Cricket
England claim the series 3-1 courtesy of victories in the first three T20Is, making up for a 2-1 defeat in the preceding ODIs; the West Indies earned a consolation win in the fourth T20I, chasing down 219; fifth and final match in St Lucia washed out after five overs
Sunday 17 November 2024 22:26, UK
England’s white-ball tour of the West Indies suffered a rather damp ending as the fifth and final T20 international in St Lucia was washed out after only five overs.
England claimed the T20I series 3-1 courtesy of victories in the first three matches, making up for a 2-1 defeat in the preceding ODIs.
The West Indies earned a consolation win in the fourth T20I, chasing down 219 in a high-scoring clash. And for the first five overs of Sunday’s series finale – played on the same pitch – it appeared that a similar scenario was playing out.
Jos Buttler, having won the toss for the fourth time out of five, inserted the hosts and openers Evin Lewis and Shai Hope – fresh from quick-fire half centuries in the fourth T20I – fired 44 from the first five overs before the rain arrived.
Lewis (29no) was the main aggressor, smacking two sixes and three boundaries, with Jofra Archer – in an over-costing 11 – carted over wide long-on, and John Turner then tonked for a flat six square as he was smacked for 16 just as play was halted.
The rain ultimately proved heavy enough to prevent any further play, England taking the series 3-1 as a result.
It represents an impressive finish to Marcus Trescothick’s time in charge of the white-ball group, before head coach of the Test team Brendon McCullum takes over in January.
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Positives to take from the series include Phil Salt’s form at the top of the order, having hit a match-winning hundred in the series-opener in Barbados, Saqib Mahmood’s nine wickets in four matches, plus the return to action of skipper Buttler.
Archer also continued to prove his fitness on his continued comeback from a long injury layoff, while youngsters Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley have been bright sparks, and Liam Livingstone’s sensational maiden hundred in the ODI leg of the tour will live long in the memory.
McCullum will be tasked with turning around an England outfit that, with that 2-1 defeat in the ODIs, slumped to a third consecutive series defeat and a 13th loss in their last 20 games, inclusive of their disastrous 2023 Cricket World Cup.
England also failed in their T20 World Cup title defence earlier this summer, a semi-final run not enough to save head coach Matthew Mott his job.
Trescothick lost his two ODI series in charge, but shared a T20I series with Australia (tied 1-1 after losing 3-2 in the ODIs) and bows out on a high with the triumphant T20Is in the Caribbean.
Trescothick has said he wants to become England head coach on a permanent basis in the future.
“Taking the reins for the two series against Australia and here versus the West Indies has confirmed to me that I would like the opportunity to do it at some point,” he told the Mail on Sunday.
“I am very invested in the job I am doing at the moment [being part of England’s coaching staff] so it’s not going to be imminent. But down the line, as and when things move around, it is something I would be very open to. It’s a good goal to have.
“Doing this job has given me a taster and a belief that I can go on to bigger things.”
England are next in action in Test cricket, touring New Zealand in a three-match series which starts on Wednesday, November 27 in Christchurch.
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