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Duckett shines as record-breaking England seal series sweep of West Indies

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Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith starred as England posted their highest T20I score on home soil en route to completing a 3-0 series sweep over the West Indies.

Duckett made an ingenious 84 and fellow opener Smith scored 60 as England posted 248-3, eclipsing the 234-6 they made against South Africa in Bristol three years ago.

The tourists won the toss at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and elected to bowl, a decision they would quickly regret.

England scored 83 runs in the powerplay as Duckett and Smith formed a formidable partnership, which lasted 120 runs.

Smith scored his first T20I fifty off just 23 balls, with four fours and five sixes before being caught off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie.

Duckett scored the joint-fourth fastest 50 for England, coming off just 23 deliveries, while Harry Brook, who was dropped on 12 by Shai Hope behind the stumps, finished on 35 off 22.

Former captain Jos Buttler got out cheaply to part-time bowler Sherfane Rutherford for just 22, while Jacob Bethell, who was also dropped for 21, smashed four sixes on his way to 36 off 16 balls.

Chasing 249 for victory, the Windies lost both openers inside the powerplay for just nine runs each, but captain Hope and Shimron Hetmyer gave them a glimmer of hope.

However, neither batter could stick around and create a foundation for the middle-order to build upon.

Rovman Powell scored an impressive 79 not out off 45 balls for the visitors, but he could not form a partnership with his team-mates.

Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed by Adil Rashid's first ball of the match, while Luke Wood finished with figures of 3-31 from his four overs as West Indies ended on 211-8.

Brook's perfect start as white-ball captain consequently continued, with England winning all six of his matches at the helm – securing whitewashes in the ODI and T20I series' with the Windies.

Data Debrief: Runs galore in Southampton

England's score of 248 is their second-highest in T20Is, 19 runs behind a total of 267 against the same opponents in 2023, and highest on home soil.

The 459 runs scored across both innings was also the most in a T20I in England, surpassing the previous record by two runs when Australia played at the same ground in 2013.

Meanwhile, England only faced 25 dot balls in the match, their lowest ever in a T20I.