Heroic Ramdin fails to stop 25-run loss
Joe Root and Jos Buttler play important hands to take England to 2-1 series win
A maiden century from Denesh Ramdin wasn’t enough to help West Indies go past England as it suffered a 25-run loss in the deciding third and final One-Day International between the two teams on Wednesday (March 5).
Ramdin's 128, the first ODI hundred by a West Indies wicketkeeper, lifted them from 43 for 4 to 278, but it wasn’t enough with the target of 304 always slightly out of touching distance. Ramdin was the last wicket to fall, bowled by Tim Bresnan, after taking 14 runs off the first three deliveries of the 48th over.
Earlier, Joe Root battled through the pain of a sore right thumb – the result of a blow inflicted by Ravi Rampaul at the start of his innings – to hit 107, his first ODI hundred, while Jos Buttler fell one run short of his maiden ODI century but helped England reach 303 for 6.
Root, was named Man of the Match, and Buttler put on 175 for the fifth wicket after the innings was at a crossroads when Sunil Narine bowled Eoin Morgan to reduce England to 116 for 4 by the 24th over. Earlier, Moeen Ali played a crucial hand of 55 at the top of the order to avoid a collapse before Root and Buttler took over.
Narine, however, came in for some rare punishment later in the innings, conceding 21 runs off his ninth over.
Buttler, the England wicketkeeper-batsman, was left to rue an attempt to sneak his 100th run in the final over as he only succeeded in spooning a catch back to Rampaul.
As in the previous two matches, the West Indies top order failed to fire and not even the inclusion of the experienced Marlon Samuels helped arrest the slide. However, Ramdin played the innings of his life in this format, dominating half-century partnerships with Bravo and Darren Sammy before taking on the improbable task virtually on his own.
As in the previous two matches, the West Indies top order failed to fire and not even the inclusion of the experienced Marlon Samuels helped arrest the slide. However, Ramdin played the innings of his life in this format, dominating half-century partnerships with Bravo and Darren Sammy before taking on the improbable task virtually on his own.
Two sixes in one over off James Tredwell took him to his century, but just when it seemed England were poised to self-destruct under pressure, Bresnan produced the perfect yorker to end Ramdin's effort and seal victory in the match and the series.
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