven runs off the over including a Harry Brook skip down the track and bunt for SIX back over Cariah’s head.
24th over: England 135-4 (Brook 16, Buttler 15) Jos Buttler plays an audacious helicopter pull shot off Alzarri Joseph! Four runs. Cowabunga. Shades of MS Dhoni mixed with Rohit Sharma. Nine runs off the over for England – 68 more needed to level the series.
23rd over: England 121-4 (Brook 13, Buttler 9) Cariah bowls a tidy over, just five runs off it. “Ealy (Mark Ealham) has a 5-15 still in England’s top ten ODI’s and also a 5-32 against Sri Lanka.”
You’ll find no bigger fan of Ealham and his commodious derriere than me, Mark Beadle
“Marmite is too obvious, peanut butter?”
A double dose of wrong I’m afraid. My jiffy bag and ladle stare up at me forlornly….
22nd over: England 121-4 (Brook 12, Buttler 5) Rutherford’s brief but successful spell comes to a close as Alzarri Joseph is summoned by Shai Hope, perhaps sensing this is his side’s do or die moment in this game. It’s a smart return from Joseph – just a single to Buttler out to deep midwicket.
“Hi James”
We meet again Brian Withington.
“Distractions completed and laptop charged I can now concentrate on both the cricket and secret chilli ingredients.Research suggests a number of possibilities including:
– maple syrup
– espresso/coffee powder
– puréed pumpkin
– root beer
– various sweet spices including cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice
I wonder what Jos recommends?”
Our survey says – eeee/urgh. I’d mislayed my pureed pumpkin and root beer this evening y’see Brian.
21st over: England 120-4 (Brook 12, Buttler 4) Cariah nearly cleans up Buttler! A tentative prod to a ball that turns and the edge lands just short of the fielder at point. A more confident drive brings England’s skipper three.
WICKET! Jacks lbw b Rutherford 73 (England 116-4)
Stone dead! Will Jacks becomes Sherfane Rutherford’s first ODI scalp – the ball didn’t get up as much as the batter expected and pinned him in front of all three. West Indies still in the hunt. England need 87 more to win.
Jos Buttler is the new man, he gets off the mark with a force through midwicket. He could do with a score here.
20th over: England 117-4 (Brook 12, Buttler 1)
19th over: England 114-3 (Jacks 73, Brook 11) Yannic Cariah is into the attack with his perky leg spin. Oooosht! Nearly cleans Jacks up first ball with a rippah! Just span past the off stump by the merest layer of lacquer. Gah. Next ball is a drag down and is pan-handled into the stand by Jacks. He could have hit that anywhere tbf. Cariah gets out of the over with four dots. Jacks eyeing up a ton here to cement his place at the top of the order.
18th over: England 108-3 (Jacks 67, Brook 11) Look alive, Sherfane Rutherford is coming on for a first bowl in ODI cricket. Hmmm Mark Ealham esque bustling medium pace for my money, hardly going to give England sleepless nights. A leg side half-volley is clipped away greedily by Jacks. A noble experiment. Sort of.
If the sadness of life makes you tired
And the failures of man make you sigh
You can look to the time soon arriving
When this noble experiment winds down and calls it a day”
17th over: England 101-3 (Jacks 61, Brook 10) The maroon shackles are broken by Harry Brook who hauls himself onto his knee and slog-sweeps Motie high and long into the Antiguan night for SIX! That’s the hundred up for England and time for a drink. Yorkshire Gold and a Mr Kipling Viennese whirl at this end. Stay Classy.
16th over: England 92-3 (Jacks 59, Brook 3) Well bowled Oshane Thomas, another tight over sees just three runs managed by Jacks and Brook.
Hi @Jimbo_Cricket.
I’ve just gritted my teeth as my train went through Grantham (no Keir Starmer me!) en route back from Leeds, where I saw a marvellous Oliver!
Still got the bright lights of Peterborough and Stevenage to navigate, but I don’t feel like I’m missing much tbh.
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) December 6, 2023
Who will buy this beautiful morning OBO and put it in a box for me?
15th over: England 89-3 (Jacks 58, Brook 1) West Indies keep the squeeze on knowing full well that it is wickets that will decide the outcome of this match. Brook gets off the mark with a push off Motie. Both of these players like to find the boundary, a few more – attempt Jeremy Coney accent here – paaaarsimonious – overs and it could bring about a rash shot or two in frustration.
14th over: England 87-3 (Jacks 55, Brook 0) Oshane Thomas keeps the pressure on for West Indies, just a couple of runs to Will Jacks off it.
WICKET! Duckett c Hope b Motie 3 (England 85-3)
Now then. Duckett falls and England are in danger of seeing their serenity turn into a spluttering. A glove off an attempted sweep sees the ball loop in the air to Shai Hope with the gloves and the simple catch is gladly accepted.
Here comes ‘Arry Brook… nearly gone first ball too as edge off a nervy forward poke just falls short of slip. Crikes. 118 still needed for England.
13th over: England 85-3 (Jacks 55, Brook 0)
12th over: England 78-2 (Jacks 50, Duckett 1) Oshane Thomas sneaks in and out of an over with a minimum of fuss but can’t stop Will Jacks pinching a single to take him to a very smart 43 ball fifty.
Apologies I think my email was linking to some other poor soul – it is fixed now. Do get in touch at james.wallace.casual@theguardian.com
Brian Withington has found a way regardless:
“Hi James,
I’m guilty of very poor planning for this evening’s Sportsfest, as laptop, tablet and headphones were all in need of a charge and one of my cables is no longer recognised by OS since last upgrade, thank you Apple (other money-grabbing obsolescence creating behemoths are available).
Consequently I am indebted to the ever splendid OBO for keeping me abreast of ODI developments on my well charged phone whilst I negotiate a tangle of replacement cables and nurse fragile battery levels, and of course keep an eye on Amazon’s Every Goal show on TV hosted by Jeff Stelling, fortunately minus his trademark Sky Bet promotions (other money-grabbing bookmaking firms are available). It’s exhausting being me.”
Good to have you with us Brian and you’ve reminded me of that old Bob Dylan line – “I’m glad I’m not me.”
11th over: England 75-2 (Jacks 48, Duckett 0) Crawley was looking to force through the off side but was done by some nice drift from Motie, the ball dipping on him and he only managed to get a toe end on it on before it hit the timbers.
Ben Duckett is the new man, England have lost two wickets in just over ten overs but are well in charge of this game… AT THE MOMENT.
WICKET! Crawley b Motie 3 (England 75-1)
Zak Crawley chops on!
10th over: England 74-1 (Jacks 47, Crawley 3) Oshane Thomas into the attack, he goes full and wide and is flayed away by Jacks for SIX over point. The Surrey man is now within one boundary of a rapid and aggressive fifty.
9th over: England 67-1 (Jacks 38, Crawley 2) A quieter over from the spin of Motie, just three runs eked off it.
Mark Beadle’s turn to take a punt on the guest ingredient:
“Evening James! You are truly blessed, a midweek chili and you get to OBO an England win. (And potentially an early finish too Mark #SoBlessed #UrghHateMyself) Assuming this is the traditional Mexican chili and the chocolate is already in there, maybe some vitamin packed broccoli?”
Broccoli eh Mark? You’re avin a laugh, mate. Not a floret in sight.
8th over: England 64-1 (Jacks 38, Crawley 2) Bosh! Shepherd goes short to Jacks who sways inside the line easily and spangles the ball away for a huge SIX! He’s got his eye in here which could be very dangerous for the home side.
7th over: England 57-1 (Jacks 31, Crawley 2) Gudakesh Motie replaces Joseph as Hope turns to spin early. A drag down is panned away disdainfully by Crawley and both batters nurdle a single to keep the scoreboard a tickin’.
“My guess at mystery, guest ingredient in the chilli is cocoa powder. Proper unctiousness.” Kevan Marriner is getting his Nigella on.
“Always surprises but us chilli heads – we know!”
Not averse to a bit of cocoa or dark chocolate Kevan. BUT in the words of Roy Walker “It’s good but its not the one”. Keep guessing…
WICKET! Salt b Shepherd 21 (England 50-1)
Stumps splayed! England bring up the fifty at a rollocking rate, Salt rolling his wrists on a short ball to pick up four through leg before Shepherd has the last laugh by nipping one in and away to see the back of Salt. The batter giving a nod of approval as he departs the scene. West Indies have their first and they need a few more and quickly.
Zak Crawley is the new batter and gets off the mark with a push into the covers to keep the strike.
6th over: England 51-1 (Jacks 25, Crawley 1)
5th over: England 44-0 (Salt 16, Jacks 25) SEVENTEEN runs off the over! Joseph bowls an absolute snorter at Will Jacks that takes the glove and soars way over the keeper for four. That was a brute, Jacks was forced to bend backwards in mid-air like that famous picture of Robin Smith facing a spitting cobra from Ian Bishop. Crikes – jacks repsonds with an absolute flay into the leg-side, premeditated and the ball flies over midwicket for SIX. A push for two by jacks is followed by a scyth through point for four more.
4th over: England 27-0 (Salt 15, Jacks 9) Just a couple off it, a Jacks clip into the leg side. Tim Burton esque spindly shadows begin to creep across the Sir Vivian Richards outfield as the great man joins Ian Bishop on commentary. His voice is so deep and rich, shades on, gum being masticated to within an inch of its life. I can practically taste the testosterone seeping out of my Sanyo.
3rd over: England 25-0 (Salt 11, Jacks 2) England’s openers ride their luck, Jacks gets an edge wide of the solitary slip fielder to pick up a spawny boundary and Salt flings his hands at a back of a length ball, gets a meaty edge and sees the ball fly away over backward point. Nothing ventured and all that.
2nd over: England 15-0 (Salt 15, Jacks 7) My new favourite cricketer – Romario Shepherd – takes the ball for the second over and nearly sneaks one onto Will Jacks’ front dog bang in front… the Surrey man just managed to jam his bat down in time. The pitch looks slightly two-paced as Salt fails to time a pull and a clip to leg.
1st over: England 12-0 (Salt 10, Jacks 2) Alzarri Joseph starts with the new orb. Phil salt glides past point for two, slightly uppish but evades the fielder. Here we go! Salt smacks back to back fours through the off side – the first a confident drive and the second a fortunate waft but they both bring four. England take a dozen off the first over.