England’s T20 Series Victory Secured After Rain-Interrupted Final

England’s fifth and final T20 against the West Indies in St Lucia was washed out due to heavy rain. As a result, England led by captain Jos Buttler, claimed the series 3-1 after the match ended with the hosts at 44-0 in five overs. England chose to bowl first and West Indies openers Evin Lewis (29) and Shai Hope (14) started positively aiming to replicate their 136-run partnership from the fourth T20. However, a downpour halted play and despite the ground staff’s efforts to dry the outfield, the match ended at 22:15 GMT.

Meanwhile, Phil Salt finished as the series’ top run-scorer with 162 runs including an impressive 103 in the first T20. West Indies captain Rovman Powell followed closely with 153 runs. Furthermore, England’s Saqib Mahmood whom the team rested for the final match led the wicket-taking with nine wickets in four matches. Consequently, England secured the series 3-1 after losing the one-day international leg of the tour 2-1.

Their next challenge is a three-match Test series in New Zealand starting on 27 November followed by a white-ball series against India in January. Notably, the India series will mark Brendon McCullum’s first assignment as England’s white-ball head coach. In the post-match reactions, Mahmood expressed pride in his team’s performance especially the fast bowlers’ success in the powerplay.

Buttler shared his enjoyment of captaining without wicketkeeping duties while Powell acknowledged England’s dominance throughout the series, pointing out his team’s failure to sustain good performances for long periods.