Left Arm Around

Abishek Sharma struck a staggering 135 from just 54 balls as India defeated England by 150 runs in the fifth and final T20I at the Wankhede Stadium.

The 24 year-old’s second T20I hundred came from 37 deliveries- the second fastest by an Indian in the format.

He also hit a record 13 sixes in a T20I innings, before he was finally dismissed by Adil Rashid in the 18th over.

A scintillating start saw the hosts smash 145 from the first 10, but England did fairly well to restrict India to 247-9 given the way they were peppering the fence.

Pacers Mark Wood (2-32) and Brydon Carse (3-38) shared five wickets between them, however the rest of England’s attack was unable to contain the brutal stroke play of Sharma.

Jamie Overton finished with 1-48 after leaking 25 in his first over, while Jofra Archer was again unusually expensive in a spell of 1-55.

The Three Lions began well in reply with Phil Salt hitting a rapid 55, his highest score of a quiet tour so far.

But after captain Jos Buttler fell for 7 in the fifth over, they capitulated to lose their final nine wickets for 49 runs.

Victory was unlikely after a toothless bowling display, but a final total of 97 all-out showed a clear gulf in class between the two sides.

This was the tourists’ record margin of defeat in the format, a rather worrying sign ahead of three ODI’s and the Champions Trophy that follows.

It also means Brendon McCullum starts his tenure as white-ball coach with a humbling 4-1 series loss and lots of questions to answer.