SOUTHAMPTON, England – England delivered a cruel last blow to a reeling West Indies outfit, finishing a 3-0 T20I sequence sweep with a commanding 37-run victory on the Utilita Bowl on Tuesday.
In a match that served as a microcosm of the whole tour, the hosts dominated from begin to end, pummeling their technique to 248 for 3—their second-highest whole in T20 internationals and the very best ever on house soil. In response, the West Indies faltered but once more, laboring to 211 for eight in what in the end grew to become a formality slightly than a contest.
Opening blitz units the tone
Despatched in to bat, England made a quiet begin with simply 9 runs coming off the primary two overs. However that calm gave technique to carnage. Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett launched a panoramic assault, racing to a 120-run opening stand inside 9 overs.
Duckett, named Participant of the Match, ignited the onslaught within the third over, taking Akeal Hosein for a six and two boundaries. Smith adopted go well with within the fourth, taking 18 runs off Romario Shepherd. The brutality continued as Alzarri Joseph was plundered for an additional 18 in a single over, England charging to 69 with out loss after simply 5 overs.
Smith finally fell for a belligerent 60 from 26 balls, embellished with 5 sixes and 4 fours, as Gudakesh Motie offered a uncommon breakthrough. Jos Buttler added quickfire vitality with 22 off 10, whereas Duckett carried the momentum earlier than falling for an outstanding 84 from 46 deliveries, together with 10 fours and two sixes, as England reached 178 for 3 within the fifteenth over.
However any hopes of a late slowdown had been swiftly dashed.
Brooks, Bethell end in model
Within the demise overs, captain Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell punished a demoralized West Indian assault, plundering 70 runs within the last 5 overs. Bethell was significantly brutal, ending unbeaten on 36 from simply 16 balls with 4 towering sixes, whereas Brook’s 35 not out got here at a strike fee of almost 160.
The ultimate whole of 248 for 3 left the West Indies needing to provide the very best chase in T20I historical past—a prospect that regarded unlikely from the outset and by no means actually materialized.
One other collapse, one other disappointment
The West Indies’ response was suffering from acquainted flaws. Openers Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles as soon as once more failed to supply a platform, managing simply 9 runs apiece. Captain Shai Hope supplied a flicker of optimism with a fluent 45 off 27 balls, placing three sixes and three boundaries, whereas Shimron Hetmyer’s cameo of 26 off 8 briefly reignited hope.
However as soon as Hetmyer fell to Bethell within the seventh over with the rating on 69 for 3, the innings unraveled. By the thirteenth over, the West Indies had slumped to 120 for six, and the match had all however slipped away.
Powell entertains, however too late
Rovman Powell did his finest to elevate spirits with a boundary-laced 79 not out from 45 deliveries, an effort that included 9 fours and 4 sixes, whereas Jason Holder contributed 25 from 12. However their late flourish got here far too late, the result lengthy past doubt.
Luke Wooden led England’s bowling with figures of 3-31, whereas Adil Rashid’s 2-30 ensured the center overs had been expertly managed.
Winless and wounded: A tour to overlook
The defeat marked the top of a disastrous white-ball tour for the West Indies, who didn’t win a single sport throughout each the three-match ODI and T20I sequence. From top-order inconsistency to bowling indiscipline, the problems that plagued the Caribbean aspect remained unresolved via the ultimate fixture.
England, in contrast, executed medical precision throughout the board, combining uncooked firepower with strategic readability, and head house with an ideal file and a glowing sense of momentum.
