England secured a dominant 3-0 clean sweep of the West Indies in the T20I series, with a decisive victory in the third and final match at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. The hosts dominated the series and had also won the ODI series.
The West Indies won the toss for the third T20I and chose to bowl first. England’s opening duo of Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett launched an attack on the Caribbean bowlers, putting on a 120-run partnership for the first wicket.
Duckett reached his half-century in just 20 balls, while Smith hit his first T20I fifty, reaching 60 off 26 balls before falling to Gudakesh Motie.
England’s middle order maintained the onslaught, leading the side to a mammoth total of 248/3 in 20 overs, their greatest T20I score on home soil. The hosts also recorded their best 10-over score in T20Is, reaching 135 runs while facing only 25 dot balls, the fewest in an England T20I innings.
Duckett led the way with 84 from 46 deliveries. Jos Buttler (22 off 10), Harry Brook (35 off 22), and Jacob Bethell (36 off 16) all contributed to the chaos.
West Indies fall short in run chase as England bowlers shine
The West Indies needed to chase 249 but faltered early, losing wickets at regular intervals. While Shai Hope (45 off 27), Shimron Hetmyer (26 off 8), and Jason Holder (25 off 12) tried to provide some momentum, it did not pay off. Rovman Powell stood out with a powerful 79 off 45 balls, but his effort was not enough as the men in maroon finished at 211/8, falling 37 runs short.
For England, Luke Wood picked up three wickets, while Adil Rashid claimed two. Rashid moved into the top five all-time men’s T20I wicket-takers, bringing his tally to 135 wickets. Moving on, the next assignment for the hosts will be the five-match Test series against India, set to begin on 20 June at Headingley.
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