Record-breaking England thump West Indies in high-scoring thriller

Ben Duckett’s inventive 84 helped big-hitting England blast their way to a record score on home soil as they wrapped up a series clean sweep with a 37-run victory over West Indies in the third T20.

Duckett’s knock came off 46 balls as he shared a 120-run stand with fellow opener Jamie Smith, who made a 26-ball 60, as the pair provided the backbone of England’s total of 248-3.

Skipper Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell continued the momentum as they peppered the boundary to finish unbeaten on 35 and 36 respectively, as a dispirited West Indies bowling attack ran out of ideas.

England’s total was their highest in T20s on their own turf, eclipsing the 234-6 they made against South Africa at Bristol in July 2022, and was their second highest anywhere.

West Indies gamely approached the chase as Rovman Powell cracked an unbeaten 79, while captain Shai Hope smeared three sixes in his 45.

It helped ensure the margin of defeat for the tourists was more modest than might have been anticipated as left-arm quick Luke Wood finished the pick of England’s bowlers with 3-31.

The win maintained Brook’s impressive start as England white-ball captain as he chalked up his sixth victory from as many matches in charge.

England batters run riot – the stats

• England’s total of 248-3 at Southampton was the joint-highest T20 international score overall in the country. Australia made the same total against England on the same ground in 2013.
• With a combined total of 459 runs this was the highest scoring T20 international in England, beating the 457 aggregate between England and Australia in 2013.
• It was England’s second-highest T20 score overall behind the 267-3 they made against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad in 2023.
• England failed to score any runs off just 25 balls – the fewest number of dot balls they have faced in a T20.
• Ben Duckett’s half-century of 20 balls was the joint-fourth fastest half-century by an Englishman in T20s.
• England’s run-rate of 12.16 in the powerplay was their quickest in a T20 series of at least three matches. Their total of 83-0 was their second-highest in the six-over block too.

End-of-term feel for Windies

If England were ruthless West Indies were rudderless as this match marked the end of a pretty chastening tour.

A 3-0 drubbing in the one-day international series was followed up by the same scoreline in the three T20s which have followed.

Indeed, this is the first time West Indies have been ‘double’ clean swept by England in both an ODI and T20 series since 2012.

Here they were again cumbersome in the field and struggled to know how to contain England with the ball.

Romario Shepherd’s economy rate was 19 across two overs and Hosein went for 10.50 an over.

Evin Lewis pumped Luke Wood’s for six off the first ball of West Indies’ innings, but there was an end-of-term feel to the early part of the chase.

Certainly the callous disregard for anything tossed up by spinners Liam Dawson, Rashid and Bethell early in the innings suggested some of their top order were already in the departure lounge for the flight back to the Caribbean.

West Indies skipper Hope, and the man he succeeded in the form of Powell, at least showed some fight during what always looked to be a forlorn effort.

It does not help their cause that one of their best players- and one of the best T20 batters in the world- has seemingly turned his back on them.

Nicholas Pooran, who was not part of this tour, announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday at the age of 29 and has prioritised franchise paydays.

With eight months to go until the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka there is much for West Indies coach Daren Sammy to ponder. (BBC)