Shai Hope’s unbeaten 43 guided the West Indies to a tense four-wicket win over England in the final T20 international and a 3-2 series victory.
England’s innings never really got going after they were inserted to bat after losing the toss, with slow left-armer Gudakesh Motie taking career-best T20I figures of 3-24 as the tourists were skittled out for 132 with three balls of their 20 overs remaining.
Phil Salt again led the way for England, but even he could only manage 38 following his match-winning centuries in the third and fourth matches of the series which had proven pivotal in setting up a decider in the last game of the tour.
Impressive four-over spells from seamer Reece Topley (2-17) and spinner Adil Rashid (2-21) kept England in the hunt during the West Indies’ reply, as did Sam Curran’s stunning penultimate over, but a six from Hope with four balls of the game left sealed the match and a series victory in spectacular style.
England stumble batting first
England made a decent start after being made to bat first, but Rovman Powell’s decision to rotate his bowlers early on yielded an early breakthrough in the fourth over as Buttler’s attempted scoop off Jason Holder saw the England skipper caught by Oshane Thomas at short fine leg for a run-a-ball 11.
Will Jacks followed him back to the pavilion for just seven in the following over, being bowled by Akeal Hosein just one ball after striking the first six of the innings with a hefty shot back down the ground which evaded the leaping Andre Russell on the boundary.
Opener Salt was determined to lead the rebuilding job for England, yet the back-to-back centurion was on his way in the seventh over after smiting 38 from just 22 balls as he was bowled by a superb delivery from Gudakesh Motie which spun past the outside edge of his bat.
The left-armer accounted for Harry Brook for just seven two overs later as well, being top-edged to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran, while fellow slow bowler Hosein claimed his second wicket in the 15th over after Andre Russell and Powell combined on the boundary for the latter to make the catch off Moeen Ali, who departed after a brisk 23 from 21 balls.
England’s last five wickets fell for just 22 runs. Livingstone (28) became Motie’s third scalp of the innings when he airily prodded one back to the bowler in the 17th over, and then two wickets in as many balls from seamer Russell put the hosts firmly in charge.
First, he bowled Chris Woakes for seven with a superb yorker coming around the wicket to the right-hander and then had Rehan Ahmed on his way for a golden duck with an excellent caught and bowled.
Adil Rashid being run out for one looking for a second run and Curran (12) hitting Holder to Sherfane Rutherford in the deep saw England’s innings come to a close in the final over, leaving the West Indies chasing 133 for victory.