Mahmoud again sets the tone before Curran and Livingstone lead the chase

(ESPN Cricinfo) – Win the toss, win the match – win the series. Jos Buttler’s third correct call in the T20I series led to another successful run chase as England beat West Indies by three wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.

However, this was the most difficult task, despite the target of 146 being the lowest of the three. Once again, West Indies rallied from a dire position of 37 for 5 to a respectable total. Saqib Mahmood took 3 for 17 in a strong performance again before Jamie Overton gutted the middle order with 3 for 20 after Rovman Powell’s 54 and 30 from Romario Shepherd, rebuilt from the rubble.

But Akeal Hossain’s 4 for 22 kept West Indies in the hunt till the end. Sam Curran’s 41 off 26 along with Will Jacks’ 32 just kept England on course. Liam Livingston’s 39 has cleared all danger.

Livingstone was lucky to be there long enough to have such an impact as he was dropped three times. The first, at 6, was the easiest – Nicolas Pooran landed an uppercut hook on Alzarri Joseph, returning from a two-game suspension as one of three changes.

Puran then edged Gudakesh Moti with Livingston on 8 before Moti missed again when Shimron Hetmyer failed to get a tough low chance to deep midwicket. Livingstone was 21 by then, and in the next over he took 16 off Joseph to put England in front, before leaving Hossain at number four. Rehan Ahmed, called in place of the rested Adil Rashid, had the honor of carving out the winning runs for a point.

West Indies have made changes, with the trio of Joseph, Shai Hope and Hetmyer calling on Matthew Forde and Brandon King – both injured – and Sherfan Rutherford. And yet they endured another bad start.

Hope lasted just two balls, Jacob Bethell struck at backward point after cutting what looked like a comfortable single. It was the first of four wickets to fall in 17 deliveries, including devastating left-handers Evin Lewis and Pooran through wayward hacks against Mahmood and Jofra Archer respectively.

Mahmood didn’t stop there, removing Roston Chase before Hetmyer followed his fellow southpaws with another terrific lift caught at deep square leg. With two matches to play, the Lancashire fast bowler’s eight wicket haul is already the most by an England bowler in any series in this T20I period.

Powell and Shepherd – West Indies’ top scorers in the series – put on another face-saving display, this time with an impressive 73 off just 57 deliveries. But no sooner had they reached a respectable 110 for 5 after 15 overs than Overton precipitated the collapse, dismissing both batsmen three times in seven innings.

A breezy 28 for the ninth wicket between Hudakesh Moti and Joseph gave them something to work for. Unfortunately, it was the same old story, albeit one that confirmed only England’s second T20I series win in the last two years.

The Overton window opens again

Overton had a special start to this tour. A long-awaited ODI debut in the first match in Antigua came as a specialist No.8 batsman – continuing a disappointing spell without bowling. A stress fracture in his back, which ruled him out of England’s World T20 plans earlier this summer, was still holding him back.

However, his three-for in St Lucia was a welcome return to action. A fortnight after working as a lower-order batsman under circumstances, he is back to the bowling all-rounder he is designed to be.

England have long regarded the 30-year-old footballer as an ace up their sleeve. After moving on from Liam Plunkett after winning the 2019 ODI World Cup, they got rid of an effective middle-order player who would have been uncomfortable with length and felt unpredictability. While Brydon Kars auditioned quite well, Overton may have just given the selectors a reason to switch roles.

The nature of Overton’s trio of dismissals was particularly comforting. Shepherd was embarrassed by a slower ball, then Hudakesh Mothier was caught at mid-on but was undone by a short ball that followed the left-hander more than he would have liked. Powell’s wear from a short out ball to deep midwicket was the result of a cleverly executed cross delivery that avoided the middle of the bat.

It is still the beginning of Overton’s international career. After all, this is only his seventh match in limited overs cricket and his fitness cannot be taken for granted. Still, his fourth best figure in 146 straight T20 appearances – taking him to 100 wickets in the format – was a welcome sight. He would also be pleased to be there at the end as the win was sealed.

Curran shows the batting (again)

Perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay Curran is that he didn’t seem rushed to St Lucia. This despite the fact that his vital 41 years spanned just 26 deliveries.

But aside from his red sweat shirt, he was the epitome of calm. At ease on a slippery pitch, unfazed in a situation that was threatening when he reached the crease at mid-on in the last over. England were 37 for 3, needing 109 from 87 balls, with the middle order, which has so far not seen action in the series, now having to carry the load. Caressing his first ball through point for four, Curran immediately looked at the task at hand. Successive borders through the same region in the following confirm this.

Curran waited 19 deliveries for his next milestone – knocking Motie down the ground for six – but the time in between was not wasted. He worked well, first with Jax, then with Livingston, in what was a clinic in quiet, steady accumulation. He faced just one dot ball before striking out Terrance Hinds to Shai Hope in the deep spot.

Since being man of the tournament at the 2022 World T20 with 13 dismissals, Curran has matched that mark in just 21 T20Is since then and remains wicketless in his nine overs in these first three games. But that score, along with 37, 52 and 40 in the ODI series – where he also failed to register in the wicket column – suggest he may now be reinventing himself as a vital batsman for England’s white-ball needs .

Powell stands tall

Who knows how one-sided this series would have been had it not been for Powell. For the second time in as many matches, the captain had to hold the ship single-handedly.

Captaining the West Indies is never going to be an easy task, especially when you’re batting in the first six overs when you’re tagged at No. 5. For the third time in a week, Powell arrived in early disarray.

He met fire with fire on all three occasions, this time achieving his eighth 50+ score. Coming into the fourth over, he kept looking for boundaries despite Mahmood and Archer having fun with the new ball. The first was hit through cover and the second flared extravagantly in the stands in the same region before the pitch restriction was lifted.

He hit three more sixes, two of which lifted spinner Rehan, who was making his first T20I appearance in nearly a year, off the ground. Powell’s final power hit – sending Curran’s half-tracker over square leg – took him to eight sixes in the series, the most by either side.

Powell then followed up the successful marshalling in the second innings, cementing his bowling plans backed by smart field placement. Had the catch been made, he could have shown more.