Mark Wood took the final five West Indies wickets in a devastating spell of fast bowling before Ben Stokes struck an England Test-record 24-ball fifty as his side raced to a 10-wicket win at Edgbaston to clinch a 3-0 series sweep.
Wood (5-40) bowled without luck to start day three, but returned after lunch to take five wickets for just nine runs in the space of six overs – Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales seeing their stumps sent cartwheeling out of the ground.
Mikyle Louis (57) and Kavem Hodge (55) had earlier shown a fair bit of fight with battling half-centuries – a first in Test cricket for the former – as the West Indies earned a slender lead.
But England captain Ben Stokes made light work of knocking off the 82 required as he filled in at the top of the order for Zak Crawley, absent while getting his right index finger scanned after injuring it in the morning session.
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Ben Stokes hits a six to complete his half-century for England at Edgbaston – making it the fastest 50 in England Test history.
Stokes (55no off 28 balls) smashed nine boundaries and two sixes in scoring the fastest-ever Test fifty for England – breaking Sir Ian Botham’s previous 28-ball best – as the hosts reached their target in just 7.2 overs to clinch a series whitewash in the most spectacular fashion.
West Indies resumed the day 33-2 in their second innings, still some 61 runs in arrears, and England swiftly strengthened their position with the wicket of Alick Athanaze (12) in the seventh over, out lbw to Shoaib Bashir (1-41) shortly after he was dropped by Harry Brook off Wood the over before.
Hodge was then also put down, first ball, as another hugely tough chance burst past the outstretched left hand of Joe Root at slip.
Hodge made the most of his reprieve, throwing a few counter punches to see the West Indies into a lead. Louis too began to free his arms, bringing up his maiden Test fifty with the first of two glorious straight sixes off Bashir.
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Mikyle Louis reaches his half-century after smashing a six into the Birmingham end at Edgbaston for the West Indies.
But, just as he was beginning to enjoy himself, Stokes (1-42) provided the breakthrough by tempting Louis into a routine nick behind to Jamie Smith.
Crawley sustained his injury when dropping Jason Holder on 12 at second slip, but the error would not cost England as Gus Atkinson (2-28) got his man in the very next over without adding to his score – the former West Indies captain a touch unfortunate to see ‘umpire’s call’ go against him on a marginal lbw decision that was just clipping leg stump.
Hodge had brought up an enterprising 56-ball half-century the ball before, but he was kept to only three runs from 18 deliveries after lunch as he was both starved of the strike and found scoring infinitely tougher in the midst of Wood’s match-winning spell.
With the ball reverse-swinging, Wood first trapped the dogged Joshua Da Silva (5) lbw, before bowling Alzarri (2) with a brutal, toe-crusher of a yorker that took out his middle stump.
Quick as a flash, the West Indies innings was then ended with three wickets in an over as Hodge nicked off and then Seales (0) saw his off stump flattened and Shamar Joseph (4) thick-edged a drive to Brook.
A mere 7.2 overs later, the match was over courtesy of Stokes’ 24-ball fifty that briefly threatened to break former Pakistan batter Misbah-ul-Haq’s 21-ball Test record.
Ben Duckett (25no off 16) certainly played second fiddle to his skipper, but contributed a flurry of four boundaries in one Holder over before Stokes fittingly hit the winning runs with a second six struck over deep square-leg.
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Ben Stokes smashes a six to win the third Test for England against the West Indies on the third day, completing a 3-0 series victory.
Wood: First wicket gave me confidence
Player of the Match, England fast bowler Mark Wood:
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Mark wood reflected on a great performance at Edgbaston after getting five wickets on the third day of the Test.
“Speaking to the management at lunchtime, I was pretty down on my myself and frustrated, but Jimmy [Anderson] gave me a great chat, telling me to focus on the skill side of things and moving the ball, rather than the outcome, and I really feel like that is what I tried to do.
“That first wicket gave me a lot of confidence and from there it just started to fly.
“My role is to bowl fast and that’s what Stokesy wants me to do and I’m proud of that role.
“Over the years my speed has been a bit up and down with injury but I’ve managed to maintain it these games and hopefully I can continue that into the summer.”
England’s Test series vs West Indies
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