Worcestershire Rapids Vitality Blast captain, Moeen Ali, smashed 63 off 28 balls and then picked up two key wickets to inspire England to a 34 run victory in the fourth T20I against the West Indies in Bridgetown.
It leaves the series all square at 2-2 and heading for a thrilling climax in Sunday evening’s final game at the same venue.
Moeen led by example as England’s stand-in captain and hit Windies paceman, Jason Holder, for FOUR successive sixes in an over costing 28 runs out of a total of 193-6.
He cleared the boundary seven times as he chalked up his fourth fifty in T20I cricket, and his fastest, from just 23 deliveries.
“Simply fantastic innings and his bowling and fielding changes were excellent” was how former England fast bowler and now BT Sport commentator, Steve Harmison, described Moeen’s brilliant performance.
Moeen came to the wicket at 93-2 in the 12th over after the dismissal of Jason Roy for 52.
He swept left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein for four, but after that, it was six-hitting all the way for Moeen.
Holder returned to the attack with 1-3 from two overs, but he could not halt Moeen’s onslaught in the 18th over.
Moeen hit him for 2-6-6-6-6-2 with his sixes over long-on, straight down the ground, extra cover and backward square.
Paceman Romario Shepherd was struck for two more sixes in the next over before Moeen holed out off Holder at long-on from the first ball of the final over.
He left the field to a standing ovation from the many England supporters inside the Kensington Oval and then impacted his off-spin.
Moeen broke an opening stand of 64 when he had Kyle Mayers, 40 from 23 balls, caught at long-off by Chris Jordan after holding back his delivery.
He dismissed the other opener in Brandon King, 26, when he picked out Phil Salt at long-on.
Moeen finished with figures of 2-28 from his four overs, and he and Adil Rashid (1-28) put the brakes on the West Indies, who closed on 159-5.
