Islamabad, June 7, 2025 Former England captain Jos Buttler delivered a remarkable innings of 96 runs from 59 balls, while Liam Dawson made a strong comeback to international cricket by taking four wickets, securing a 21-run win against West Indies in the first T20 clash at Durham’s Riverside Ground on Friday.
After completing a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series under new captain Harry Brook, England continued their winning streak in the T20 format. Electing to bat after winning the toss, the hosts put up a solid total of 188 for 6.
The West Indies fought hard but were limited to 167 for 9, with Romario Shepherd falling on the last ball of the innings.
Buttler, coming in at number three, anchored the innings following Ben Duckett’s early exit. He reached his fifty in just 25 balls during the eighth over and thrilled the crowd with three towering sixes and a cheeky scoop for four in Alzarri Joseph’s over.
READ MORE: England Women vs West Indies Women: England Secure T20I Clean Sweep
The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last year, looked relaxed and aggressive, hitting six boundaries and four maximums. He fell just four runs short of a century, trapped lbw by Joseph in the penultimate over—his highest T20 score on home soil.
READ MORE: England vs West Indies: England Crush West Indies in ODI Opener
West Indies got off to a decent start but stumbled early, with Johnson Charles stumped off Dawson for 18 and skipper Shai Hope dismissed by debutant Matthew Potts for just three. England kept the pressure, holding them to 44 for 2 in the powerplay, in contrast to their own 78 for 1.
Evin Lewis top-scored with 39 off 23. Liam Dawson, returning after over three years, claimed 4 for 20, including key wickets like Powell and Rutherford.
The second T20 is set to be played in Bristol on Sunday.
