At the Utilita Bowl, England finished their white-ball thumping of the West Indies, demonstrating their supremacy with a 37-run triumph in the third Twenty20 International.
Harry Brook's first responsibilities as limited-overs captain culminated in back-to-back 3-0 series victories, England's first in T20Is since 2021, against Sri Lanka. The overwhelming victory started with a massive 248 for 3, after Shai Hope sent him in to bat. Ben Duckett's 84, which started with Jamie Smith's 60, the format's first half-century, established the foundation for 120 runs in nine overs.
England achieved the second-highest score in the format and the biggest score at home thanks to several cameos, including an impressive 36 not out from Jacob Bethell. West Indies, on the other hand, started an unpersuasive record chase.
Hope was somewhat correct in assuming that this pitch would remain constant throughout the toss. In contrast to England's 15 sixes, his team hit 14 sixes, including four from former West Indies T20 skipper Rovman Powell, who scored 79 not out off 45 balls for his tenth fifty-plus.
West Indies set a new aggregate record for a Twenty20 International in England with their score of 211 for 8. Additionally, the game gave the home team a 19–18 lead in the two teams' head-to-head record, marking the first time England has held that lead.
Multiformat star
Duckett set a new record for the fourth-fastest by an Englishman with his third T20I half-century off 20 deliveries. A useful gong for a player who may be considered one of the top multi-format openers in England.
That is not a very bold claim. Perhaps it might be possible to omit the "one of" qualifier. Since reestablishing himself in all three formats, Duckett has shown amazing consistency throughout the codes. He has been a banker this year alone, returning to the shortest format in India, with differing degrees of aim.
This new career-best T20I performance demonstrated the caliber of batter he has become, even though he did not get to check off each century box in ten innings, a series that started with 165 against Australia in the Champions Trophy and last month's Test 140 against Zimbabwe.
Akeal Hosein's reverse-slap shot over cover six deliveries into the game set the tone. Doubting himself in the Powerplay did not win the No. 2 T20I bowler in the world that rating.
However, in the very next over, the left-arm spinner was unraveling those preparations as the left-hander changed to hit down the ground and both sides of the man out of square leg after shifting his field to put two square out of the ring to deal with Duckett's orthodox and reverse sweeps.
This included a spectacular six-run hit behind square off a delivery that appeared to be too full and wide of off stump to be moved maliciously in that direction, let alone over the boundary.
Duckett's ingenuity and clarity have undone quality operators before, and Hosein is probably not the last this summer.
In addition to giving his colleagues more self-assurance, the 30-year-old has undoubtedly assisted Smith in adjusting to his new position as a limited-overs opener, since Smith has recorded his first half-centuries in both formats over the past seven days.
At one point in his command, Eoin Morgan's England sides had become so merciless that he could afford to take occasional breaks. His absence from the 2017 T20I series final against South Africa was the greatest display of his confidence.
England triumphed fairly easily in the face of a barrage of criticism. With the depth of England's skill (Alex Hales took Morgan's place in that starting lineup), the machine had mastered winning under a range of conditions. even if their skipper is not there.
It will take some time before England regains its status as a formidable white-ball force or even rediscovers that, well, swagger. What England accomplished here tonight, however, was to sow the seeds that grew during that 2015–19 cycle early.
Before the game, Brook stated, "We want to start pounding opponents down into the ground," in response to their captain's cold, calculated remarks. He then unveiled an unchanged squad and played with equal ruthlessness.
In actuality, England could defeat this version of the West Indies without being as good as they were. The fact that they made sure they were, all the way to the finish, indicates that they are headed in the correct direction. Making winning instinctive is more important than aiming for global dominance.
The West Indies must act quickly.
In West Indian cricket, have there ever been more discouraging 48 hours? After a 238-run thumping in the first ODI, a series loss was sealed with one game remaining on Sunday. This was followed by a lopsided loss in Southampton, which finishes this England visit with heart-stopping losses.
In between these losses, Nicholas Pooran made an unexpected retirement announcement on Monday. At the age of 29, one of the top players in the game and a major hope for Caribbean cricket is retiring.
The brightest stars in the West Indies appear to have vanished permanently, capping a tour that started with the warning that some of the missing stars would return shortly.
Pooran's defeat would have been equally depressing in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup the following year, even if the tourists had defeated England handily. However, it is evident from these three losses that the former dominators of this format are losing ground.
The past two weeks have demonstrated that the West Indies are no longer a forward-thinking T20 team. A change in the way this format is played is highlighted by the fact that they out-sixed England 35 to 32 despite being overpowered.
Starting over is arguably not the best course of action, especially with the World Cup just eight months away. But a fast repair is required because Pooran is no longer available to patch the flaws.