Grenada, March 27: The West Indies recorded an emphatic ten-wicket victory on day four of the third Test after the first two matches were drawn to secure a 1-0 series win over England, here on Sunday.
Needing just 28 runs to win after eliminating England 120 in the second innings, West Indies starters Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell chased the goal in 4.5 overs as play ended in the opening session of Day 4.
The West Indies’ victory moved them above Bangladesh in the World Test Championship standings, while England remained bottom of the table after a seventh defeat in 12 matches.
Play on Day 4 resumed with Jack Leach and Chris Woakes in the crease, but a dire situation was made even worse for England when Woakes was sent packing for 19 earlier in the day thanks to a stunning catch by Jason Holder. Woakes made a decent enough connection with a flick on the leg side of Kemar Roach’s first ball of the day, but didn’t take into account the reach of the totemic Holder, who stretched out a long arm to catch a blinder. Broken.
England’s hopes of reaching a theoretically defensible total looked dead, and the innings were soon over as Roach struck again, drawing a lead from Leach (4) to end his 55-ball stay in the crease.
Roach’s double strike meant he finished the innings at 2/10 figures in 9.2 overs. But as impressive as those numbers were, they were clearly second best to Mayers, whose five for Day 3 saw him close on 5/18 from 17 overs, according to an ICC report.
Facing a minuscule target of 28 to win the match and the series, the West Indies starters hit four limits as they reached the winning total in just under five overs on the bowls of Woakes and Saqib Mahmood.
The West Indies’ victory means they are unbeaten against England in the last four home series, with England’s victory in 2004 their only series won in Caribbean conditions since 1968.
Short scores: England 204 and 120 (Alex Lees 31; Kemar Roach 2-10, Kyle Mayers 5-18) lost to West Indies 297 and 28/0 (Kraigg Brathwaite 20 out, John Campbell 6 out) by 10 wickets