Keacy Carty hit a half-century and Matthew Forde took three wickets as West Indies claimed a four-wicket win in the rain-affected third one-day international on Saturday to clinch their first home ODI series victory over England since 1998.
Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) par score of 188 in 34 overs, West Indies appeared to have gotten off to the perfect start as Carty (50) combined with Alick Athanaze (45) for a 76-run partnership, but spinner Will Jacks tore through their middle order.
With his side reeling, Romario Shepherd hit a crucial knock of 41 to push them over the finish line with 14 balls to spare, though the all-rounder benefited from a massive slice of luck when he was dropped on 18 by Liam Livingstone on the boundary rope.
West Indies won the series 2-1, claiming a four-wicket victory in the first match before being beaten by six wickets in the second game.
Earlier on Saturday, Forde (3-29) took the wickets of top-order batters Phil Salt, Jacks and Zak Crawley to leave England on 45-3 in an excellent spell on his ODI debut.
“There’s a lot of work that goes in behind the scenes. Me and the guys have been training hard in a camp before the series. Obviously getting a victory is a dream come true on my debut,” Forde said.
“It was special for me. I am 21 and I am living my dream. I thank all the guys for making it possible. They have welcomed me with open arms and it has been an easy camp so far.”
England’s innings was rescued by Ben Duckett, whose knock of 71 came off 73 balls, while Liam Livingstone was able to shrug off his recent struggles with the bat to contribute 45 runs.
Shepherd removed both Duckett and Livingstone in back-to-back overs to stymie England’s progress, with the visitors posting a total of 206 in 40 overs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The series victory, West Indies’ first over England since 2007, will give the hosts a massive boost after they failed to qualify for the 50-overs World Cup.
For England, however, it will raise even more questions about the future of their ODI team, coming off the back of a disappointing World Cup exit.
“This is the start of a long journey for this side,” said England captain Jos Buttler.
“There are some young guys who have got their first taste of ODI cricket and have hopefully learned lot and can go on and we can build something for the future.”
The two sides next face each other in a five-match Twenty20 series. The first game of the series will be played at the same venue on Tuesday. (rediff.com)
