England’s cricket team had other ideas. They continued this rich vein of form with a record-breaking 169-run victory against West Indies in the third T20I at Southampton. It was a devastating display, with England whacking an incredible 248 runs from 30 overs and only losing three wickets. That victory not only won the match for them but broke several records doing so. This is an exciting win, though! It is the first clean sweep by England against the West Indies in an ODI/T20 series since 2012.
Right from the start, England’s openers went hard at the bowlers, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett finding boundaries to quickly punish the short stuff. Their partnership would end up being the most crucial of all, having gone on to produce a 120-run partnership that laid the groundwork for a huge innings. Duckett’s inventive knock of 84 runs complemented Smith’s explosive 60 off just 26 balls, propelling England to their highest T20 score on home soil.
The match showcased England’s batting prowess, with a run-rate of 12.16 during the powerplay, establishing a new record for the team’s quickest start in a T20 series consisting of three or more matches. This blistering pace allowed them to reach a total of 248-3, equaling the highest T20 international score ever recorded in England. The previous highest T20 score on English soil was 234-6. This new record was set against South Africa in July 2022.
England’s response was England’s most boundary dominated Ashes innings. Harry Brook had a final tally of 35 not out and Jacob Bethell chipped in with 36 runs. This would go on to be a match total of 459 runs – a match record. It broke the record for the highest scoring T20 international match ever played on English soil. The prior record was 457 runs, set during an ODI between England and Australia in 2013.
Despite their outstanding performance, England faced a brief period of struggle, managing to score no runs off just 25 balls. This marked the fewest dot balls faced by the team in a T20 match. This only slowed it for a brief moment as they were soon all the way back on top of the field again.
The West Indies’ counterattack was gallant but insufficient in the end. They were able to chase down a target of 248 runs and lost by 37 runs. Wood was the pick of the England bowlers, finishing with three wickets for 31 runs.
England captain Harry Brook said he was pleased with how the team has gone about the game for the entire series.
“I’m very pleased. The lads have put a really good shift in. To top off the series like we have tonight is really pleasing.” – Harry Brook
Brook pointed to the depth of their batting order as a key reason for their success this far.
“I like the depth in the batting, it gives the lads at the top permission to go out there and get us off to a flier like they did today.” – Harry Brook
West Indies captain Shai Hope admitted that their performance has not been up to the standard they expect but stressed on their promise of coming back stronger.
“We haven’t really put a complete game together in this series. We just need to find ways to do it. We need to keep chipping away and try to get as good as we can.” – Shai Hope
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