Ben Stokes slammed a 24-ball half-century as England chased down a target of 82 in 7.2 overs.
Ben Stokes, the captain of England, hit the quickest half-century for his nation in Test history as his team defeated the West Indies 3-0 at Edgbaston to win the three-match series. Stokes hammered a half-century off 24 balls on Sunday, helping England reach their 82-run target in 7.2 overs. With a convincing victory against the West Indies on Sunday in Birmingham, England completed a series rout. Day four of the contest was still up for grabs, but England’s precise bowling effort, spearheaded by Mark Wood, enabled them limit the West Indies to 175 runs.
Wood grabbed five wickets for forty, all of which came during a session in which he gave up only nine runs.
Ben Duckett (25* in 16 balls, four boundaries) and Stokes (57* in 28 balls, nine fours and two sixes) started the batting with 82 to chase and went at it from the first ball.
Alzarri Joseph gave Stokes two fours in the first over of the innings, and Jayden Seales gave him two more in the following over.
The captain persisted in going for his strokes, reaching his fifty-first wicket in Test history in just twenty-four deliveries. Additionally, it was the third-fastest fifty in Test cricket history.
The quickest fifty in Test history was reached by Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014 against Australia, needing just 21 balls to reach a half-century.
The West Indies had won the toss and chosen to bat first in the match. WI reached 282/10 in their opening inning thanks to a half-century from captain Kraigg Braithwaite (61 in 86 balls, with eight fours), as well as good efforts from Jason Holder (59 in 112 balls, with six fours and a six) and wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva (49 in 99 balls, with three fours). England’s two best bowlers were Chris Woakes (3/69) and Gus Atkinson (4/67).
Despite a difficult start, England responded well in their opening innings. A 115-run stand between Joe Root (87 in 124 balls, seven fours) and Stokes (54 in 69 balls, five fours and a six) helped England stabilize when the hosts were reeling at 54/5. Then, all-rounder Woakes (62 in 78 balls, with seven fours) and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith (95 in 109 balls, with 12 fours and a six) helped England surpass WI’s first innings total and end up at 376 all-out, leading by 94 runs. For WI, Alzarri Joseph (4/122) was the best bowler.
WI faced relatively little opposition in their second inning thanks to Mikyle Louis (57 in 95 balls, four boundaries, two sixes).
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