West Indies secured a commanding eight-wicket win over England in the decisive third one-day International at Barbados on Wednesday, with remarkable centuries from Keacy Carty and Brandon King leading the charge to clinch the series 2-1.
The English side, batting first, managed to recover from a precarious 24-4, with Phil Salt‘s impressive 74 helping them reach 263-8. Jofra Archer contributed significantly with his 17-ball unbeaten blitz producing 38 runs towards the end of the innings.
ALSO WATCH
For how long will Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja play? | BTB Highlights
But Archer’s bowling left a lot to be desired, as Carty (128 not out) scored his maiden international century whilst King (102) registered his third ODI ton. Their substantial second-wicket partnership of 209 runs ensured a comfortable victory for the West Indies.
The teams will face each other again in a T20I series starting Saturday at Barbados’ Kensington Oval, with Jos Buttler potentially returning from injury to lead the English side.
For England, Liam Livingstone, who had scored his first ODI century to level the series in the second match on Saturday, was amongst four early dismissals within the first 10 overs. Salt’s partnership with Sam Curran (40) and Dan Mousley’s (57) first ODI fifty helped stabilise England’s innings.
The hosts faced a setback when Romario Shepherd sustained an injury mid-spell, forcing Sherfane Rutherford to bowl. England capitalised on this situation, particularly through Archer’s aggressive batting, scoring 57 runs off Rutherford’s 3.5 overs. Jamie Overton also played a cameo of 32 off 21 balls.
Overton dismissed Evin Lewis for 19 to hit Windies’ chase early, but the formidable stand between King and Carty dashed the visitors’ aspirations. The remarkable partnership marked only the third instance in West Indies ODI history where a duo amassed over 200 runs in a home fixture.
King’s innings concluded when Reece Topley clean bowled him, but by then the damage had been done. Carty, who emerged as the series’ leading run-getter, fittingly sealed the triumph with a boundary.
The defeat marked England’s third consecutive ODI series loss following their underwhelming World Cup campaign in India last year.
