Rain helps Windies to victory over England

England are left frustrated by a Twenty20 Duckworth-Lewis result for the second time in under a year against the West Indies.

Paul Collingwood watches the rain fall during a break in the match at the Guyana National Stadium.

England were left frustrated last night by a Twenty20 Duckworth-Lewis result for the second time in under a year against the West Indies. This time, they saw the hard work they had put into their 191 for five come to nought as their hosts successfully chased a revised target of 60 in six overs between the rain breaks at the Guyana National Stadium. The upshot is that they must now beat Ireland tonight to follow West Indies through to the Super Eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20. The captain Paul Collingwood said: "I'm trying to take the emotion out of that defeat. "But I think 95 per cent of the time when you get 191 for five on the board you are going to win the game. "Unfortunately, Duckworth-Lewis seems to have other ideas - bringing the equation completely the other way. "It's the second time it's happened to us now against West Indies, so it is very frustrating - because tonight we've played a near perfect game but we've lost. "We've just got to bounce back tomorrow against Ireland." Eoin Morgan (55) and Luke Wright (45 not out) earlier shared a brutal stand of 95 to help England set the Windies a tough target. But Chris Gayle had chosen to field first, in anticipation perhaps of history repeating itself after the West Indies had notably got the better of England in similar circumstances to knock them out of last year's World Twenty20 at The Oval. Collingwood was left to reflect on the need for changes in playing conditions. "There's a major problem with this Duckworth-Lewis in this form of the game," he added. "I've got no problems with it in the 50-over form. But I know it's made us very frustrated tonight. "It certainly has to be revised for this form of the game." England ought still to progress by beating Ireland in their final Group D match at the same venue. "We've still got a chance in the tournament," said Collingwood. "What we did today was exceptional - what we spoke about in the dressing room, what we picked guys for ... they did it exactly." Gayle, meanwhile, agrees that Duckworth-Lewis can cause problems in 20-over cricket. "I think it's something they're going to have to look into," said the Windies captain. "I would support what Collingwood just said. I could have been in the same position as well. "It's something that can be addressed, so it can be 'even Stevens' for both teams in the future. "I'm happy, but it's just unfortunate for England. "It was a good game. It was just unfortunate for England to have to lose in this manner."

* PA Sport