Moeen Ali stars with bat and ball as England win thriller to level the T20 series at 2-2

Moeen Ali’s game-winning performance with both bat and ball helped England beat West Indies by 34 runs in Bridgetown and set up a series-deciding fifth match.

The stand-in skipper smashed a scintillating 63 runs from only 28 deliveries before producing a vital spell of bowling which included the vital wickets of Brandon King (26) and Kyle Mayers (40), finishing with figures of 2-28.

Ali arrived at the crease with his side having enjoyed a respectable start. Jason Roy and James Vince (34) posted 85 runs for the second wicket prior to the former edging through to Nicholas Pooran.

Whilst Roy’s innings of 52 included its fair share of eye-catching shots, the Worcestershire all-rounder went one better to power England to a strong score of 193, made even more impressive when the Three Lions had initially struggled to deal with Kieran Pollard and Jason Holder’s nagging line and length.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of Ali’s innings was clubbing Holder for four consecutive sixes, transforming England from 134-3 to 162-3 within the matter of one over.

While Liam Livingstone (16) failed to find the form he displayed throughout 2021, Sam Billings rounded off the innings in superb fashion with back-to-back sixes off the final two balls.

In reply, West Indies began promisingly with King and Mayers registering an opening partnership of 64 runs in just over seven overs.

However, just as he has done across the last nine years, Ali stepped up to the mark and delivered when his country needed him to. He held his nerve to see off Mayers with a shorter delivery and then dismissed King with a fuller ball that found the hands of Phil Salt at long-on in his next over.

In truth, Pollard’s side never quite recovered from that double blow, in spite of valiant cameos from Pooran (22) and Holder (36). Rovman Powell failed to replicate his majestic century from the previous game and was dismissed by a trademark googly from the ever-impressive Adil Rashid.

The match eventually boiled down to the difference in scoring at the tail-end of the innings. England smashed 75 runs from their final five overs, whereas admirable death bowling from Chris Jordan and Reece Topley, who continue to win plaudits, ensured West Indies could only add 31 from their final five.

The fifth and final match of the T20I series begins at 20:00 GMT at the Kengsington Oval on Sunday night.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt