| England 157-6 (20 overs): Dunkley 44, Knight 43, Alleyne 1-12 |
| West Indies 140-8 (20 overs): Williams 38, Matthews 35, Dean 4-19 |
| England received by 17 runs |
| Scorecard |
England secured a Twenty20 series win over West Indies with a 17-run win in Barbados.
Sophia Dunkley’s 44 and Heather Knight’s 43 helped England put up 157-6 batting first.
West Indies’ batters put in an improved efficiency after a poor series, however Charlie Dean took 4-19 to limit them to 140-8 from their 20 overs.
The end result provides England an unassailable 3-0 lead with two video games remaining.
England’s first-innings whole was the best of the series thus far, and was at all times going to be an enormous ask of the West Indies, whose highest ever T20 chase is 151.
But the hosts began their chase brightly, reaching 55-1 after the opening powerplay earlier than a double-wicket maiden from Dean, that included the prize wicket of Hayley Matthews for 35, modified the course of the sport.
Rashada Williams took the assault to England with 38 from 29 balls however fell lbw to Sophie Ecclestone within the penultimate over which dampened any hopes of a West Indies upset.
England have received each recreation of the tour thus far, having additionally clinched a 3-0 one-day worldwide whitewash. The series continues on Sunday at 22:00 GMT on the identical venue.
Dunkley and Knight arrange England win
Despite batting with a brand new opening companion in Lauren Winfield-Hill, with Danni Wyatt resting, Dunkley was unfazed and once more essential in establishing England’s first-innings whole.
So far within the series, the opener has scores of 25 from 21 balls, 43 at a run a ball and her innings within the third T20 got here at a strike-rate of 141.
The half-centuries could also be eluding her however Dunkley has established herself as a dependable T20 opener on the good time for England, with a World Cup simply over two months away.
Smashing three consecutive boundaries from the second over of the innings set the tone for Dunkley’s knock, and it took a bit of brilliance from Shemaine Campbelle with a direct hit run-out to finish her keep on the crease.
With 102 runs already on the board after 13 overs when Dunkley departed, it allowed Knight the liberty to play with equal aggression and freedom.
The skipper began her innings with a reverse-sweep for 4 and the intent continued, favouring the leg aspect as she struck 5 fours and a six earlier than she holed out to deep sq. leg within the penultimate over.
There was potential for a middle-order wobble when Dunkley and Amy Jones fell within the 14th over, Jones chipping Shenata Grimmond straight to mid-on, however Knight’s positivity ensured West Indies couldn’t take advantage of the chance to dominate.
Dean shines amid West Indies enchancment
Despite the defeat, it was comfortably West Indies’ greatest batting efficiency of the tour thus far.
Matthews has had a irritating series with the bat, exhibiting glimpses of her dazzling class however struggling to kick on to the large scores her workforce requires.
Her 35 from 31 balls contained six fours, together with a lofted cowl drive that could possibly be a contender for the shot of the 12 months, however her dismissal to Dean within the eighth over squandered a promising place.
But whereas the center order buckled below the strain earlier within the series, Williams and 19-year-old debutant Trishan Holder, stood agency.
Williams, 25, scored the hosts’ solely half-century of the series within the second one-day worldwide and has been their standout participant of the tour with her aggressive intent, whereas Holder made a run-a-ball 21 on a really promising debut.
But they have been halted by one other teenager with an especially vibrant future in Dean, who has now taken seven wickets in two video games through the T20 series to go with seven within the ODIs.
The off-spinner deceived the batters with her selection in tempo and accuracy and has fashioned an thrilling bowling partnership with Ecclestone, who took 2-28.
England have been counting on their spinners with Lauren Bell and Katherine Brunt resting, they usually definitely rose to the problem.
‘We nearly know our World Cup squad now’
England captain Heather Knight: “I undoubtedly loved immediately! In T20 it is all about looking for the boundaries and play to your strengths and I felt on that wicket that my strengths have been being a bit funky and hitting sq. of the wicket so it was good to contribute to a workforce win and good to really feel in good kind.
”I do not assume we’re too far-off from understanding what our greatest workforce is and understanding probably what that T20 World Cup squad appears to be like like. It’s all been a little bit of a fact-finding mission and attending to know just a few folks and the way they work in barely completely different locations.”
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