The salute and the non-wide

	Darren Sammy reaches for the final ball of the match, which would have been a wide © AFP  Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Sheldon Cottrell | Chris Jordan | Michael Lumb | Darren Sammy | Krishmar Santokie Matches: West Indies v England at Bridgetown Series/Tournaments: England tour of West Indies Teams: England | West Indies

Contrast of the day

After six overs in the second T20 England were 30 for 3. This time they found their mojo with Michael Lumb, especially, cutting loose as they were 64 without loss in the field restrictions. The openers enjoyed three overs of pace, in the absence of Samuel Badree, before confronting Sunil Narine and although there was not quite the six-hitting frenzy that West Indies can produce, 11 fours in the six overs was certainly an improvement.

Slower ball of the day

Krishmar Santokie found the going tougher early on in this match than he had done two days ago, but came back superbly in the latter part of the innings. He removed the dangerous Jos Buttler, however the highlight was his slower ball that confounded the out-of-form Ben Stokes. The ball gripped on the surface, turned and sailed through the considerable gap left by Stokes' lunge forward. Just to cap it off for Santokie, the middle stump was flattened.

Salute of the day

Sheldon Cottrell was a soldier before being an international cricketer. He used to stand guard at Sabina Park when matches were being played. Now, when claiming wickets on his T20 debut - Michael Lumb and Alex Hales in consecutive overs - he saluted his team-mates in a reminder of his former profession.

Catch of the day

Towards the end of the match a rainbow appeared in the sky about Bridgetown. It would not have been out of place landing on Chris Jordan, because everything he touched turned to gold. First came the runs, then the wickets. But just to round it off he also pulled off a superb outfield catch, running around from deep midwicket, to remove Dwayne Bravo.

Non-wide of the day

Instinct took over for Darren Sammy on the last ball of the match. Knowing West Indies needed six for the win, after a wide the previous delivery from Jade Dernbach, he went after the next ball which, if he had not got the toe-end of the bat on it, would also have been signalled a wide and given him another chance of launching one out of the ground. Still, with the series wrapped and at the end of a highly entertaining content, he was still able to draw a wry smile.

3rd T20I: West Indies v England at Bridgetown, Mar 13, 2014

England 165/6 (20/20 ov)

West Indies 160/7 (20.0/20 ov)

England won by 5 runs

• England in West Indies T20I Series - 3rd T20I
• T20I no. 364 | 2013/14 season
• Played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
• 13 March 2014 (20-over match)

	England innings (20 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	MJ Lumb	c Bravo b Cottrell	63	46	40	9	2	157.50
	AD Hales	c Simmons b Cottrell	38	54	31	4	1	122.58
	EJG Morgan*	c Smith b Narine	18	18	17	1	1	105.88
	JC Buttler†	c Sammy b Santokie	3	14	8	0	0	37.50
	RS Bopara	not out	6	21	9	0	0	66.66
	BA Stokes	b Santokie	0	2	1	0	0	0.00
	MM Ali	run out (Santokie)	3	6	5	0	0	60.00
	CJ Jordan	not out	27	8	9	0	4	300.00
	Extras	(w 7)	7
	Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs; 87 mins)	165	(8.25 runs per over)

Did not bat JC Tredwell, SD Parry, JW Dernbach

Fall of wickets 1-98 (Lumb, 10.5 ov), 2-112 (Hales, 12.6 ov), 3-123 (Morgan, 15.4 ov), 4-128 (Buttler, 16.3 ov),5-129 (Stokes, 16.5 ov), 6-138 (Ali, 18.1 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	K Santokie	4	0	27	2	6.75
	SS Cottrell	4	0	37	2	9.25	(2w)
	SP Narine	4	0	34	1	8.50	(1w)
	DJ Bravo	3	0	35	0	11.66
	AD Russell	1	0	11	0	11.00
	DJG Sammy	2	0	14	0	7.00
	MN Samuels	2	0	7	0	3.50

	West Indies innings (target: 166 runs from 20 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	DR Smith	b Dernbach	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
	J Charles	c & b Jordan	4	7	3	1	0	133.33
	MN Samuels	b Jordan	15	20	13	3	0	115.38
	LMP Simmons	run out (Ali/Dernbach)	69	80	55	7	2	125.45
	DJ Bravo	c Jordan b Bopara	16	20	19	2	0	84.21
	AD Russell	c Morgan b Bopara	0	2	2	0	0	0.00
	D Ramdin†	b Jordan	33	33	21	4	1	157.14
	DJG Sammy*	not out	15	11	6	2	1	250.00
	SP Narine	not out	0	3	0	0	0	-
	Extras	(b 1, lb 4, w 3)	8
	Total	(7 wickets; 20 overs; 92 mins)	160	(8.00 runs per over)

Did not bat K Santokie, SS Cottrell

Fall of wickets 1-0 (Smith, 0.1 ov), 2-4 (Charles, 1.3 ov), 3-28 (Samuels, 4.2 ov), 4-66 (Bravo, 10.2 ov),5-67 (Russell, 10.6 ov), 6-140 (Ramdin, 18.4 ov), 7-153 (Simmons, 19.3 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	JW Dernbach	4	1	38	1	9.50	(1w)
	CJ Jordan	4	0	39	3	9.75	(2w)
	SD Parry	4	0	32	0	8.00
	JC Tredwell	4	0	18	0	4.50
	RS Bopara	4	0	28	2	7.00

Match details

Toss England, who chose to bat Series West Indies won the 3-match series 2-1

T20I debut SS Cottrell (West Indies) Player of the match CJ Jordan (England) Player of the series DJG Sammy (West Indies)

Umpires GO Brathwaite and JS Wilson TV umpire PJ Nero Match referee AJ Pycroft (Zimbabwe) Reserve umpire N Duguid

Match notes

England innings Powerplay: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 64 runs, 0 wicket) England: 50 runs in 3.5 overs (23 balls), Extras 1 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 23 balls (MJ Lumb 42, AD Hales 9, Ex 1) MJ Lumb: 50 off 27 balls (8 x 4, 2 x 6) England: 100 runs in 11.1 overs (67 balls), Extras 2 England: 150 runs in 19.3 overs (117 balls), Extras 7 Innings Break: England - 165/6 in 20.0 overs (RS Bopara 6, CJ Jordan 27) West Indies innings Powerplay: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 35 runs, 3 wickets) West Indies: 50 runs in 8.1 overs (49 balls), Extras 3 West Indies: 100 runs in 15.1 overs (91 balls), Extras 3 LMP Simmons: 50 off 43 balls (6 x 4, 1 x 6) 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 31 balls (LMP Simmons 27, D Ramdin 21, Ex 2) West Indies: 150 runs in 19.1 overs (115 balls), Extras 7

Jordan stars on homecoming to lift England

The last time Chris Jordan batted at Kensington Oval, the ground was being developed for a Caribbean World Cup and he gazed up at the stands as a teenager with the world before him wondering if he might play one day for the West Indies. This time, he was an adult in an England shirt and when he gazed at the stands it was not in wonder, but because he was looking to see where his next six had landed.

England, clinging to any encouragement they can find, will look at a feverish five-run win in a dead rubber - the series already won by West Indies - and wonder if they have found a World T20 talisman. An unbeaten 27 from only seven balls duly pocketed, Jordan followed up with the wickets of Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels in his first two overs and then pulled off a wonderful catch at deep square-leg as Dwayne Bravo fell to Ravi Bopara's long hop.

James Tredwell old-manned his way through another parsimonious spell, Bopara conceded only 28 despite spilling 18 from an over, but thanks to another skilful contribution from Lendl Simmons, as ever strong on the cut, when Jordan returned for his final over, the 19th, West Indies were still in touch with 32 needed from two overs and Darren Sammy still lurking in the dugout.

	Michael Lumb smashed a T20 career-best 63 © AFP  Enlarge

Jordan had shown strength and vitality, now he needed to hold his nerve. Twice, he found his yorker, he conceded a nicked boundary from the next then sent Denesh Ramdin's leg stump flying to end a sixth-wicket stand with Simmons of 73 from 46 balls. But Jordan spilled boundaries from his last two balls. West Indies were still in it: 17 needed off the last over and Jade Dernbach to bowl it.

Sammy's flat-bat six left West Indies seven short with two balls left and set up a memorable conclusion: Sammy firstly beaten by bouncer, Dernbach then bowling a wide to leave Sammy needing six off the last ball to win the match, and then bowling what would have been a wide-and-a-half were it not for the fact that Sammy made the mistake of hitting it. "I think we still had a chance if I hadn't got a bat on that," Sammy grinned.

As the screams subsided at Kensington Oval, Dernbach said: "To be honest, we had a pretty clear plan to Sammy." He looked so boisterous, a much-maligned death bowler who this time had clung on, but it was hard not to laugh. England, regarded as no-hopers three-and-a-half hours earlier, now travel to Bangladesh knowing that with fortune in their favour they can beat the defending champions. Such are the small margins of T20.

It was Jordan's batting cameo that gave England the edge. They entered the last over at 139 for 6, an innings frittered away after Michael Lumb's T20-best 63 had given them a rapid start. They finished it 27 runs to the good as Jordan struck Bravo for four sixes, two over the offside, then two to leg. The hometown boy had come good. For England, it was payback time on an investment. For the West Indies, it was galling, an export they could have done without.

Jordan gained his opportunity when England rested Tim Bresnan and in one over he became a serious contender for his allrounder's place at World Twenty20. Even with his freewheeling finale, England's total was an average one for this ground - nowhere near the 190 they must have felt was in their grasp - but the pitch was the slowest and grippiest of the series and it proved to be competitive.

England's two Powerplays in this series had been atrocious: starts of 36 for 2 and 30 for 3. Lumb surpassed both those scores single-handedly in less than four overs, reaching 38 in only 18 balls. Sunil Narine's unconventional spin had led Ashley Giles, England's coach, to call for a sea change in attitudes across English cricket towards mystery spin, but Lumb recognised no mystery at all as he slog-swept him with abandon.

After six overs, England were 64 without loss: a rare luxury indeed. But England gradually lost momentum. Lumb's escapade ended against Sheldon Cottrell, a mighty skier which Dwayne Bravo claimed at cover. Cottrell marked the catch - and his first T20 wicket on his debut in this format - with a salute to acknowledge his days as a soldier. Cottrell's first cost 17, but he recovered to take the first two wickets, Alex Hales also succumbing, this time to a flat-batted pull. Cottrell saluted again.

England had lost impetus. They responded by promoting their most destructive pairing, first Eoin Morgan, who dragged Narine to deep midwicket, and then Jos Buttler, who launched another clever slower ball skywards, this time against Krishmar Santokie, whereupon Sammy clamped big hands around a swirling catch and fell backwards with the contented air of a man in love with his rum bottle. Santokie, no saluter, as his ear rings and jewellery might have suggested, grinned and blew a kiss instead.

When Ben Stokes fell first ball to Santokie, bowled by another deceptive slower ball which gripped back off the pitch, and Moeen Ali pushed blindly at Narine as if he had never seen anything quite like it, nothing seemed to have changed. Thanks to Lumb, England had bolted, but increasingly they had bolted like lettuce.

When Santokie athletically fielded off his own bowling to run out of Moeen, who would have made his ground if he had dived, it again suggested that England's domestic Twenty20 is not producing ready-made battle-hardened cricketers. Moeen should at least have risen from the earth covered in dust. But the sprinkling of dust belonged to Jordan and you could imagine the flashes of gold in it.

Giles seeks ray of sunshine

	Ashley Giles and his fielding coach Paul Collingwood are looking for a ray of sunshine © Getty Images  Enlarge
Related Links News : Giles calls for England to embrace doosra  Preview : The Bell tolls for England Matches: West Indies v England at Bridgetown Series/Tournaments: England tour of West Indies Teams: England | West Indies

It was once said by PG Wodehouse that "it is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine."

While it might be stretching a point to describe Ashley Giles, the England limited-overs coach, as a man with a grievance, there was no disguising his low mood when he appeared before the media in Barbados on Wednesday.

It is understandable, too. His side have now been beaten five times in succession in T20I cricket and have lost the series against West Indies with one game in hand. Furthermore, the batting appears vulnerable against spin - the top-order batting appears vulnerable against everything - and his captain, Stuart Broad, has an injury that might well prove rather more troublesome than the England camp are letting on. At some stage, his injured knee is going to require several weeks off and, perhaps, an operation.

As if all that was not enough, Giles takes this struggling team to Bangladesh in a few days to contest a World T20 tournament for which they appear woefully unprepared. And he does so knowing that his application to become England coach in all formats might well be decided by the outcome.

So he was noticeably downbeat Giles who admitted he was concerned by England's poor form. While he celebrated the encouraging performance of Jos Buttler in the second T20I, he stressed that the middle-order could not consistently be expected to bail England out of a mess if the top-order have failed.

The Bell tolls for England

The Big Picture

There could hardly be a greater gulf in expectations as West Indies and England meet for the last time before they head to Bangladesh for World Twenty20. West Indies have done enough to encourage expectations that they can put up a powerful defence of the trophy they won in similar conditions in Sri Lanka 17 months ago, whereas England's chances are held to be as poor as those of the football team heading for their own World Cup in Brazil in a few months' time.

England could turn to an unlikely saviour. Ian Bell, has not played a Twenty20 match since January 2011, but expectations are high that he will take part in England's final warm-up match. England have been overcome by West Indies' greater weight of stroke in their defeats in the first two matches of this three-match series, and Bell, a slight figure with no penchant for six-hitting, is not about to change that, but he is regarded as one of England's most skilful players of spin, and that talent is in short supply.

WI plans could irk Barmy Army

	England fans might have to forego scenes like this in Barbados in 2015 © Getty Images  Enlarge

A battle looks likely to break out within the Caribbean cricketing community after it emerged that several traditional venues could miss out on hosting England Tests next year. The matter is already being discussed in the highest levels of government.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the WICB is keen to grant the Tests to Guyana, Jamaica and Grenada, meaning the likes of Trinidad, Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados will be left disappointed. Barbados, who has enjoyed close to sell-out crowds for the T20I series against England, is thought to be particularly disappointed and is trying to persuade the WICB to change their plans.

With many of the Caribbean nations heavily reliant upon tourism, the allocation of an England Test is especially valuable. No other country brings as many travelling supporters and their willingness to embrace the local hotels, restaurants and bars provides a meaningful boost to the local economies.

The WICB has many nations to satisfy and many grounds from which to select, meaning disappointment is inevitable for some.

But at a time when international cricket is struggling to fill stadiums, it does seem odd to stray from a ground like Kensington Oval, in Barbados, which has a proven popularity not just for cricket supporters in the Caribbean but also for thousands of travelling England fans.

In the past, the ECB has privately lobbied for their overseas Tests to be scheduled in popular tourist venues, with the Barmy Army in mind and it remains to be seen whether they will attempt to broker such a deal

The Kensington Oval is referred to as 'the Mecca of cricket" in these parts - and where cricket lovers from England and the Caribbean flock in unparalleled numbers.

With a tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for late 2014, followed by the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, England supporters will be spoilt for choice over the next year, leaving the Caribbean up against it in any case to attract its usual quota of supporters for a tour scheduled for April 2015.

Giles calls for England to embrace doosra

	Ashley Giles believes England's culture undermines their ability to play spin © Getty Images  Enlarge
Related Links News : Giles seeks ray of sunshine Preview : The Bell tolls for England News : Samuels backs Badree as World T20 'trump card' Report : Narine threat gives WI advantage Players/Officials: Sunil Narine Series/Tournaments: England tour of West Indies Teams: England

Ashley Giles has called for a change of attitude towards the doosra throughout English cricket to help improve the national side's ability to play spin bowling.

England have struggled against unorthodox spin bowling for some time. They lost 3-0 to Pakistan in the UAE at the start of 2012 largely due to their inability to combat the offspin and doosra bowling of Saeed Ajmal, while in the limited-overs series against West Indies, England have looked consistently uncomfortable against the unorthodox Sunil Narine.

Giles even questioned whether Narine's career would have been destroyed before it got underway in English cricket. Asked whether a young bowler such as Narine, developing in England, would be "snuffed out" even before he progressed to club cricket, he replied: "Quite possibly."

Part of the problem is the lack of exposure county players have to such bowlers in their development years. Not only have counties tended to be penalised for preparing pitches that benefit spin bowlers - Hampshire were docked points for such a surface in 2011 - but many coaches and umpires in English cricket still view the doosra with great suspicion, contending that it cannot be bowled legally.

While most of the world has embraced the change in regulation from the ICC that allows 15 degrees of tolerance in a bowling action, in England such unorthodoxy is often viewed as 'chucking' and is stamped out at an early age.

As a result, few unorthodox spinners make it to the professional game in England. And, judging by the example of Maurice Holmes, they are soon drummed out of it even if they do. Holmes, an offspin and doosra bowler, was signed to the Warwickshire staff by Giles when he was director of cricket at the club. But despite clearing tests on a couple of occasions, the ECB eventually concluded that his doosra was delivered illegally and he was squeezed out of the professional game.

Now Giles, England's limited-overs coach, has called upon English cricket to have a more open mind towards both pitches and bowling actions if they are to improve their record on the international stage.

"We've got to be careful not to try and kill off some of our great talent," Giles said in Barbados ahead of the third T20I against West Indies. "I'm not sure that too many mystery spinners come through our system anyway, but maybe that's because we don't necessarily develop it. It's something we certainly need to look at. It's been an on-going thing for 10-15 years.

"But what we do know is that it's very difficult to play against and we need the skills to be able to combat mystery spin. It doesn't matter whether it is legspin or an offspinner who spins it both ways. We need to be able to deal with these situations. Otherwise we're trying to up-skill people heading into world tournaments and that's just too late."

"We need to make sure that, when guys come into this environment, they have the skills to deal with spin and spin that goes both ways. A bit of that is playing on wickets that do turn. I actually believe wickets are spinning more and more in England. They're getting drier and drier, which is maybe down to our new drainage systems. Asked whether a young bowler such as Narine, developing in England, would be "snuffed out" before he progressed to club cricket, Giles replied: "Quite possibly."

But it's definitely a case that, when they come into this environment, we shouldn't be teaching them new skills at that level. They should have some of that stuff ingrained, and then we fine-tune it."

While Moeen Ali, a new member of the England limited-overs squad, can bowl the doosra - he was taught to do so by his friend Saeed Ajmal - he recently told ESPNcricinfo that he did not deliver one such delivery in the 2013 county season. It may well be that he feared the consequences had he done so.

It leaves England facing an uphill task in the World T20 tournament, where spin is expected to play a major role.

"I can only work with what I have here," Giles said. "And keep pushing forward with this team to try to do as well as we can in Bangladesh."