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Mahmood sets tone again, before Curran and Livingstone steer chase
England go 3-0 up in five-match series after hunting down below-par West Indies total in St Lucia
Saqib Mahmood continued his stunning form. (Getty Images) (Mahmood sets tone again)
ESPNcricinfo – Win the toss, win the match – win the series. Jos Buttler’s third correct call of the T20I series resulted in yet another successful chase, as England beat West Indies by three wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.
This, however, was the toughest ask, despite a target of 146 being the lowest of the three so far. Once again, West Indies scrapped to a respectable total from a dire position of 37 for 5. Saqib Mahmood took 3 for 17, once again bossing the powerplay, before Jamie Overton gutted the middle order with 3 for 20 after Rovman Powell’s 54 and 30 from Romario Shepherd rebuilt from the wreckage.
But Akeal Hosein’s 4 for 22 kept West Indies in the hunt right to the end. Sam Curran’s 41 off 26, along with a run-a-ball 32 from Will Jacks had just kept England on course. Liam Livingstone’s 39 removed what jeopardy there was.
Livingstone was lucky to be out there long enough to have that impact, having been dropped three times. The first, on 6, was the easiest – Nicholas Pooran shelling a top-edged hook off Alzarri Joseph, returning from his two-match suspension as one of three changes.
Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell repaired the early damage. (Getty Images)
Pooran then shelled an edge off Gudakesh Motie when Livingstone had 8, before Motie missed out again when Shimron Hetmyer failed to clasp a tough low chance at deep midwicket. Livingstone had 21 at the time and, in the next over, took 16 off Joseph to put England in front, before holing out to long-on as Hosein’s fourth. Rehan Ahmed, drafted in for the rested Adil Rashid, had the honour of carving the winning runs over point.
West Indies rung the changes with the trio of Joseph, Shai Hope and Hetmyer drafted in for Matthew Forde and Brandon King – both injured – and Sherfane Rutherford. And yet they still endured another botched start.
Hope lasted just two balls, run out by Jacob Bethell at backward point after aborting what looked a comfortable single. That was the first of four powerplay wickets to fall across 17 deliveries, including the destructive left-handers Evin Lewis and Pooran through wayward hacks against Mahmood and Jofra Archer, respectively.
Akeal Hosein struck twice in the powerplay. (Getty Images)
Mahmood was not done there, nicking off Roston Chase before Hetmyer followed his fellow southpaws with another woeful heave, caught deep square leg. With two matches to play, the Lancashire quick’s eight powerplay wickets are already the most for an England bowler in any series during that period of a T20I.
Powell and Shepherd – West Indies top-scorers in the series – set about another face-saving stand, this one an impressive 73 from just 57 deliveries. But no sooner had they reached a respectable 110 for 5 after 15 overs, Overton instigated a collapse with three dismissals in seven deliveries, dismissing both set batters.
A breezy 28 for the ninth wicket between Gudakesh Motie and Joseph gave them something to work with. Alas, it was the same old story, albeit one that confirmed only England’s second T20I series win in the last two years.
Scores: England 149 for 7 (Curran 41, Hosein 4-22) beat West Indies 145 for 8 (Powell 54, Mahmood 3-17, Overton 3-20) by three wickets.
(Mahmood sets tone again)
- England beat West Indies, hunting down, Rovman Powell's 54 and 30 from Romario Shepherd, West Indies
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