Moeen Ali is all smiles after scoring his third ODI century
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Moeen Ali smashed a breathtaking 102 as England demolished the West Indies by 124 runs in the third ODI in Bristol on Sunday.
Moeen’s knock was the second-fastest hundred by an England player as he needed just 53 runs to bring up the milestone. Jos Buttler still holds the record for the fastest ODI century as he took 46 balls to reach the triple figure mark in an ODI against Pakistan in November 2015.
Opting to bowl first, the West Indies struck early as England opener Jonny Bairstow was caught and bowled by captain Jason Holder for 13.
Alex Hales and captain Joe Root made up for the loss of Bairstow with a 46-run partnership before Hales was given out lbw off the bowling of Miguel Cummins for 36.
In the very next over, England skipper Eoin Morgan was caught behind off the bowling of Holder for a golden duck.
Despite losing two wickets in quick succession, Root and Ben Stokes steadied things for England as they amassed a 132-run partnership, during which both batsmen brought up their half-centuries.
Ben Stokes struck his 10th half-century in ODI cricket
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Rovman Powell provided the breakthrough for the West Indies as he removed Stokes for 73, which came off 63 balls and included five boundaries and three sixes.
Buttler fell shortly after, while Root went on to make 84 off 79 deliveries, which included seven boundaries and two sixes, before he was trapped lbw off the bowling of Cummins.
Joe Root scored his 24th ODI fifty
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Once Root was out, Moeen took over from that point as he punished the West Indian bowling attack, much to the delight of his teammates and the fans in attendance.
Moeen and Chris Woakes ended up accumulating a 117-run stand before Woakes was dismissed by Jerome Taylor for 34.
Moeen continued to take the attack to the West Indies when Woakes was back in the pavilion, but his innings ultimately came to an end when he was caught by Holder off the bowling of Ashley Nurse for 102, which came off 57 balls and included seven boundaries and eight sixes.
WOOOOOW! No words for @MoeenAli – he brings up his century from 56 balls! 😍
Just 12 balls for his second 50! 😱https://t.co/Iokv5fMDti pic.twitter.com/lSOAoyx3qz
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 24, 2017
Thanks to Moeen, England finished on 369/9 off their 50 overs.
Cummins was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Holder snapped up two, and Taylor, Nurse and Powell chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 370 to win, the West Indies lost opener Evin Lewis in the second over as he was sent packing by David Willey for 13.
Chris Gayle began to heat up after Lewis’ dismissal and scored a majority of the runs during his 64-run partnership with Shai Hope.
Hope ended up being caught behind off the bowling of Liam Plunkett for 20, while Marlon Samuels suffered the same fate when he was on 11.
Gayle and Jason Mohammed stabilised the innings for the men from the Caribbean with a 67-run stand, but just as Gayle was nearing his hundred, disaster struck as he was run out by Adil Rashid for 94, which came off 78 balls and included nine boundaries and six sixes.
Chris Gayle fell six runs short of his 23rd ODI hundred
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
The West Indies began to lose wickets at regular intervals after Gayle’s departure and even though Mohammed and Holder made scores of 38 and 34 respectively, it was not enough for the West Indies as they were bowled out for 245.
Plunkett was the most successful bowler with five wickets, while Rashid took three and Willey claimed one.
GET IN! @Liam628 finishes with his first ODI five-for – and fitting that @MoeenAli takes the catch! https://t.co/Iokv5fv2BK#EngvWI pic.twitter.com/BuTw4q4ycp
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 24, 2017
Holder was disappointed with his side’s performance, and said: “The back end of the bowling, we took punishment, didn’t nail our yorkers and paid for it. [Two spinners?] Thought we had a good balance of the side, we needed to close the innings off better. It’s been an area of concern for a while. I thought we could have executed a lot better.
“On a small ground, we paid for it. 300-320 was probably a par score. We got off to a pretty decent start with the batting. We kept up with the run rate but kept losing wickets. We’ve got to be better in the field, sloppy at times. Ownership needs to be taken among everyone. [Positives?] The way Chris played was exceptional, Jason Mohammed chipped in. We need one of the top four to get a hundred.”
Morgan was pleased to have won the match, and said: “Yes, delighted losing the toss, being sent in during an early game tested our defence but our start was good and we were in control until four or five down, when Moeen came to the crease. He was the difference between the two sides.
“When we bowled, I thought the wicket improved a lot, we were up against it but came through. On a small ground, a good wicket, it can be difficult to defend but our guys bowled well, executed their plans, especially against a guy like Gayle. Mo’s always pretty chilled, philosophical about things. Winning is very important in the context of the series and he was outstanding today.
“[Plunkett] He’s been Mr Reliable, come in and bowled quick, managed to extract plenty out of the pitch. [Oval selection] We’re going to play our strongest team and hopefully win the series.”
Moeen was named Man of the Match, and said: “[Best ODI innings?] Yeah, I think so, everything seemed to come off today. Nice to get in and play a few shots. [Partnership with Woakes] Just that we wanted to take it to the 42nd over, hit the bad ball and let loose after that. There was one hack I had that went to third man and I tried to keep my shape and then I connected with one… and it was nice.
“[Batting at No. 7] I enjoy the responsibility of that situation, I can play a few shots. I feel good, very confident in my own game. But the main thing is to try to win the series.”