Jamie Smith reveals England's future potential after clean sweep over West Indies

Independent

3 days ago

Jamie Smith 's barnstorming 64 off 28 deliveries helped England clean sweep the West Indies 3-0 in Harry Brook's first series as full-time white-ball captain.
Smith bludgeoned 10 fours and three sixes for his first fifty in his 13th one-day international as England cantered to a revised target of 246 in 40 overs, with seven wickets and 62 balls to spare at the Kia Oval.
The Windies had recovered from 28 for three and 154 for seven to post 251 for nine after arriving to the ground late because of traffic which – combined with a 95-minute rain delay – meant a reduced contest.
Adil Rashid took three for 40 while there were two wickets apiece for pace trio Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts but the Windies' tail wagged through Gudakdesh Motie and Alzarri Joseph.
After Sherfane Rutherford's 70 led the first rebuild, Motie (63) and Joseph (41) put on a blistering 91 off 68 balls but that was put in the shade by Smith and Ben Duckett's 93-run union in 43 deliveries.
After Smith's blitz, Duckett made 58 off 46 balls before Joe Root, Brook and Jos Buttler got England over the line for their first ODI series whitewash since beating the Netherlands 3-0 in 2022.
England's new-look opening pair made ducks as the hosts sealed a Metro Bank series win on Sunday at Sophia Gardens but Smith – averaging 17.63 from his first 12 ODIs – grabbed the bull by the horns on his home ground.
He got off the mark with a streaky inside edge but was on top thereafter, taking eight fours from his first 17 balls off the wayward Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, who was hooked out of the ground for six.
Smith was put down at short midwicket from Motie's first delivery and crashed four-six-four-six en route to a 25-ball half-century before the slow left-armer ended an eventful over by finding the base of off-stump.
Duckett, who dropped two catches and fumbled a run-out at Cardiff, contributed just 19 to the opening stand but found some rhythm with three sixes off Alzarri Joseph, having been put down on 15.
Duckett swept, cut and pulled Motie for three successive fours but then picked out cover off Chase, who then spilled a simple chance at backward point to reprieve Brook when he was on just four.
It was largely a procession from that point, even if Root, fresh off a career-best 166 not out at the weekend, perished with 46 needed after top-edging Alzarri Joseph to Shamar Joseph for 44.
Buttler then took centre stage, blazing an unbeaten 41 from 20 balls, finishing matters with a towering leg-side six off Seales, as Brook grabbed a red-inker of his own on 26 not out.
A combination of broken-down buses, a traffic lights failure and roadworks over a River Thames bridge contributed to the Windies' earlier tardiness from their hotel three-and-a-half miles away.
They arrived to the ground at 12:40pm – 10 minutes after the scheduled toss – and a 1:30pm start meant a truncated practice.
They stumbled out of the traps after losing the toss as the fit-again Evin Lewis and Brandon King miscued to catchers in the ring.
Captain Shai Hope was bounced out by Mahmood for the second time in the series but Rutherford led the recovery well.
He was fluent through the off-side and strong off his hips but lacked support as Rashid bowled Cardiff centurion Keacy Carty via an inside edge shortly after the rain break and then had two wickets in two balls by dismissing Justin Greaves and Chase, who recorded a second golden duck in a row.
Motie smoked Rashid's hat-trick ball over long-on and then led another Windies wave of resistance alongside Alzarri Joseph after Brook took an excellent diving catch to end Rutherford's defiant knock.
While not entirely comfortable with England's short-pitched tactics, Motie dispatched Mahmood and Carse into the stands to go to his ODI best score from number eight, while penultimate batter Alzarri Joseph proved a capable foil as the Windies ended their 40 overs with a flourish.