Pallekele: Little-known Johnson Charles scored his maiden half-century while Chris Gayle made an aggressive fifty to help West Indies beat defending champions England by 15 runs in a Super Eights match of the World T20 on Thursday evening.
“That was a very good performance. We knew how good the wicket was, so to defend that was very good from the bowlers. We saw how England played against India, so we tried to maximise our spin options,” said Windies captain Darren Sammy.
Charles scored a belligerent 84 with the help of 10 well-timed fours and three sixes, while Gayle belted six fours and four sixes en route to a 58.
Chasing 180 for win, England stuttered at the start before Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan came together and stitched 107 runs for the fifth wicket to almost snatch victory, falling short thanks to a good last over bowled by Marlon Samuels. (PTI)