'Bittersweet' Brathwaite offers reminder of his explosive talent

West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite was rewarded for making an 8,000-mile round trip to Chester-le-Street as the tourists beat England by 21 runs in a lone Twenty20 international on Saturday.

England, set 177 for victory, were bowled out for 155 at a chilly and rainswept Riverside.

Barbados-born Brathwaite, 29, had been West Indies' star with the bat when they beat England in last year's World Twenty20 final, hitting four successive sixes in a dramatic last over.

This time, paceman Brathwaite damaged England with the ball when, in his only match of the tour -- -- he was not selected for the Test or one-day international legs -- he took three for 20 runs in 3.3 overs.

"This was probably the more challenging of our recent wins," Brathwaite told Sky Sports.

"Conditions were soft and slippery, the umpires were close to calling it off actually. It was so bad and I asked the guys if they want to trudge on or call it a day.

"The umpires were in agreement with us but then we thought we will give it a go and see if there are any slips, and there weren't."

Brathwaite's tour may be over but he is not making an immediate return to the Caribbean.

"I am now heading off to Manchester to support the Red Devils (Manchester United) against Everton tomorrow (Sunday)," he explained.

The first ball of England's reply saw Jason Roy caught at backward point by a diving Evin Lewis after he sliced a drive off Jerome Taylor.

Alex Hales was almost out for a golden duck as well but Rovman Powell dropped a tough diving chance following a firm clip off the pads.

Brathwaite, however, bowled Hales for 43 made off just 17 balls, including eight fours and a six.

- 'Losing the game' -

Hales's exit was the start of a slump that saw England lose three wickets for four runs as 64 for one soon became 68 for four.

Brathwaite caught England Test skipper Joe Root (17) on the drive off Ashley Nurse.

And Nurse's fellow spinner Sunil Narine then had Twenty20 skipper Eoin Morgan out for just two when the dangerman reverse swept straight to Lewis at short third man.

"Losing the game was losing three wickets in that period," said Morgan.

Narine was named man-of-the-match after taking two for 15, with none of the West Indies side on show Saturday having featured in a preceding 2-1 Test series defeat by England.

The hosts needed 26 off the last over and Brathwaite, fittingly, ended the match when he bowled Liam Plunkett.

Earlier, West Indies made 176 for nine.

Chris Gayle (40) and Lewis (51) got West Indies off to a flying start, putting on 77 for the first wicket after Morgan won the toss.

But fast bowler Plunkett (three for 27) and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, whose figures of three for 25 were his best at this level, kept West Indies to under 200.

The third over saw Gayle smash left-arm paceman Willey for two successive sixes -- a pull followed by a straight drive.

Lewis got into gear in the sixth over as he hit 16 runs in three balls off Tom Curran.

Gayle's 21-ball innings, featuring three fours and four sixes ended when, after guiding Plunkett to backward point, he was run out as he ambled for a single.

The 37-year-old Gayle, in common with several senior West Indies players, had been involved in a bitter dispute with Caribbean cricket chiefs.

But July saw him return to West Indies duty in a Twenty20 international against India in Kingston.

That match saw fellow left-hander Lewis make a stunning 125 not out.

Lewis threatened another big score on Saturday while making fifty off 26 balls, including six fours and three sixes

The Trinidadian, however, was out soon afterwards when he drove Plunkett to Root at mid-off.

"Evin Lewis has has been striking it cleanly, there were even times when Chris Gayle had to play second fiddle," said Brathwaite.

England and West Indies begin a five-match one-day international series in Manchester on Tuesday.

Completed scoreboard in the lone Twenty20 international between England and West Indies at Chester-le-Street on Saturday:

West Indies

C. Gayle run out (Roy/Plunkett) 40

E. Lewis c Root b Plunkett 51

M. Samuels c Root b Plunkett 10

C. Walton c Willey b Rashid 13

K. Pollard c Curran b Plunkett 6

R. Powell c Jordan b Curran 28

C. Brathwaite b Rashid 2

S. Narine lbw b Rashid 2

A. Nurse not out 13

J. Taylor lbw b Jordan 1

K. Williams not out 2

Extras (lb1, w7) 8

Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 176

Fall of wickets: 1-77 (Gayle), 2-106 (Lewis), 3-115 (Samuels), 4-123 (Pollard), 5-127 (Walton), 6-138 (Brathwaite), 7-142 (Narine), 8-165 (Powell), 9-167 (Taylor)

Bowling: Willey 2-0-20-0 (1w); Root 2-0-11-0 (2w); Curran 4-0-46-1 (1w); Jordan 4-0-46-1 (2w); Plunkett 4-0-27-3 (1w); Rashid 4-0-25-3

England

J. Roy c Lewis b Taylor 0

A. Hales b Brathwaite 43

J. Root c Brathwaite b Nurse 17

E. Morgan c Lewis b Narine 2

J. Buttler c Powell b Williams 30

J. Bairstow c sub (Mohammed) b Brathwaite 27

A. Rashid c Walton b Williams 1

D. Willey st Walton b Narine 1

L. Plunkett b Brathwaite 18

C. Jordan c Powell b Williams 6

T. Curran not out 1

Extras (lb5, w4) 9

Total (all out, 19.3 overs) 155

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Roy), 2-64 (Hales), 3-66 (Root), 4-68 (Morgan), 5-118 (Buttler), 6-124 (Rashid), 7-127 (Willey), 8-129 (Bairstow), 9-148 (Jordan), 10-155 (Plunkett)

Bowling: Taylor 3-0-40-1; Williams 4-0-35-3 (3w); Brathwaite 3.3-0-20-3; Narine 4-0-15-2; Nurse 3-0-23-1 (1w); Pollard 2-0-17-0

Result: West Indies won by 21 runs

Toss: England

Umpires: Michael Gough (ENG), Tim Robinson (ENG)

TV umpire: Rob Bailey (ENG)

Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

Carlos Brathwaite, the star of the West Indies World Twenty win, was Monday named as the new skipper of the T20 squad, succeeding the sacked Darren Sammy.

Brathwaite has been appointed captain for the two Twenty20 internationals the West Indies will play against India at Fort Lauderdale in Florida on August 27 and 28.

The new captain memorably smashed four sixes in the final over against England to win this year's World T20 final in Mumbai.

"Brathwaite is one of the most talented players in the T20 format of the game and his humble and committed approach to the game can inspire young and upcoming players," said chairman of selectors, Courtney Browne.

"We are looking forward to a competitive series against India in these matches."

Sammy was sacked on Friday after a six-year spell in charge had brought success in the 2012 and 2016 Twenty20 championships.

Sammy claimed he was dumped in a 30-second phone call from Browne.

West Indies T20 squad:

Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine

West Indies skipper Rovman Powell believes facing a recently defeated New Zealand will bode well for his side when they face off against the Kiwis at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

West Indies are coming off back-to-back wins against PNG and Uganda respectively, whereas New Zealand lost their opening group game by a heavy margin. A win for the former against the Black Caps in Tarouba would seal their spot in the second round.

Powell thought the tournament co-hosts had a decent chance at ambushing the relatively under-prepared New Zealand. While the Black Caps had an extended stay in the Caribbean, they preferred net sessions over warm-up fixtures in the lead-up to the tournament in contrast to many other sides.

"If there's a good time to play New Zealand, I think it's now," Powell said at the press conference ahead of the game. "They're a little bit undercooked."

Powell added that Kane Williamson's side will be under greater pressure after a heavy defeat to Afghanistan, needing a win to ensure that they don't have to bank on other results in order to progress.

"The pressure is really on them because this game decides whether they go on yes or no. But having said that we're not focusing on New Zealand, we're focusing on what we have to do and once you do what we have to do then that will take care of itself," Powell said.

Powell was also confident that his side had done their homework on his Rajasthan Royals teammate, Trent Boult, who will be the foremost Kiwi threat with the new ball.

"With a lot of technologies around, everything you do in every single game is available to everyone around the world," Powell added. "Thankfully for us we have very good analysts who have figured out some of the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult.

"So hopefully tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise (on his weaknesses)."

Action in Group C moves from Guyana to Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago. The West Indies last featured at the venue in December 2023, wherein they secured a series win over England. As per Powell, recent experience and knowledge of conditions would boost the West Indies' chances.

"Those performances (against England) give us confidence. It gives us confidence in knowing that it's our condition and we understand the condition," he added.

"The results have gone our way here at Brian Lara Stadium. So, I think that is additional confidence for us, that they have prepared different surfaces here at Brian Lara and we have played on it. So that's very good for us as a team."

The ninth Men's T20 World Cup is the biggest ever, and Powell was completely aware of its significance.

When asked what this T20 World Cup meant to the side, Powell leaned into its historic and economic significance for the region.

"If we should go on and win the World Cup, it's the first team to have won a (men's) T20 World Cup at home," Powell noted.

"And also, if you look at it from a financial standpoint, the boost West Indies cricket economy and how beneficial it is for so many different islands to be getting international cricket and international cricket of such good standards.

"That in itself is a beneficial factor for us and also for us as players it's an opportunity for us to cement our space in West Indies cricket folklore. Winning a World Cup on home soil, not just myself as captain but all the guys I think will be remembered for such achievement."

James Anderson was thrust straight into the action in his final Test as England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field against the West Indies at Lord's on Wednesday.

Stokes's decision was greeted by huge cheers from the crowd at the 'Home of Cricket', with spectators eager to see Anderson do what he does best in the paceman's 188th and final Test of a record-breaking career spanning two decades.

No fast bowler has taken more than the 41-year-old Anderson's 700 Test wickets and only India batting hero Sachin Tendulkar has played more matches (200) in the format.

Overcast skies promised to assist swing bowler Anderson, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord's back in 2003.

But looking ahead to the 2025/26 Ashes, England believe now is the right time to end his international career.

"We can expect from Jimmy complete heart, desire to win games for England," said Stokes at the toss. "He's a consummate professional. That first ball that's bowled today, the crowd will be right up."

Both teams had already named their sides for this first of a three-match series, with England handing debuts to the Surrey duo of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and fast bowler Gus Atkinson.

"Gus and Jamie coming for debuts is always an exciting thing," he added. "They've got a very high ceiling, very talented."

West Indies gave a debut to Mikyle Louis as the 23-year-old batsman became the first cricketer from his home island of St Kitts to represent the West Indies in their 96 years in Test cricket.

"We would have bowled too but we've got a job to do with the bat now, we'll focus on that," said West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

He added: "Batting first at Lord's, what an occasion. We've got to enjoy it, that's what I'm telling the boys, and we've got to believe to achieve."

Former New Zealand captain Tim Southee said Friday the team's upcoming Test series with England would be his last, with the 35-year-old set to finish up at his home ground in Hamilton.

The irrepressible seam bowler made his debut against England at Napier in 2008 and has been a mainstay since, taking 385 wickets in his 104 Tests -- second only to Richard Hadlee (431) among New Zealanders.

"Representing New Zealand was all I ever dreamed of growing up," Southee said.

"But the time feels right to now step away from the game that has given so much to me.

"Test cricket holds a special place in my heart," he added.

"So to be able to play such a big series against the same opponent my Test career began against all those years ago, and on three grounds that are incredibly special to me, seems the perfect way to end my time in the black cap."

Southee captained the side to six wins, six losses and two draws after taking over from Kane Williamson in 2022 before handing over the baton last month to Tom Latham, who led them to a 3-0 Test sweep in India.

Southee's all-round skills and consistency has seen him become the only player in the world to claim more than 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20 wickets.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink saluted him as one of the country's finest players.

"Tim has been a constant in the improving fortunes of the Blackcaps and he'll be remembered as a giant of the modern New Zealand game," he said.

"Tim has an incredible bank of experience and knowledge of the game and while he may have called time on his playing career, I'd be surprised if we don't see him in another capacity at some stage in the future."

Southee will make a decision after the three-Test England series, which gets under way in Christchurch on November 28, on whether he has one final white-ball farewell in him.

New Zealand face Sri Lanka in three ODIs and three T20s at home from December 28.

Blackcaps coach Gary Stead said Southee's record spoke for itself.

"Tim's durability and resilience has been outstanding," he said.

"He's an incredibly tough competitor who gets himself up for big occasions and is rarely injured.

"Tim cares deeply about the team, its reputation and performances, and he will be missed within the Blackcaps environment."