Southampton, June 11 (H.S): England secured a 3-0 series victory against the West Indies by defeating them by 37 runs in the third and final T20 International match played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday. This is England's first clean sweep in a T20I series since 2021. With this victory, England completed their second consecutive clean sweep under the leadership of new limited-overs captain Harry Brook. Batting first after losing the toss, England scored 248 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, which is their highest score on home soil to date. Dazzling start by Duckett and Smith Opener Ben Duckett played a sensational innings of 84 runs off just 20 balls, smashing his third T20 half-century. Alongside him, Jamie Smith scored 60 runs, achieving his first half-century in T20 international cricket. The duo added 120 runs in just 9 overs. Jacob Bethel played a quick unbeaten innings of 36 runs at the end, setting a massive target of 249 runs for West Indies. West Indies' stumbling innings Chasing the target, the West Indies team hit 14 sixes but managed only 211 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Rovman Powell played a brilliant innings of 79 runs not out off 45 balls, but the rest of the batsmen could not support him. Mark Wood was the standout bowler for England, taking 3 wickets for 31 runs. With this victory, England took a 19-18 lead in T20 international matches against the West Indies for the first time. Duckett becomes England's reliable opener Ben Duckett once again proved with his explosive batting that he is England's most reliable multi-format opener. His innings featured superb reverse sweeps, shots over covers, and a six behind square leg, thrilling the crowd. Duckett's batting also boosted the confidence of young opener Smith, who scored his first half-century in both formats this week. A time of concern for the West Indies The last 48 hours have been the most disappointing for West Indies cricket. First, the series loss on Sunday, followed by a one-sided defeat on Tuesday. In between, on Monday, star batsman Nicholas Pooran surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket at just 29 years of age. Once the kings of T20 cricket, the West Indies team now seems to be struggling. The recently concluded series clarified that this team is no longer as formidable, even though they hit more sixes than England (35). Scorecard: England: 248/3 (Ben Duckett 84, Jamie Smith 60*, Jacob Bethel 36*) West Indies: 211/8 (Rovman Powell 79*, Shai Hope 45, Mark Wood 3/31) England won the match by 37 runs, claiming the series 3-0.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar