England are being good at something they were bad at.
Powerplay wickets had become a rare breed for Jos Buttler's men. During the T20 World Cup 2024 group stage, they were the only team to go wicketless in the first six overs in multiple matches. In their last six T20Is against Test nations before this series, they had taken six powerplay wickets in total. But in three outings against the West Indies, Saqib Mahmood alone has taken eight. It is the most by an England bowler in any series in T20I history.
It is hard to gauge fully whether England have fallen on this by luck or judgement. Hop the other side of the fence and West Indies are lamenting their biggest weakness are the same top-order collapses England are claiming credit for. In six of their last seven matches, West Indies have lost two or more wickets in the first six overs.
If the old wives tale of T20 cricket remains true, losing three wickets in the powerplay leads to a loss, then West Indies have ticked that box in all three matches across this series. On Thursday in Gros Islet, just to make sure, they lost five.
"We know we are stroke players and come out aggressively," said West Indies skipper Rovman Powell after the game. "But that little element of being smart was missing."
What England have settled on, however, is a method of all out attack in the first six overs. Only when Reece Topley was forced off the field by an injury, with Jamie Overton subbing in for two balls, have England made a bowling change in the powerplay this series. Other than that, either Mahmood and Topley or Mahmood and Archer have bowled through the powerplay unchanged as England seek to eke out any and all movement that they can find with the white ball. T20 might be a batters' game, but it's bowlers who win you matches.
Mahmood's partnership with either Topley or Archer has seen two bowlers of contrasting styles complement each other. Coming into this series, Mahmood had been working on his away swing, knowing that if he could get the ball moving away from the right-hander, he would be in pole position to take the new ball alongside either Topley or Archer who both naturally move the bowl into the right-hander.
"It was nice to show that I can also swing the ball," Mahmood said earlier in the week. "I always hear people saying that I am just a seam bowler."
Three beneficial tosses have fallen their way and they have capitalised, but England have been presented with different challenges. The second T20 was plug and play. The ball was moving around corners, so England hunted for wickets and found them.
In St Lucia, however, the same wasn't true. There wasn't prodigious movement and despite the low scores mustered by either side, the consensus was that the wicket was playing true.
"I know I got man-of-the-match," Mahmood said sheepishly, "but I thought it was a pretty good wicket."
Forced to mix things up, England combined data and feel to reduce West Indies to a heap before the match had even begun.
Bowling to Evin Lewis, Mahmood asked Buttler to bring deep third into the ring, but was rebuffed. "One more ball," Buttler said, before Lewis was duly caught top edging a pull the very next delivery.
Then, while bowling to Shimron Hetymer and attacking the stumps, Buttler suggested a short-ball following a conversation he'd had with the analyst. Next ball, he was caught at deep square leg. On each occasion, Mahmood gestured to Buttler in his celebrations.
"I told him he might as well tell me where to bowl every ball," Mahmood joked.
As an individual, Mahmood is benefitting from the feeling of belonging in an XI where he had otherwise always felt he was just keeping a seat warm. His performances in the Caribbean have been so definitive it's hard to imagine him being dislodged in the T20 set-up even when players like Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse are available again.
"You always have that fear of failure a little bit more," he explains. "Whereas with this series I've [felt] like it's my own spot, and I can express myself and always look to take the aggressive option instead of trying to play it safe ... It's probably the best I've felt in an England shirt."
Mahmood has taken nine wickets this series compared to Archer's two, but they come as a pair. The two are close friends who have both suffered from serious injuries in recent years. Often rehabbing together, a goal they shared was to one day open the bowling together for England. It's four years ago they were first in an international squad together, but it was only this summer when they walked out in the same match together.
Their success means England have been able to play on showboat mode. Today, England employed a short leg, two slips and left cover open during the powerplay. Buttler, captaining with a smile and under the lid at bat pad, has been embracing his new era of captaincy. And while winning undoubtedly makes the smile easier to come by, it's rubbing off on the rest of the team.
"His captaincy has been amazing," Mahmood said of his skipper. "I've really enjoyed it.
"Even at the death the other day, he kind of just left me to it. And I quite like that, you just get left to what you want to do, and you think clearly. He's one of the best players in the world and to have him back in your XI and lead from the front, he's been great."
Earlier this year, the Caribbean had been the scene of arguably Buttler's lowest point as captain, but between Mahmood and Archer, his two quicks may have solved one of his problems and kickstarted the new era.