West Indies chase down 219 to beat England by 5 wickets in 4th T20

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West Indies’ captain Rovman Powell eyes the ball after hitting for six runs against England during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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West Indies’ Shai Hope, right, and Evin Lewis celebrate scoring a hundred runs during their partnership against England at the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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West Indies’ Shai Hope plays a shot from a delivery of England’s Sam Curran during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Rehan Ahmed celebrates with wicket keeper Phil Salt the dismissal of West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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West Indies’ Evin Lewis plays a shot against England during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Jacob Bethell hits a third six in a row from the bowling of West Indies’ Roston Chase during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Jordan Cox celebrates with teammate Sam Curran his third six in a row from the bowling of West Indies’ Roston Chase during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Jacob Bethell plays a shot for six runs from the bowling of West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Will Jacks plays a shot from the bowling of West Indies’ Obed McCoy during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Phil Salt acknowledges scoring half a century against West Indies during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Phil Salt plays a shot for six runs against West Indies during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Phil Salt plays a shot for four runs from the bowling of West Indies’ Akeal Hosein during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s captain Jos Buttler, left, talks to Sam Curran during the fourth T20 cricket match against West Indies at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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England’s Rehan Ahmed bowls against West Indies during the fourth T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

GROS ISLET, St. Lucia (AP) — Shai Hope and Evin Lewis made half centuries in a rapid 136-run opening stand as the West Indies completed a record run chase to beat England by five wickets Saturday in the fourth Twenty20 international.

Hope made 54 from 24 balls and Lewis made 68 from 31 balls, with seven sixes and four fours, in a partnership which lasted only 9.1 overs but enabled the West Indies to reach a winning target of 219.

The West Indies’ confident start was shaken when Lewis, Hope and Nicholas Pooran fell to consecutive balls in the 10th over. But captain Roston Chase put the innings back on track with 38 from 23 balls and Sherfane Rutherford competed the chase with successive sixes and an over to spare.

There were 32 sixes in the match, 16 from each team.

“We had to assess the conditions. That’s one thing we struggled with in the first three games in the power play,” Hope said. “We’ve been losing some early wickets so the main thing was to try and understand what was the best remedy, to understand the conditions and come out of the power play on top.”

England already had won the five-match series after winning the first three matches by eight wickets, seven wickets and three wickets respectively. Every match in the series and in the previous three-match one-day series has been won by the team winning the toss.

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After being sent in, Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell who both have deep roots in the Caribbean made swift half centuries as England made 218-5 to equal the highest first innings total at the Darren Sammy Stadium.

Bethell who was born and raised in Barbados made an unbeaten 62 from 32 balls while Salt who was born in Wales but raised in Barbados made 55 from 35 balls at the top of the order.

Will Jacks (25), Jos Buttler (38) and Sam Curran (24) also contributed to England’s innings of 218-5.

The West Indies made a speedy start in pursuit of that total. Hope reached his half century from 23 balls, the West Indies were 69-0 after the power play and their hundred came up in only 7.3 overs.

Lewis was more watchful than Hope at first but when he began to hit out it was with enormous power. He reached his half century from 26 balls and the longest of his sixes traveled 105 meters.

The century partnership between Hope and Lewis came from only 45 balls and they had looked impregnable until Lewis played an awkward shot to a ball from Rehan Ahmed which he skewed to Dan Mousley.

Hope was run out next ball for the second time in consecutive matches and Pooran was bowled first ball as the West Indies slumped to 136-3.

Powell restored some of the early momentum with his 38 before falling lbw to John Turner in his T20 debut. The West Indies needed 21 from the the last three overs with five wickets in hand, then 15 from two.

After edging towards the target in singles, Rutherford finally found the middle and blasted consecutive sixes from Mousely to clinch the win.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket