ENG vs WI 2nd ODI: Cook Powers England To Series Win

Guess what, Chris Gayle was back in the West Indies side and hammering the ball to all quarters. He made his comeback in grand fashion, clobbering 3 fours and 5 mammoth sixes in his knock 0f 53 in 51 balls. But that was not enough as England ended up winning the game comfortably by 8 wickets with 5 overs to spare. With this win, England also conquer the series 2-0 with the 3rd and last ODI to be played on Friday.

West Indies were batting first and the dangerous Chris Gayle opened the innings with Lendl Simmons. West Indies got off to a slow start, managing to score just 8 runs in the first 5 overs. But then was the time when Gayle unleashed himself, hitting Finn for 3 consecutive boundaries. He took a special liking to Tim Bresnan as he smacked him for 3 sixes in the 10th over, including one which ended up on the roof. Gayle reached his 50  in just 41 balls, but was soon trapped by Swann for 53. It was a controversial decision to give Gayle out Leg Before Wicket. West Indies suddenly slumped from 63/0 to 79/4 as they lost Gayle, Simmons, Smith and Samuels in quick succession.

West Indies were looking down the barrel at this stage with plenty of overs still left. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard curbed their natural instincts and played out a few overs quietly. Slowly they started gathering runs.West Indies were 133/4 in 35 overs and the batting powerplay was taken. Both these batsmen now started scoring freely and Dwayne Bravo was simply looking ominous the way he was treating the England pacers. West Indies gathered 47 runs in the powerplay but lost Pollard in the process. Captain Darren Sammy played a handy knock of 21 in 20 balls and had a good partnership with Bravo. England bowlers came back well in the death overs as West Indies could score just 19 runs in the last 5 overs and lost 4 wickets. Bravo was out after scoring a very fine 77. West Indies finally ended up on 238/9 in their 50 overs.

West Indies were certainly about 20 runs short of where they should have been and needed to bowl brilliantly to win the match. But the England openers Alaistair Cook and Ian Bell did not allow the West Indies bowlers to settle down and dispatched the poor balls. Both of them were freely playing their shots. England brought up their 50 in just the 9th over and the 100 in the 18th over. In the mean while Ian Bell completed his half-century too. Finally, Sammy provided some relief to the West Indies as camp as he foxed Bell with a slower delivery. Bell was caught in the covers for 53. Cook and Bell had put on 103 for the 1st wicket.

Trott and Cook later carried on the momentum and did not allow the West Indies bowlers to get even a sniff of victory. Alaistair Cook reached his 100 in 110 balls and was finally dismissed by Sammy for 112. Cook and Trott had put on 99 for the 2nd wicket. Trott and Bopara ensured that there were no further hiccups as England reached the target with 5 overs to spare. England also win the series with this victory.

WEST INDIES-238/9 (50)

Bravo-77 (82)

Gayle-53 (51)

Pollard-41 (52)

Anderson-2/38

Broad-2/43

ENGLAND-239/2 (45)

Cook-112 (120)

Bell-53 (64)

Trott-43* (68)

Bopara-19* (19)

Sammy-2/46

ENGLAND WIN BY 8 WICKETS

MAN OF THE MATCH-ALAISTAIR COOK