Centuries by Alex Hales and Joe Root launched England to a 186-run win over the West Indies and a 3-0 sweep of their one-day international cricket series last week. Hales made 110 and Root 101 as England posted 328 all out. The home side was then routed for 142 inside 40 overs.
West Indies never looked like they could chase down the target set for them. Kieran Powell looped a catch to square leg off the fourth ball of the innings, Evin Lewis gave a soft caught-and-bowled to Chris Woakes for a duck in the next over, and Kraigg Brathwaite gave Woakes another wicket in the fourth over. West Indies were 13-3 before the end of the fifth over and were thus unable to recover.
England won a third straight ODI series in the Caribbean, after 2009 and 2014, This is the first time that England have done a clean sweep over West Indies on the latter’s home turf. Woakes took 3-16 off eight overs and fellow fast bowler Liam Plunkett had figures of 4-2-4-3 before he was hit around at the end. Plunkett finished with 10 wickets in the series.
Only once had the West Indies won an ODI by scoring 300-plus in the second innings. The odds were against this depleted side, but its chase was over before it really started. West Indies started the game well, dismissing the in form Jason Roy early in his innings. But Alex Hales and Joe Root didn’t let them capitalise and shared a 192-run stand for the second wicket. Hales departed in the 37th over and Root in the 43rd, both caught off fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who was recalled for the injured Shannon Gabriel.
While Hales scored 110, Root made 101 before being dismissed off the very next ball. In support of Hales and Root, only Ben Stokes impressed with 34. Hales was playing in his first match of the series after a broken right hand that he sustained during England’s tour of India, replacing the out-of-form Sam Billings. He was given out lbw on 93 off Kraigg Brathwaite but asked for a video review which showed the ball would have missed off stump.
Moments later, he reached his fifth ODI century by hitting his fourth six over fine leg. He got there in 99 balls, and smacking nine boundaries and five sixes.
Hales hit another six before he was out for 110, a mishit to fine leg. Root was on 86 at the time. Root also had reprieves, being dropped on 1 at square leg, and on 12 at slip.
He’d go all the way to his ninth ODI hundred, off 107 balls, including 10 boundaries. Next ball, in the same 43rd over, he was out, hitting straight to long on. Joseph and captain Jason Holder shared seven wickets.
