Keacy Carty and Brandon King played exceptional innings to guide West Indies to a series-clinching eight-wicket victory over England in the third and final ODI at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on November 6. The West Indies’ chase of 264 was anchored by a brilliant second-wicket partnership of 209 runs between King and Carty, which not only steadied the ship after the early loss of Evin Lewis but also helped the team cruise to victory with seven overs to spare.
King played a brilliant knock of 102, while Carty continued his excellent form, finishing unbeaten on 128, securing his maiden ODI century. Carty’s century came off 114 balls, featuring 15 fours and two sixes. King, in his 117-ball innings, struck 13 fours and one six. Their partnership was a dominant display of controlled batting, and though King fell just before the finish line, Carty, alongside captain Shai Hope (5*), saw the team home to 267/2. Carty’s century made history as he became the first player from Sint Maarten to score a hundred for the West Indies in ODIs.
England’s bowlers struggled throughout the chase, with Jofra Archer being particularly ineffective. He went wicketless, conceding 54 runs from 9 overs. Jamie Overton and Reece Topley were the only two bowlers to pick up wickets, but their efforts were in vain as the West Indies comfortably chased down the target. This loss marked England’s third consecutive ODI series defeat since their disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Earlier, England were put in to bat and struggled against the West Indies bowlers, losing four wickets in quick succession. Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, and Romario Shepherd all contributed with the ball, keeping England’s top order under pressure. However, opener Phil Salt played a fighting knock, scoring 74, and was well-supported by Sam Curran (40) and Dan Mousley (57) in partnerships of 70 runs each. Archer, batting in the lower order, added a quickfire 38* off just 17 balls, helping England reach a challenging total of 263/7.
The West Indies bowlers kept the pressure on, and a mid-spell injury to Shepherd allowed England to capitalize. Sherfane Rutherford came into the attack in Shepherd’s absence and conceded 57 runs off 3.5 overs, including three sixes by Archer, but it was not enough to prevent West Indies from completing a dominant chase.
The win saw West Indies seal the series with an impressive performance, while England’s loss added to their recent struggles in ODI cricket, further highlighting the need for rebuilding after their World Cup disappointment.
