England clinched a series win over West Indies with two games to spare after a nervy three-wicket victory in St Lucia.
Sam Curran top scored with a beautifully judged 41 from 26 deliveries as England, who won another important toss, reached a target of 146 with four balls to spare. Will Jacks made a good 32 and Liam Livingstone rode his luck – he was dropped three times – to batter 39 from 28 balls.
England’s target might have been a lot lower after they reduced West Indies to 37 for 5 in the Powerplay. The impressive Saqib Mahmood punished some overzealous batting to take three early wickets, taking his tally for the series to nine.
The West Indies captain Rovman Powell led the recovery with a defiant, skilful 54, the highest score of the match. But in the end, after such a poor start, he and West Indies had a bit too much to do.
England beat West Indies by three wickets: as it happened
12:41 AM GMT
England win by three wickets with four balls to spare!
That’ll do. Rehan Ahmed drives Terrance Hinds for four to complete victory and give England an unassailable 3-0 lead with two games to spare. It helped that they won all three tosses, certainly, but they’ve also played some pretty good cricket.
Saqib Mahmood has been a revelation, taking nine cheap wickets in three games, and most of the other players have put credit in the bank. All in all, it’s been a worthwhile exercise.
12:38 AM GMT
OVER 19: ENG 144/7 (Overton 3 Rehan 1)
It’ll go the last over with England needing two to win. The outstanding Akeal Hosein ends with 4-0-22-4.
12:36 AM GMT
Wicket!
Livingstone c Shepherd b Hosein 39 Livingstone, trying to hit the winning runs, holes out to long-on off Hosein. It’s a shame he won’t get England over the line but he has taken them to the brink. FOW: 142/7
12:34 AM GMT
OVER 18: ENG 141/6 (Livingstone 39 Overton 1)
Liam Livingstone is doing it again! He has walloped 16 from Alzarri Joseph’s final over to take England to the cusp of a series win. He whipped a low full toss behind square for four, stole two to extra cover (Overton would have been run out with a direct hit), pulled a violent sx and battered another boundary between extra cover and mid-off. He needed luck early on – he was dropped three times – but by heck he’s taken advantage.
12:28 AM GMT
OVER 17: ENG 125/6 (Livingstone 23 Overton 1)
Jamie Overton works his first ball for a single, then Livingstone does likewise. Hosein still has one over remaining, which may decide this match.
12:27 AM GMT
Wicket!
Mousley c Hetmyer b Hosein 8 The dangerman Akeal Hosein strikes again! Two balls after dropping Livingstone, a really tough chance at deep midwicket, Hetmyer takes a good low catch at extra cover to dismiss Dan Mousley. This is deliciously tense: England need 23 from 20 balls. FOW: 123/6
12:23 AM GMT
OVER 16: ENG 122/5 (Livingstone 21 Mousley 8)
Brilliant initiative from Dan Mousley! He charges Hinds and forces a chip shot that just clears Hetmyer on the midwicket boundary. Six runs, and as a result England need 24 from 24 balls.
Hetmyer was a few yards in from the boundary. Had he been right back he would probably have taken the catch; he’d certainly have stopped the boundary.
12:19 AM GMT
Wicket!
Curran c Hope b Hinds 41 Terrance Hinds takes his first international wicket! His second over started desperately, with three wides in four balls, but then Curran slashed another a legitimately wide delivery to deep backward point. Shai Hope slipped on the boundary but adjusted to take a brilliant catch. FOW: 114/5
12:13 AM GMT
OVER 15: ENG 108/4 (Curran 41 Livingstone 19)
The ball is so wet that Motie needs to dry it after every delivery. Curran, who has been dealing in singles for the last few overs, suddenly clatters Motie back over his head for six. That’s a brilliant shot, one that may have broken the back of England’s runchase.
Curran has quietly had a terrific tour with the bat, making at least 37 in every innings. His game awareness makes him a serious option at No5 or No6, even if he lacks the pizazz of some of his competitors. In a relatively low-scoring game, he has made 41 not out from 25 balls without taking many risks.
12:06 AM GMT
OVER 14: ENG 98/4 (Curran 33 Livingstone 17)
Shepherd is back on for Joseph, whose final over is being saved for the death. Livingstone savages a cut that is really well stopped on the boundary by Hetmyer. England have to settle for a couple, but they score off every ball and take nine from the over.
A low dot-ball ratio is serving England well here. They’ve only hit one boundary from the last seven overs but are still in a decent position to win the game: they need exactly eight an over.
12:01 AM GMT
OVER 13: ENG 89/4 (Curran 31 Livingstone 11)
Pooran drops Livingstone again! This was a tougher chance, standing up to the stumps off Motie, but it wasn’t a huge deviation and I reckon he would take that seven times out of 10.
England need 57 from 42 balls. They are favourites but at least, for the time in this series, the toss hasn’t decided the game.
11:57 PM GMT
OVER 12: ENG 83/4 (Curran 30 Livingstone 7)
Alzarri Joseph, whose late-innings runs suddenly look really valuable, returns in an attempt to get Liam Livingstone before he gets in. Oh my word this is ridiculous. Livingstone, on 0, charges his third ball and swivel pulls a spectacular six. That is unreal. It even had a flamingo flourish at the end.
And now Livingstone has been dropped! What a huge moment. He top-edged another pull over the head of Pooran, who ran back towards third man and put down a pretty simple chance. Replays show that he ran too far and couldn’t get in the right position; the ball hit his chest and dropped safely to the turf.
After all the fun and games with Alzarri in the one-day series, I’d love to hear his internal monologue just now.
11:51 PM GMT
OVER 11: ENG 75/4 (Curran 29 Livingstone 0)
England need 71 from 54 balls. It’s getting interesting.
11:50 PM GMT
Wicket!
Jacks c Powell b Motie 32 West Indies have broken the partnership! Jacks makes room to slap Motie towards shortish extra cover, where Powell takes a superb two-handed catch to his left. Another unconverted start from Jacks, who has had a frustrating series. FOW: 75/4
11:43 PM GMT
OVER 10: ENG 70/3 (Jacks 31 Curran 25)
More Chase, more low-risk milking. It feels like this suits England more than West Indies, who need to break this partnership. England bat very deep so a required rate of around 7.5 per over won’t worry them. Time for drinks.
11:39 PM GMT
OVER 9: ENG 64/3 (Jacks 26 Curran 23)
The left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie also comes into the attack. Jacks, pushing with hard hands, almost offers a return catch in an over that is milked for six. Sam Curran has done superbly to consolidate while also keeping England up with the required rate; he has 23 from only 13 balls.
11:36 PM GMT
OVER 8: ENG 58/3 (Jacks 25 Curran 19)
Roston Chase comes on to bowl his peculiarly unhittable offspin. England are happy to milk him for five more.
11:34 PM GMT
OVER 7: ENG 53/3 (Jacks 24 Curran 15)
On comes Terrance Hinds, the 32-year-old who made his international debut on Sunday. Curran goes after him, hitting successive boundaries through backward point. Both were superb shots, one each with a horizontal and straight bat. He has raced to 15 from 7 balls, and England need 93 from 78.
11:25 PM GMT
OVER 6: ENG 42/3 (Jacks 22 Curran 5)
England promote another left-hander, Sam Curran, ahead of Liam Livingstone. He almost copies Bethell with a two-ball four; after slapping his first to the fence, he missed an attempted uppercut. That could easily have brushed the top edge.
11:22 PM GMT
Wicket!
Bethell c Pooran b A Joseph 4 Game on! Jacob Bethell back cuts his first ball for four, then thin-edges his second through to the keeper. It was a nice delivery, perfect length and slightly wider than Bethell realised. He pushed defensively, the ball brushed the edge and Pooran did the rest. FOW: 37/3
11:19 PM GMT
OVER 5: ENG 32/2 (Jacks 22 Bethell 0)
West Indies are well in this game. England need 114 from 90 balls.
11:18 PM GMT
Wicket!
Buttler c Powell b Hosein 4 Jacks slices Hosein high in the air, over the head of Powell at extra cover; Powell runs back towards the boundary but can’t quite reach the ball as he stretched forward. Then Jacks gets his third boundary with a much better stroke, ramming a short ball through midwicket. But now Buttler has gone! He played an almost identical shot to Jacks earlier in the over, but this time Powell had time to get back and take a good catch. FOW: 32/2
11:14 PM GMT
OVER 4: ENG 22/1 (Jacks 14 Buttler 3)
A change of ends for Romario Shepherd. The keeper Pooran appeals on his own for caught behind when Jacks misses a disgusting mow across the line; Rovman Powell isn’t interested in a review. An excellent over is tarnished by the last ball, a slower delivery that turns into a full toss outside leg stump. Jacks wallops it behind square for four.
11:08 PM GMT
OVER 3: ENG 15/1 (Jacks 10 Buttler 1)
West Indies have started well in the field. That said, we can’t ignore the fact that, at the same stage of their innings, they were 17/3.
11:06 PM GMT
Wicket!
Salt b Joseph 4 The left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein strikes! Phil Salt is bowled off the pad by a typical Hosein delivery, straight and skidding off the pitch. His struggles against left-arm spin continue. FOW: 14/1
11:02 PM GMT
OVER 2: ENG 9/0 (Salt 4 Jacks 5)
Salt’s first big shot is almost his last, a swipe across the line at Alzarri Joseph. The ball beats the bat and bounces just over the stumps. That’s aside it’s another quiet over. The evidence of the West Indies innings is that batting will be much easier after the Powerplay, and you can almost feel Salt and Jacks struggling to resist the urge to belt everything.
10:57 PM GMT
OVER 1: ENG 5/0 (Salt 2 Jacks 3)
West Indies came out swinging; England have come out tipping and running. Salt and Jacks take five low-risk runs from Romario Shepherd’s opening over, every ball helping them to adjust to the pitch.
10:48 PM GMT
The mismatch will be televised
The toss is often significant in T20 cricket in the Caribbean, but broadcasters’ wishes have exaggerated this advantage. The 4pm start times used in this series mean that the side who chase benefit from the dew, which renders it harder to grip the ball. When matches start at 6pm or later, as in the Caribbean Premier League, the dew impacts both sides in the field, rendering winning the toss only a minor advantage.
10:42 PM GMT
England need 146 to win the series
Jos Buttler’s team are strong favourites despite a good fightback from West Indies, who were in complete disarray at 37/5. The captain Rovman Powell led the recovery with a fine half-century, with Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph also making important contributions.
10:41 PM GMT
OVER 20: WI 145/8 (A Joseph 21 Hosein 8)
The ball is wet, which makes this a trickier task for Mousley. He misses his length first ball and is belted over extra cover for four by Joseph. The next three balls are spot on, producing only two runs and a missed stumping chance when the ball hits the pads of the unsighted Salt.
Joseph ends the innings well by slashing another boundary through extra cover, though this time there wasn’t much wrong with the delivery. In the circumstances that was an excellent final over from Mousley.
10:36 PM GMT
OVER 19: WI 135/8 (A Joseph 11 Hosein 8)
West Indies get four leg-byes when Curran drifts onto the pads of the left-handed Hosein. It looks like being a decent over for England despite that… until Hosein makes room to drive Curran’s final delivery majestically over extra cover for six.
England’s four seamers have bowled their allocation so it’ll be Dan Mousley to finish the innings with his right-arm darts.
10:31 PM GMT
OVER 18: WI 122/8 (A Joseph 9 Hosein 1)
Alzarri Joseph thumps Overton through mid-on for four, then drags a fullish ball just over the head of the leaping Will Jacks at mid-on.
Overton finishes with outstanding figures of 4-0-20-3. It’s been a long time coming but he has just enjoyed his first big day as an England bowler.
10:27 PM GMT
Wicket!
Powell c Bethell b Overton 54 This is a big wicket for England. Rovman Powell, the last recognised batsman, drags a big shot straight to deep midwicket to give Jamie Overton his third wicket in seven balls. He has single-handedly stopped the West Indies fightback. FOW: 113/8
10:26 PM GMT
OVER 17: WI 113/7 (Powell 54 A Joseph 2)
Archer concedes only two from his final over to finish with 4-0-25-1. As in the second game on Sunday, those figures don’t do justice to the quality of his bowling.
10:21 PM GMT
OVER 16: WI 111/7 (Powell 53 A Joseph 1)
Jamie Overton has been quietly impressive in this series and surely deserves a run in the team. He’s a specialist death hitter, a precious commodity in T20 cricket, bowls with variety and skill and fields superbly.
10:19 PM GMT
Wicket!
Motie c Jacks b Overton 0 Really good bowling from Jamie Overton. After outthinking Shepherd, he bullies Gudakesh Motie with a heavy short ball that is clunked straight to mid-off. FOW: 110/7
10:17 PM GMT
Wicket!
Shepherd LBW b Overton 30 Jamie Overton strikes this time! It was another beautiful bit of bowling, a slower full toss that dipped under Shepherd’s bat and hit the back pad in front of middle stump. Shepherd reviewed, just in case, but was walking off the field long before UltraEdge showed no contact with the bat. FOW: 110/6
10:14 PM GMT
OVER 15: WI 110/5 (Powell 53 Shepherd 30)
Powell gets hold of Sam Curran, pulling a slower ball for a big six to bring up a defiant and highly skilful half-century from 36 balls. Curran pulls the over back quite well thereafter but it still goes for 12.
10:08 PM GMT
OVER 14: WI 98/5 (Powell 44 Shepherd 28)
Saqib Mahmood returns for his final over. Powell survives a review for a catch down the leg side after missing an attempted pull. Phil Salt was convinced there was a noise and persuaded Jos Buttler to go upstairs; there was nothing on UltraEdge.
Even so that’s a brilliant final over from Mahmood, who concedes only a couple of runs to end with marvellous figures of 4-0-17-3. His series figures are 11-0-71-9. You didn’t see a bowling analysis like that in the B&H Cup.
10:01 PM GMT
OVER 13: WI 96/5 (Powell 43 Shepherd 27)
Rehan Ahmed returns. If this was a World Cup final I’m not sure he’d be bowling, but I guess Jos Buttler feels it’s all part of his education.
Powell charges down the track, gets nowhere near the pitch of the ball and instead pulls it straight back over Rehan’s head for six. He’s such a brilliant T20 player, with the ability to thrive in any match situation. As captain he averages 31 with a strike rate of 150.
Rehan drops a ferociously difficult return catch offered by Shepherd, though in truth he did pretty well to touch it.
09:57 PM GMT
OVER 12: WI 86/5 (Powell 36 Shepherd 27)
No more spin for the time being. Plenty of cutters though, with Sam Curran coming on to replace Livingstone. He concedes three singles from a very handy first over. West Indies have recovered well, scoring 48 for 0 in the last six overs, but there’s a lot more work to do.
09:54 PM GMT
OVER 11: WI 83/5 (Powell 35 Shepherd 27)
A strange incident from the last ball of Overton’s over. Powell is given out LBW to a beautiful offcutter, reviews sheepishly and then starts to leave the field. There’s a spike on UltraEdge as the ball passes the bat, yet there also appears to be daylight between bat and ball.
No matter: the spike means the decision is overturned and Powell walks back to the middle. One thing’s for sure: if he did get a gossamer-thin inside edge, he didn’t feel it.
09:44 PM GMT
The story so far
Seam 7-0-41-4
Spin 3-0-33-0
09:43 PM GMT
OVER 10: WI 76/5 (Powell 30 Shepherd 20)
An interesting gamble from Jos Buttler, who decides to tempt West Indies with legspin at both ends by bringing on Liam Livingstone. Shepherd swipes him over midwicket for six, clearing the leaping Bethell on the boundary. He’d started to move in so wasn’t right on the rope, though I think it would have cleared him anyway.
Powell completes another good over for West Indies by launching Livingstone over extra cover for a one-bounce four. Drinks.
09:39 PM GMT
OVER 9: WI 62/5 (Powell 24 Shepherd 12)
Looks like West Indies have decided to target Rehan Ahmed, which makes sense given the damage done by the seamers. Shepherd blasts him down the ground for four, then Powell spanks a huge six over mid-on. Twelve from the over.
09:36 PM GMT
OVER 8: WI 50/5 (Powell 17 Shepherd 7)
Jamie Overton comes on to bowl some heavy balls. Powell and Shepherd have finally gone down the gears, realising the next few overs aren’t the time to be a hero, and there are just four singles from the over.
09:31 PM GMT
OVER 7: WI 46/5 (Powell 15 Shepherd 5)
Rehan Ahmed, in the side tonight in place of Adil Rashid, assumes his role by coming on straight after the Powerplay.
Shepherd works his nicely into the leg side for three, the biggest stroke of a relatively quiet over. In fact it’s the first of this game without either a boundary or a wicket.
09:28 PM GMT
OVER 6: WI 38/5 (Powell 13 Shepherd 1)
That was Mahmood’s ninth wicket, which equals Adil Rashid’s record for England in a bilateral series. And Mahmood still has two games to go, plus one more over today.
His figures are ridiculous: 10-0-69-9.
09:25 PM GMT
Wicket!
Hetmyer c Mousley b Mahmood 2 Erm, no, they’re not. Hetmyer tries to pull Mahmood and top-edges miserably down the throat of deep square leg. It was clever bowling, slightly wider so that Hetmyer had to fetch it, but West Indies’ batting has been terrible. FOW: 37/5
09:22 PM GMT
OVER 5: WI 34/4 (Powell 12 Hetmyer 0)
If in doubt, go harder. Powell drives Archer over extra cover for six, an outrageous and brilliant stroke. The rest of the over is pretty quiet, so perhaps West Indies are starting to play more judiciously.
09:17 PM GMT
OVER 4: WI 26/4 (Hetmyer 0 Powell 5)
The captain Rovman Powell comes out to clean up the mess. He almost adds it to it when a leading edge loops gently over Mahmood’s head and drops just short of the man running round from mid-on.
Mahmood now has eight wickets in the series, seven in the Powerplay. Careers have turned on less.
09:13 PM GMT
Wicket!
Chase c Overton b Mahmood 7 Dear me, this is a shambles. The ball after driving Mahmood expertly for four, Chase tries a repeat and edges to second slip. His weight was back yet he threw everything into the drive and snicked it straight to Jamie Overton. FOW: 21/4
09:10 PM GMT
OVER 3: WI 17/3 (Chase 3 Hetmyer 0)
The moisture in the pitch is making batting very tricky, but experience suggests it will get easier as the innings progresses. West Indies have tried to hit sixes from ball one. They’re batting on the pitch they wanted, not the one they got.
09:09 PM GMT
Wicket!
Pooran b Archer 7 West Indies are in all sorts. Pooran misses a lusty smear across the line and is cleaned up by Archer. This isn’t great batting from West Indies, who are playing as if the pitch is dry and flat when in fact the new ball is doing plenty. FOW: 17/3
09:05 PM GMT
OVER 2: WI 13/2 (Pooran 6 Chase 0)
Saqib Mahmood’s figures in this series are tremendous: 8-0-56-7.
09:01 PM GMT
Wicket!
Lewis c Archer b Mahmood 3 Saqib Mahmood continues his brilliant series by striking with his second ball. Lewis tried to heave a fullish delivery to leg and sliced it down to third man, where Archer crouched to take a good catch. That’s an ill-judged shot, to say the least. “A word of advice to youngsters watching,” says Mark Butcher on commentary. “Don’t try pulling half-volleys.” FOW: 13/2
08:59 PM GMT
OVER 1: WI 11/1 (Lewis 1 Pooran 6)
Jofra Archer almost dismissed both openers before Bethell struck. Lewis top-edged a pull not far short of deep backward square, then Hope was cut in half by a vicious nipbacker that also beat Salt down the leg side. I thought it went for four byes but they were given as runs.
A very eventful first over concludes with a spectacular swivel-pull for six from Pooran; that was only the second ball he’s faced.
08:56 PM GMT
Wicket!
Hope run out 4 Shai Hope punches his bat angrily after being run out by Jacob Bethell. It was a brilliant piece of fielding, a direct hit from square leg after Hope was sent back by Evin Lewis. Bethell, as Tim Wigmore wrote earlier today, is an extraordinarily gifted fielder. FOW: 5/1
08:45 PM GMT
Time for action
St Lucia has a reputation as the best batting pitch in the Caribbean, so this should be a sixtastic contest.
Jofra Archer will bowl the first over.
08:36 PM GMT
Team news: Rehan in for Rashid
England make one change, Rehan Ahmed coming in for Adil Rashid. West Indies bring in Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph and Shimron Hetmyer for Brandon King, Matthew Forde and Sherfane Rutherford. King and Forde are both injured.
West Indies Hope (wk), Lewis, Pooran, Powell (c), Hetmyer, Shepherd, Chase, Motie, A Joseph, Hosein, Hinds.
England Salt (wk), Jacks, Buttler (c), Livingstone, Bethell, Curran, Mousley, Overton, Rehan, Archer, Mahmood.
08:33 PM GMT
England win the toss and bowl
Jos Buttler has won his third toss in a row, although it shouldn’t be quite as big an advantage as it was in Barbados.
08:24 PM GMT
Play to start at 8:45pm
“Good news,” reports Tim from St Lucia. “Toss is at 4:30pm local time, play set to start at 4:45pm.”
08:22 PM GMT
Promising signs
Covers are off and players are warming up, which is promising. Essentially the outfield is still wet in patches – and there are concerns that, were it to rain again, the ground could be in trouble. So a cautious approach from the umpires for now.
08:13 PM GMT
The covers are off
That’s the good news. The bad news is that there’s a fair chance of further rain.
08:07 PM GMT
Rain delays toss
It’s now raining at the ground, which won’t do much for the outfield. Settle in, this could be a long day-night.
07:58 PM GMT
Luckless Topley to fly home
Reece Topley’s tour is over: the injury he sustained in the first T20 will not heal in time for him to play any of the last three games, so he is flying home ahead of schedule. The poor bloke has had hideous luck with injury.
07:49 PM GMT
Worrying signs in St Lucia
This is worrying: the covers are out even though it’s not raining. Concerns that the outfield is simply too wet.
07:48 PM GMT
Bethell compared to Jonty Rhodes
While we wait for some news, here’s Tim’s excellent piece on Jacob Bethell and why England’s coaches have privately given him the ultimate compliment for a fielder: comparison with Jonty Rhodes.
Like Rhodes, Bethell gravitates towards backward point – the position that Paul Collingwood, one of England’s greatest ever fielders, made his own. That station demands players with agility, anticipation and a mastery of angles. Fielders in the position must pre-empt what shot a batsman will play to give themselves the best chance of intercepting the ball.
07:38 PM GMT
Wet spots on St Lucia outfield
The toss has been delayed to 3:45pm local time (7:45pm BST) due to several wet spots on the outfield caused by overnight rain.
07:30 PM GMT
Toss delayed
Good afternoon from St Lucia. Sad to report that it’s raining and the covers are on. So the toss will be delayed but we still expect a full game.
06:20 PM GMT
Good evening
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the third T20 international between West Indies and England. The teams have moved to St Lucia for the last leg of this short white-ball tour, with three T20Is to be played in the next four days. England only need to win one toss more atch to take the series.
Jos Buttler’s exuberant 83 set up another crushing victory in Barbados on Sunday. But while England played very well, it was hard to escape the conclusion that winning the toss did most of the heavy lifting. Hopefully it won’t be as influential in St Lucia; in fact, in the last five years the team that wins the toss has won only four of the 11 T20Is on this ground. Batting second feels like a slight advantage rather than a decisive one.
Whatever happens, Jacob Bethell will be front and centre. He has made a quietly eye-catching start to his international career and is already being talked about as a potential three-format great. He’s certainly three-dimensional: a stylish, mature batsman, a useful left-arm spinner and a spectacular fielder who England’s coaching staff privately believe is already the best in the country.
Bethell, strikingly mature in his cricket if not necessarily his hair, is deaf to any hype. “I’ve got pretty good confidence in myself with what I can do,” he said. “Unless it’s my parents or really good friends, I don’t really listen to what anyone else says. When my friends from school sometimes get it wrong and send me stuff people are saying, I’m like: ‘please don’t’. I don’t look at it for a reason. When people say good things about you, it’s always nice but I know that as much as there’s good, there’s bad.”
He has more good things said about him than most, and if all goes to plan he will be part of a series-winning England team for the first time tonight. The match starts at 8pm.
