West Indies v England, 3rd ODI - 5 Talking Points

The action moved to Barbados for the dead rubber between England and West Indies. Having won the first two matches of the 3 match ODI series, it was all about a perfect finish for the English side. The hosts, on the other hand, had nothing but pride to play for. They had to come up with an improved performance and avoid a whitewash. A whitewash would have only dwindled their chances of automatically qualifying for the ICC World Cup 2019.

But as things turned out in the game, they could not avoid being clean swept by the Eoin Morgan-led outfit. Alex Hales made a comeback in the match and all eyes were glued to him. After having lost Jason Roy cheaply, Hales and Joe Root added 192 runs for the second wicket that took the game away from West Indies. Hales and Root struck masterly tons to set the stage for a mammoth 328 runs for the visitors.

The host could never claw back in the game or perhaps were never in the game at all. They were totally outplayed by the English bowlers and only Jonathan Carter got decent runs under his belt on the day. A poor batting display saw them bundle out for 142 in less than 40 overs and thereby losing by 186 runs. England completed the whitewash in thumping fashion.

Here are the 5 talking points from the game:

1. Alex Hales plunders Windies bowling, Root joins the assault

A lot of talk encircled around the comeback man Alex Hales prior to the start of the final ODI. Hales arrived in grand style to stamp his authority on the opening slot for the Champions Trophy. England were put in to bat by West Indies skipper Jason Holder who won the toss. Jason Roy and Alex Hales walked in to open the innings. Roy perished on 17 in the 6th over to get Joe Root at the crease.

What followed then was an absolute mayhem for the hosts. Root and Hales plundered runs at will as the hapless Windies bowlers could find no way to stop the carnage. While Root patiently nurdled around for his singles and doubles, Hales believed in power hitting. Both batsmen reached their respective centuries. For Root, it was about showing how consistent he is.

He had struck an unbeaten 90 odd in the previous ODI and then backed it up with another big score here at Barbados. On the other hand, Hales had nothing but form to find in the match and he did it in some great fashion. The duo added 192 runs off 183 balls for the second wicket to set the base for a high English score.

2. Ben Stokes settling in the role of a finisher

All-rounder Ben Stokes is slowly making a name for himself in this English side. He is turning out to be the finisher for the side. Stokes was seen using the long handle during the India tour and he continued to do the same in the Caribbean as well.

Some power hitting towards the end of the innings by Stokes propelled England to a bulging score of 328. After the Hales-Root partnership that set up the tone for the English innings, the onus was on the middle order to carry things forward from there on.

However, two wickets fell in quick succession as Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler failed to get the big scores on the day. In walked Ben Stokes and showed some good display of power hitting. The southpaw clobbered 34 off just 20 balls with 4 fours and a six to give the innings the needed impetus for a high finish.

3. West Indies batting collapse

The West Indies team had a stiff ask ahead of them with a target of over 300 placed on the board. Earlier in the series, they had a tough time in their attempt to chase down 296 in the first ODI. This chase was definitely going to be more daunting. All it needed was a solid start backed up by some gutsy middle order batting.

But the hosts did what they have been doing the most these days – the batting choked up at the wrong time. They had a horrific start with openers Kieran Powell and Evin Lewis back in the hut by the end of first two overs. To make things worse, Kraigg Brathwaite, who batted at number 3 in the match, perished after scoring just 5. Shai Hope and Jason Mohammed had been the two batters who had shown some form in the series.

But they departed on 16 and 10 respectively. Skipper Jason Holder bagged a golden duck and West Indies were 6 down with just 45 runs on the board. Had there not been a fighting 46 off 77 balls by Jonathan Carter and a late 13-ball 22 by number 11 Alzarri Joseph, the West Indies team would have definitely crumbled to a score below 100.

4. Woakes bowls a lovely spell

Chris Woakes was rightly adjudged the Man of the Series for his all round show. He was the unlikely hero for England in the 2nd ODI with the bat. In the final ODI, he did what he is best renowned for.

Woakes showed exemplary bowling skills and bowled a beautiful spell first up. Not only did he pick wickets but he contained the run flow at will. In his 8 over spell, Woakes gave away just 16 runs and bagged 3 wickets. He bowled a maiden too.

He started off by dismissing Evin Lewis with a caught and bowl. He then got rid off Kraigg Brathwaite and had him caught by Alex Hales. Later in the innings, it was Ashley Nurse who became his third victim of the match.

5. The big fat English win

It was a rather shallow end to a competitive series. The Eoin Morgan side had walked in as the favorites in the series but even they did not expect it to be a cakewalk as this. West Indies succumbed to a massive 186 run defeat as they bundled out for a paltry 142 in the final ODI.

Clearly, they let themselves down with the performances. The kind of fight they had shown in the 2nd ODI by taking 6 wickets in the middle overs had given hopes to the fans that this side is capable of turning things around. But a poor show at Bridgetown got them back to the old incompetent ways. In the end, the English team completed an easy whitewash and had some good time preparing for the Champions Trophy.

It was skipper Eoin Morgan’s ton that helped them win the first ODI. The second ODI saw the batting heroics of Joe Root and Chris Woakes taking them over the line in the crisis situation. And the final ODI was a complete team performance. Root and Hales plundered runs, Stokes provided the end innings blitz, and the bowlers capped off the complete performance.