GROS ISLET, St. Lucia — Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood once again disrupted the West Indies’ batting lineup, helping England secure a three-wicket victory in the third Twenty20 international match on Thursday. This win allowed England to clinch the series, with two matches yet to be played.
England was set a target of 146 runs and successfully chased it down, finishing with seven wickets remaining and four balls to spare. Sam Curran was the standout performer for England, scoring 41 runs and forming partnerships of 38 runs with Will Jacks, who contributed 32 runs, and 39 runs with Liam Livingstone. Despite being dropped three times early in his innings, Livingstone managed to make an important contribution of 39 runs. Each missed catch by the West Indies allowed England to gain a stronger foothold in the game.
When the winning runs were scored in the last over, Jamie Overton and Rehan Ahmed were at the crease, with Overton scoring four and Ahmed contributing five runs. Mahmood was named Player of the Match for his excellent bowling performance, claiming 3 wickets for just 17 runs. He started the match by dismissing Evin Lewis for just 3 runs in the first over and later returned to take out Roston Chase for 7 runs and Shimron Hetmyer for 2 runs, leaving the West Indies in a precarious position at 39-5 by the end of the power play.
Reflecting on his performance, Mahmood expressed feeling more liberated during this series compared to past games. He indicated a sense of ownership in his position, allowing him to play boldly and take risks when necessary.
Captain Rovman Powell managed to stabilize the West Indies innings, scoring an impressive 54 runs as the team rallied to post a total of 145-8 after a dismal start. The West Indies had lost three wickets during the power play in each of the previous two matches of the series, resulting in England securing victories by margins of eight and seven wickets respectively. Mahmood had also performed notably in the earlier matches, taking 4 wickets for 24 runs in the first match and 2 for 20 in the second.
England received a crucial early advantage when captain Jos Buttler won the toss, which was delayed by 45 minutes due to wet conditions. Throughout the series, the team that won the toss had dominated, with the West Indies suffering setbacks from poor discipline and reckless batting at the start of their innings. Shai Hope was run out on the fourth ball after attempting a risky run and failing to get back to his crease, while Evin Lewis fell shortly thereafter, caught by Jofra Archer after misplaying a length delivery from Mahmood. Nicholas Pooran also fell victim to Archer soon after, leaving the West Indies in a dire situation at 17-3 within the opening three overs.
A partnership between Powell and Romario Shepherd added some stability, with the two putting together 73 runs for the sixth wicket. Additionally, Alzarri Joseph returned to the team after serving a suspension for his outburst in the first match; he finished not out with a contribution of 21 runs. The next two matches of this series will take place on Saturday and Sunday in St. Lucia.