England's sublime form in the white-ball format continues as they go past the West Indies to clinch the three-match T20I series by 2-0 with a game to spare. In the high-octane run chase, the West Indies showed incredible determination with the bat and posted a towering score of 196 for the loss of six wickets. However, England outperformed them in the second half as a combined batting effort from them, including quickfire contributions from Jacob Bethell (26 off 10) and Tom Banton (30 off 11), saw the home side over the line in a blazing fashion with four wickets and nine balls to spare. 

West Indies Innings

The tourists got off to the worst possible start as Lewis succumbed cheaply first ball to a peach of a yorker bowled by Wood. But the skipper, Shai Hope, steadied the ship, and his arrival at the crease allowed West Indies to turn the tide. Although Charles was slow to race out of the blocks, the WI skipper went all guns blazing and punished the England bowlers ruthlessly to give WI an explosive finish in the powerplay. After a tentative start, Charles began accelerating gradually as the innings progressed. But just when Hope could switch through the gears, Adil Rashid got the better of him after the halfway stage, leaving him agonizing short of his fifty by a run.

There was a momentary break in the momentum during the middle overs as the English bowlers were able to maintain a squeeze. But Powell and Holder broke through the squeeze as the West Indies approached the fag end of the innings. A massive 20-run over against Dawson in the 17th over got the Men in Maroon up and running. Powell went on the offensive and smoked a quickfire 34(15). And subsequently, Holder and Shepherd went hard during the final two overs, especially targeting Rashid, and shared a total of five sixes between them to lift West Indies to a commanding first innings score of 196.

England Innings

The home side got off to a woobly start, losing Jamie Smith inside the second holder as he looked to take Holder downtown but failed miserably in that process. That early wicket triggered a sense of positivity for the visitors. But all their hopes were quashed when Buttler arrived. Duckett and Buttler took the fight to the WI bowlers and left them gasping for breath. Duckett made a powerful contribution of 30 (17) but was later removed by Shepherd during the 8th over.

Buttler, however, carried on, and he emerged as the leading run-scorer for England, finishing three runs shy of a fifty. The visitors struck almost immediately as Chase dismissed Brook a few deliveries later to throw the game wide open. But the faintest of chances for a potential Windies victory was lost when Bethell (26 off 10) and Banton (30 off 11) started taking the West Indian bowlers to the cleaners. An expensive over from Alzarri, where Bethell took three sixes off him, changed things around and got the equation back in England's favor. 

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England vs West Indies: Match Scorecard

West Indies – 196/6 (20 Overs)

England – 199/6 (18.3 Overs)