West Indies defeated England by the margin of 3-2.
Following West Indies’ T20I series win against England, skipper Kieron Pollard said that many had given up on their side but everyone in the dressing room worked tirelessly and it was a special win for them.
West Indies thumped England by 17 runs in the fifth T20I to clinch the five-match series 3-2. Batting first, after winning the toss, the hosts on account of contributions from Brandon King (34), Kyle Mayers (31), Kieron Pollard (41*), and Rovman Powell (35) posted a total of 179 runs on the board.
Defending the target, Akeal Hosein gave his team a perfect start as he removed Jason Roy in the first over of the innings and then went on to take three more wickets to leave England tumbling at 119/6.
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With 20 runs needed from the last over, Jason Holder (5/27) grabbed four wickets in four balls and helped his side win the match by 17 runs and claim the series 3-2.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard said that coming into the series, many people have given up on them and there were a lot of things written about them. He remarked that series victory against England is for everyone in the dressing room, who have worked tirelessly.
"It's wonderful. Many have given up on this team, but every single individual has rallied around. There have been a lot of negative things written about us, but this win is for everyone out in the dressing room. They have worked tirelessly coming from Jamaica (after the Ireland series) and have bounced back pretty well," Kieron Pollard said.
Pollard said that they now have an understanding as to how to get the game going and learnt a lot from things from the past. While talking about the final game of the series, he said that they knew that runs on the board will be crucial, and adding 10-15 runs extra could be handy for them.
"We now have an understanding as to how to get the game going. We have come close to winning several times before but came short at times. We have learnt from all these things. This was a virtual final, so runs on the board are crucial. Whatever (total) we get, we can add 10-15 runs tagged to the pressure," he said.
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Pollard said that they started well with the ball and closed the game nicely as everything they tried came off pretty well for them. He further lauded Brandon King, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, and Odean Smith for their heroics in the series.
"We started well (with the ball), did stall in the middle, but I thought we did well in the last four overs...everything we tried came off pretty well, Akeal at the start and spinners in the middle, and I thought Brandon (King) had a great series.
“You can't keep Holder out of the game. Akeal was good and so was Odean, despite what has been written about him. His three overs at the top were crucial. As I said before, it was a complete team effort," he said.
West Indies are next slated to play India in three ODIs and three T20Is, starting from 6th February.
(ANI inputs)