6:10 AM IST and 8:40 PM Local Time: A thriller in St Lucia, and England come on top of it with a three-wicket win. The Jos Buttler-led side seals the series with two games to spare! This is England's first T20I series win in the Caribbean Islands since 2018/19.
It was a game that swung like a pendulum, and it can be said that the fielding made the difference in the end. West Indies were pretty average on the field, dropping too many catches and conceding too many runs with misfields.
The inclement weather delayed the start for exactly 45 minutes. Buttler won the third toss in a row and bowled first without any second thought. It was a horror-looking powerplay for the hosts yet again. This time, they lost as many as five wickets in the first six overs. It all started with the run-out of Shai Hope in the first over, and the Windies' batters played reckless strokes one after the other to help themselves on the way to the pavilion.
Saqib Mahmood was sensational with the new ball for the third time in the series and picked up three big wickets in that phase, while Jofra Archer knocked over the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.
Skipper Rovman Powell fought hard and smashed his 7th T20I fifty, adding a crucial 73-run 6th wicket partnership with Romario Shepherd, who got into the 30s.
Once Jamie Overton broke the partnership, the home side was derailed again and only managed to get to 145/8 in 20 overs. Alzarri Joseph remained unbeaten with a useful 21. Overton completed 100 T20 wickets in the process and picked up three quick wickets to halt any momentum that was building for the West Indies.
Phil Salt and Will Jacks didn't look at their best to begin the run chase. Akeal Hosein got rid of the former cheaply for the second time in a row and soon removed the English skipper. Alzarri Joseph got the better of Jacob Bethell inside the powerplay and reduced the visitors to 3 down for 37.
England were in trouble and made things tougher for themselves, losing wickets at wrong times. Jacks struggled but ensured that he had a little partnership with Sam Curran, who looked in great touch and scored 41. Both these batters threw their wickets away and kept this game hanging in the balance.
Things could have gone either way if Pooran didn't drop Liam Livingstone twice. The Lancashire all-rounder hammered a much-needed 39 off 28 balls and took England pretty close to the finish as he perished trying for a glory hit.
Akeal Hosein bagged a few wickets at the back end as well to drag the game until the final over and finished with excellent figures of 4/22, but failed to stop the visitors from winning the game and the series.
West Indies have only themselves to blame at. Poor execution with the bat in the powerplay and poor effort on the field. You need to ensure all these facets of the game go your way, though the toss is not in your control.
Stay tuned for the post-match presentation...