Eventually, England did just about enough to end a series of eight games without a win across formats since they last beat Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup © Getty
For large parts of the second T20I in Barbados, England appeared to have shrugged off the hangover of their opening game defeat to West Indies before the ninth-wicket pair of Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd exposed their death over fallacies. Eoin Morgan's men, though, did just about enough to eke out a one-run win and draw level in the five-match series.

An England victory had seemed a foregone conclusion when West Indies, chasing 171, slipped to 98 for 8 in the 16th over. In Shepherd and Romario, however, the visitors came across a pair that was unwilling to roll over in meek surrender. Instead, the duo launched a thrilling onslaught that featured nine sixes. Chris Jordan, who bowled the match-turning over in the T20 World Cup semifinal defeat to New Zealand, conceded 23 off his 18th over. The impressive Reece Topley though appeared to have slammed the game shut with an eight-run penultimate over, leaving Saqib Mahmood 30 to defend in the 20th.

Mahmood blinked, beginning the over with a wide. He followed it up with another short ball beyond the tramlines that, much to the hosts' disappointment, wasn't given wide. Hosein clubbed fours off the next two deliveries and Mahmood bowled another wide with West Indies needing 20 off 3. Hosein hit sixes off each remaining ball, leaving Morgan grateful for the extra runs scored in the first innings.

It was with the bat that England stepped up after a forgettable 104 all-out in the opener. Asked to bat once more, albeit on a truer surface, they were propped up by Jason Roy after the PowerPlay yielded only 40 for the loss of two wickets. Roy and Moeen Ali put on 61 runs in 6.2 overs through the middle before the former was dismissed for a 31-ball 45.

Moeen fell for 31 soon after and England appeared to stumble once more when Sam Billings fell for a low score. They were lifted to a competitive score by Chris Jordan, who smashed 27 off 15 balls.

They carried the momentum into the target defense with Topley shining in his first game back, six years after his previous T20I game. He took out Brandon King in the first over and then produced an athletic display of fielding in his follow through to run Shai Hope out. West Indies were revived by a 41-run stand between Nicholas Pooran and Darren Bravo but the spin pair of Moeen and Adil Rashid sent them tumbling thereafter. From 47 for 2 they collapsed dramatically to 98 for 8 before coming back from the dead just as dramatically through Shepherd and Hosein.

Eventually, England did just about enough to end a series of eight games without a win across formats since they last beat Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup.

Brief scores: England 171/8 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 45, Moeen Ali 31; Jason Holder 2-25) beat West Indies 170/8 in 20 overs (Akeal Hosein 44*, Romario Shepherd 44*; Moeen Ali 3-24) by 1 run.