Fan demands England captain buy him a new pint after Harry Brook’s crunching boundary knocks drink out of his hands

EVEN Adil Rashid being plundered for an incredible 31 runs in a single over could not prevent England securing another win.

A four-wicket triumph in Bristol means Harry Brook has played five, won five since becoming permanent white-ball captain.

A fan asked England captain Harry Brook buy him a new pint after Harry Brook

Quite a contrast from the stats when he took over from Jos Buttler – England had lost their previous seven matches.

But his winning sequence looked in serious danger until Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton hoisted a string of sixes to propel England towards their target.

England were chasing 197, which was a lot more than looked likely before Rashid delivered the 19th over of West Indies’ innings.

Jason Holder struck the first three balls for sixes, then came a single before Romario Shepherd sent the final two deliveries over the boundary.

 It was the second-most expensive over in history for England – behind only Stuart Broad’s famous maximum 36 to India’s Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

Rashid would not normally have bowled the 19th over but England’s policy of fielding only two specialist seamers means they are having to shuffle their bowlers differently.

Last week, Buttler described Rashid as the most irreplaceable player in England’s squad.

He was right, too, but even the best bowlers can take punishment in these days of power-hitting, monster bats and short boundaries.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

 The Windies ransacked 75 from their final four overs but still England overhauled their total with nine balls to spare.

With an aggregate of 395 runs, it was the highest-scoring match in T20 international history without an individual fifty.

 Brook said: “With the set-up we have, we knew we’d probably have to bowl a spinner late. Obviously, Rash struggled but that happens with 60-metre boundaries all round.

 “He’s still one of the best spinners in the world and it’s something he will potentially have to do again in the future.

 “We knew there would be maybe three big overs but I’m always pretty chilled. We feel like we’re a bunch of mates going out and having some fun.

“The depth in our batting is perfect. Having Bethell and Banton coming in late and sealing victory was great.”

After Jamie Smith perished early, there were contributions all down England’s order but it was the late flurry by Bethell and Banton that accelerated the win.

Bethell struck Alzarri Joseph for three sixes in a single over – over long leg, dead straight and over point. True 360 degree batting. Banton struck his first ball for six and finished 30 not out from just 11 balls.

Earlier, left-arm seamer Luke Wood, in his first England appearance since September 2023, had Evin Lewis lbw with the first ball of the game.

Wood finished with 2-25 from his four overs and was Player of the Match.

The Windies struggled to reach top gear and stalled in the middle overs until the late assault on Rashid.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein’s visa was finally granted and he went straight into the team after landing at Heathrow at 7.30am yesterday following an eight-hour flight from the Caribbean.

England won the 50-over series 3-0 and are 2-0 up in the T20s. The final match is in Southampton on Tuesday.