The West Indies showed fight with the bat but it ultimately wasn’t enough as England secured a 3-0 T20 International series sweep with a 37-run win in the third match at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday.
The West Indians were put in a tough spot from the get go after winning the toss and choosing to field as England openers Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett continued their dominance in the powerplay that they showed throughout the series.
The pair pummeled the West Indian bowlers on the way to putting on 83 in the first six overs with Duckett bringing up his third T20I fifty off just 20 balls, the fourth-fastest in the format by an Englishman.
Smith also brought up his fifty, his first in the format, off 23 balls as the partnership blossomed to 120 in the ninth over before Smith finally fell for 60 off 26 balls including four fours and five sixes.
Jos Buttler then came and went for a brisk 22 off 10 balls before Duckett’s onslaught came to an end in the 15th over when he fell for a top score of 84 off 46 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes with the score on 178.
Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook then made 36* off 16 balls and 35* off 22 balls, respectively, as England piled up a massive 248 for three in their 20 overs.
The West Indian chase started out poorly as both Evin Lewis (9) and Johnson Charles (9) fell within the first five overs before captain Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer pulled together to form a mini revival.
That ended when Hetmyer, after accumulating 26 off just seven balls, fell halfway through the seventh over with the score on 69. Just one run later, Sherfane Rutherford, hampered by a hamstring injury he picked up in the field, fell for one.
Rovman Powell then joined Hope and the pair added 49 for the fifth wicket before Hope had to go back to the dugout for a well-played 45 off 27 balls, including three fours and three sixes.
Jason Holder also tried his best alongside Powell with 25 off 12 balls including three sixes. In the end, the West Indies ended up 211 for eight in their 20 overs.
Left-arm pacer Luke Wood picked up 3-31 from his four overs while Adil Rashid was excellent for his 2-30 from four overs. The West Indies will now turn their attention to a three-match T20I series against Ireland beginning on Thursday (today).
