England captain Jos Buttler led his team to a dominant seven-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second Twenty20 international in Barbados on Sunday. Buttler scored a brilliant 83 off 45 balls, helping England take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
After England’s comfortable win in the first T20 at Kensington Oval, the West Indies’ lower order fought back in the second match. Thanks to 32 runs in the final two overs, the West Indies posted a total of 158.
Phil Salt, who had scored an unbeaten century the day before, was dismissed for a golden duck, and England’s chase faltered early. However, Buttler, playing in his second match after recovering from injury, hit six sixes to put England in control of the game.
Liam Livingstone sealed the win with a six, allowing England to clinch their first white-ball series win in the Caribbean since 2019. They could wrap up the series in Saint Lucia on Thursday with two matches still to play.
“It felt great to spend time in the middle,” Buttler said. “I was a bit scratchy early on, but I came through it and really enjoyed it. It’s great to be back.”
Buttler won the toss and chose to bowl first, and Jofra Archer quickly found form, taking key wickets to help restrict West Indies to 35-3 in the first four overs. A solid 43 from West Indies captain Rovman Powell helped them recover, but after his dismissal by Dan Mousley—Mousley’s first T20I wicket—West Indies were in trouble.
Some late runs from the tailenders, including 22 from Romario Shepherd, put pressure on England, but Salt’s early wicket left England needing to bounce back quickly.
Buttler, who had missed several matches due to a calf injury, steadied the innings with Will Jacks. The pair put on 128 for the second wicket before Jacks was dismissed for 38. Buttler was also out soon after, but Livingstone’s unbeaten 23 ensured England reached the target with five overs to spare.
“Someone in the top four or five needs to bat most of the overs,” said Powell. “We’ve done that in the past but struggled here. The next three games give us a chance to improve.”
