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England slumped to their fifth consecutive series defeat in the Caribbean as twin hundreds from Brandon King and Keacy Carty helped West Indies claim victory in this ODI decider.
On a tricky Barbados surface with tennis ball bounces and early movement, England stumbled to 24 for four after 9.5 overs before Phil Salt curbed his attacking instincts in a battling 74 from 108 balls .
Dan Mousley’s 57 off 70 deliveries – his first international fifty – plus 40 from Sam Curran were followed by tumultuous late-innings cameos from Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer, but a total of 263 for eight was overhauled by eight wickets and seven overs in reserve by the Winds.
Overton took a wicket in his first over, but England’s seamers and spinners were largely unthreatening as King and Carty enjoyed better batting conditions under the lights.
King ended a streak of 12 innings without an ODI fifty by amassing 102 from 117 balls while Carty’s 128 not out from 114 deliveries was his first international hundred, taking the Windies to a 2–1 series victory.
England lost both white-ball series last year, as well as the Tests and T20s in 2022, while it was a 13th setback in 20 ODIs for a team that gave a chance to youth and inexperience during this visit.
After losing the toss, England’s work was reduced for them on a ground where the chasing side has won seven of the last eight ODIs and they were in big trouble early on on a friendly pitch.
They didn’t help themselves as Will Jacks got gashed, while Alzarri Joseph took out his apparent frustrations on fielding with a 92 mph bumper that grazed the glove of Jordan Cox, whose A quiet start to his career in England continued.
Jacob Bethell was given width but his cut was swallowed up by a superb catch from Roston Chase before Liam Livingstone, whose unbeaten 124 on Saturday leveled the series in Antigua, slotted through to Shai Hope.
Having watched the carnage unfold at the other end, Salt led the rebuild, putting on 70 with Curran and then Mousley, as the opener struck against type, steadily accumulating through outright attacks.
As he deposited Romario Shepherd over mid-wicket, Salt, who fell on 52, succumbed to his first real show of intent, albeit after a superb relay catch as King snatched the ball out of the air before to unload him just as he was about to fall on the rope to Joseph who was standing there.
Mousley attacked the Windies spinners, then turned the corner for four after Romario Shepherd stumbled in his delivery stride and fell, forcing Sherfane Rutherford to take over.
After a quickfire 32 off 21 from Jamie Overton, Archer blasted three leg-sixes in his 38 not out from 17 – his highest score for England and bettering his previous ODI best of eight not out.
Rutherford conceded 44 in his final two overs, including 25 off the last, as Overton and Archer took England to a total above 250, which would have seemed fanciful a few hours earlier.
Archer, however, was hit through the covers for two fours by King early in the reply as the Windies raced to 65 for one after 10 overs, Overton making the breakthrough when the dangerous Evin Lewis was too late to pull and s ‘is deceived. to Adil Rashid in the ring.
Batting, however, looked much easier under the lights for King, granted a reprieve on 44 when Salt had a difficult chance to get up, and Carty, who was given a heavyweight on 13 off Livingstone only to be saved by a slight advantage.
Elsewhere, the duo moved imperturbably to fifty, spinners Rashid and Livingstone, like the fast bowlers before them, unable to stop the constant flow of runs.
Cox felled King on 86 in front of Archer, who threw his head back in despair at the thought of begging.
It completed an unforgettable tour for Cox, who returns to the UK on Thursday, skipping the T20 series, before taking part in the Test trip to New Zealand, where he is expected to be England’s wicketkeeper.
Carty was first to reach his ton off 97 balls with a carve back square for his 11th four, to go with two sixes, with King following suit in the next off 113 deliveries.
Topley removed King’s leg stump but Carty’s 15th four hastened the end for England, who must now regroup for the five-match T20 series which begins in Bridgetown on Saturday.
