West Indies claimed a series victory over England after defeating the tourists by eight wickets in the third and final one-day international in Barbados. Keacy Carty and Brandon King both scored impressive hundreds as West Indies cantered home in pursuit of 264 with seven overs to spare.

Sint Maarten batter Carty blitzed his way to his maiden international ton in 97 balls and stayed unbeaten on 128, while King made his third ODI century in 113 balls. England’s 263-8 had looked reasonably healthy considering they crumbled to 24-4 in 10 overs. Phil Salt’s watchful 74 dug them out of a hole with Sam Curran scoring 40 and Dan Mousley impressing with his maiden ODI half-century.

Jamie Overton added 32 while Jofra Archer remained unbeaten on 38 as England recovered to post a total which had looked challenging until the intervention of King and Carty. With Jos Buttler returning as captain, England will hope to regroup as they prepare for a five-match T20 series, which begins at the same venue on Saturday.

England's Struggles With the Bat

England’s top order struggled early on, with Matthew Forde finding early movement to dismiss Will Jacks in the third over. Jordan Cox’s troubles against the short ball continued as he gloved a 92mph bouncer from Alzarri Joseph to Hope behind the stumps. Jacob Bethell went for a duck, with captain Liam Livingstone joining him in the dressing room inside the powerplay, leaving England up against it.

They were grateful for the patient display from Salt, who hit just one boundary in his first 52 balls before hoisting Romario Shepherd over mid-wicket for his only six to bring up a precious 50-run partnership with Curran. It took the opener 79 balls to reach his fifth and slowest ODI half-century before falling to Forde on 74, but only after providing the springboard for England.

A Respectable Total Despite Early Woes

Mousley built on that momentum and carved out his maiden half-century in 64 deliveries, accumulating the bulk of those runs on the leg side before falling to Joseph as England stepped on the gas. Overton’s 32 from 21 balls and Archer’s 17-ball 38 helped the visitors ransack 100 in the last 10 overs, including 21 off the final over.

Though England ultimately fell well short, Salt’s back-to-back fifties will give him confidence heading into the T20 series, where he will retain the gloves despite Buttler's return.

West Indies' Dominant Reply

King struck sublime back-to-back boundaries in Jofra Archer’s opening spell in a quick start for the home side on a wicket that had favoured the chasing team in nine of the previous 11 matches. Overton dismissed Evin Lewis cheaply for his first ODI wicket, but that was as good as it got for England with the ball.

Livingstone used seven of his nine bowling options to no avail in his bid to rein in Carty and King as the duo built a 209-run partnership, which was only broken in the 41st over by Reece Topley with West Indies just 13 runs away from victory. England’s most experienced fast bowler Archer underwhelmed at the Kensington Oval to finish the series with one wicket from 23 overs, while leg-spinner Adil Rashid ended with figures of 0-51.

A Century Stand That Sealed the Win

Carty and King’s partnership was the highlight of the match. The pair batted with great composure and aggression, making full use of the short boundaries and the flat pitch. Carty’s century was particularly impressive, as he played with great confidence and power. King, meanwhile, played with a more controlled aggression, making a well-constructed century.

West Indies captain Shai Hope was pleased with his team’s performance, praising their consistency and discipline. He said: “I would have to say the dominance [pleased me most]. We asked for consistency and discipline, and that’s exactly what the guys did. The main thing if you want to be an elite team is that you’ve got to do things consistently. It’s a big plus for us, the work is really showing. The guys are putting a lot of work in off the field. It’s a great confidence booster, especially for the batting unit.”

England captain Liam Livingstone acknowledged his team’s struggles but also saw some positives. He said: “We battled back really well [with the bat]. The boys in the middle put on a decent partnership and ended really well. Ultimately we didn’t get enough runs. Disappointed with the end to the series but there have been a lot of good parts. We are missing a lot of players. We have a lot of people to come back into the team. Hopefully the younger boys that haven’t played that much international cricket have learned a lot.”

Looking Ahead

West Indies will be looking to build on this series win as they prepare for a three-match ODI series in India in February, which is their final preparation before the Champions Trophy in Pakistan later in the same month. England, meanwhile, will be looking to regroup and bounce back in the upcoming T20 series. They will need to find a way to improve their bowling attack, which has struggled in recent matches. The team also needs to work on their batting consistency.

This match was a reminder of the importance of partnerships in limited-overs cricket. Carty and King’s century stand was a key factor in West Indies’ victory. England, on the other hand, struggled to build any significant partnerships. They will need to address this issue if they want to be successful in the future.

A Night To Remember For Carty

Keacy Carty’s maiden century was the perfect way to end the series for West Indies. He batted with great confidence and aggression, and his innings will be remembered for a long time. Carty is a talented player with a bright future ahead of him, and this innings will have given him a huge boost of confidence.

The final over of the match saw Carty end the game with a boundary. It was a fitting end to a brilliant innings. He had batted with composure and aggression throughout the innings.

With the series victory in hand, West Indies will be looking to build on this momentum in the upcoming T20 series. They will need to continue to play with the same consistency and discipline if they want to be successful. England, meanwhile, will be hoping to bounce back in the upcoming series. They will need to find a way to improve their bowling attack and batting consistency if they want to be successful.