West Indies vs England 2017: 3rd ODI, 5 Talking Points
England crushed West Indies by 186 runs in the third and final ODI at Bridgetown to complete a series whitewash (3-0). The comeback man, Alex Hales, and the ever-reliable Joe Root, were the wreckers-in-chief with the bat as both of them scored hundreds, helping England post 328 on the board.
The Windies were never in the game as they lost 6 for 45 runs with Chris Woakes, Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett running havoc in the top order. Jonathan Carter once again rescued them from embarrassment, but as was the case right through the series, he was dismissed after a start as the hosts were bowled out for 142 in the 40th over.
West Indies, who are already out of the Champions Trophy this year due to their ninth place in the ICC rankings, did themselves no good as they lost the series 3-0. England, meanwhile, will look to carry this momentum forward in the multi-nation tournament in June.
Brief Scores: England 328/10 in 50 overs (Hales 110, Root 101, Joseph 4/76) beat West Indies 142/10 in 39.2 overs (Carter 46, Woakes 3/16, Plunkett 3/27)
Here are the talking points from the third and final ODI at Barbados:
#5 Rust-free Alex Hales puts Windies to the sword
Alex Hales had been suffering from a hand injury and was expected to recover only after this series. However, a quicker than expected rehabilitation saw him take the flight down to the Caribbean islands to play the final ODI.
And when he took to the crease, he showed no signs of rust. He played out the early overs which were difficult for batting with much grace. His temperament and composure stood out in the early part of his innings before his natural instinct to attack took over.
There was no stopping Hales from then on. He carted leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for two fours and two sixes in a 22-run over as he raced to his fifth century in ODIs, becoming the fastest England player to the landmark. Hales dismissal triggered a collapse that saw England lose six wickets in the next ten overs.