England Women made it three wins from three at Chelmsford, defying another Hayley Matthews innings of high class to win by 17 runs and secure a series clean-sweep.
Heather Knight was the team’s stand-out performer, making her highest IT20 innings on home soil with a 47-ball 66. The visiting team’s skipper Hayley Matthews kept the game alive and the 3,500-strong crowd entertained but when she fell with 31 runs still required the outcome became clear.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt lost her first toss as full-time England Women captain and on a wicket that offered some assistance to the bowlers, her side were indebted to her predecessor Knight for her role in getting up to 144-5.
Lauren Bell took a wicket with the first ball of the West Indies’ reply, and would finish her four overs going for just 11 runs. Linsey Smith, Em Arlott and Charlie Dean each took two wickets apiece.
Matthews wasn’t to end up on the winning side but she did claim both Player of the Match and Player of the Series. The two sides will go head to head again in Derby on Friday in the first game of the Metro Bank ODI series.
Link to audio from Nat Sciver-Brunt’s post-match press conference is available here.
Vitality IT20 Series
1st Vitality IT20: 21 May – England Women won by eight wickets.
2nd Vitality IT20: 23 May – England Women won by nine wickets.
3rd Vitality IT20: 26 May – England Women won by 17 runs.
Metro Bank ODI Series
1st Metro Bank ODI: 30 May – The County Ground, Derby 13:00 BST
2nd Metro Bank ODI: 4 June – Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester 13:00 BST
3rd Metro Bank ODI: 7 June – Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 11:00 BST