World T20: Handy cameos lift England to 182/6

MUMBAI: Without a single fifty in 20 overs, England muscled their way to 182/6 on the back of three punchy innings after being put into bat by Darren Sammy on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium. Joe Root's bullish 48 turned an early loss into a position of dominance, and then Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan played brisk cameos at the death to ensure a platform wasn't wasted.
Sammy's decision to field first under lights was based on the Wankhede's reputation of assisting a bit of seam in the evening - he mentioned this fact on match eve from his IPL experience - but apart from a few testing deliveries from Jerome Taylor in his first spell there wasn't enough to push England back.Alex Hales targeted the legspin of Samuel Badree, sweeping and slogging gleefully when the bowler bowled it too full; two fierce leg-side swipes forced Badree to drop it shorter and Hales pounced on it, cutting past point for a hat-trick of fours. The first wicket came soon after, however, with Jason Roy (15) whipping Andre Russell to a diving Badree at midwicket.
Root's arrival perked up the mood, a stunning hooked six off Russell flying over fine leg. A second six was equally eye-catching, as Root flicked Taylor with delectable timing. Hales' contribution to a partnership of 55 in 40 balls was just 13, until Sulieman Benn snuck one past his bat and roared out his satisfaction. That left West Indies at 92/2 in 11.1 overs, a solid platform from which to launch.
Root punched his way to 48 from 36 balls, then Morgan and Buttler combined to add 38 in 3.3 overs. Morgan matched Root's hooked six with a gem of his own, rocketing a short ball from Russell rows back over behind square leg, and Buttler heaved Benn over cow corner for the same result. Potentially wooing his to-be IPL home fans, Buttler struck a third six into the second tier before he fell for a 20-ball 30.
Russell's final over, the 19th, went for 12 with Ben Stokes teeing off for six and four, and then 18 came off Bravo in the 20th to give the bowlers a good total to defend.
Brief scores: England 182/6 in 20 overs (Joe Root 48, Jos Buttler 30) v West Indies