BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Centuries by Alex Hales and Joe Root launched England to a 186-run win over the West Indies and a 3-0 sweep of their One-Day International cricket series Thursday.
Hales made 110 and Root 101 as England posted 328 all out. The home side was then routed for 142 inside 40 overs.
England won a third straight ODI series in the Caribbean, after 2009 and 2014, but it’s the first time it has swept the West Indies on its own turf.
Only once had the West Indies won an ODI by scoring 300-plus in the second innings. The odds were against this depleted side, but its chase was over before it really started.
Kieran Powell looped a catch to square leg off the fourth ball of the innings, Evin Lewis gave a soft caught-and-bowled to Chris Woakes for a duck in the next over, and Kraigg Brathwaite gave Woakes another wicket in the fourth over. The West Indies was 13-3 and unable to recover.
Woakes took 3-16 off eight overs and fellow fast bowler Liam Plunkett had figures of 4-2-4-3 before he was hit around at the inevitable end. Plunkett finished with 10 wickets in the series.
Hales and Root shared 192 for the second wicket. Hales departed in the 37th over and Root in the 43rd, both caught off fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who was recalled for the injured Shannon Gabriel.
In support of Hales and Root, only Ben Stokes impressed with 34.
Hales was playing in his first match of the series after a broken right hand, replacing the out-of-form Sam Billings. Hales broke his hand trying to make a diving catch on Jan. 19 during the tour of India.
He lost opening partner Jason Roy for 17 and was joined by Root.
He was given out lbw on 93 off Kraigg Brathwaite but asked for a video review which showed the ball would have missed off stump.
Moments later, he reached his fifth ODI century by hitting his fourth six over fine leg. He got there in 99 balls, and smacked nine of them to the boundary.
Hales hit another six before he was out for 110, a mishit to fine leg.
Root was on 86 at the time. Root also had reprieves, being dropped on 1 at square leg, and on 12 at slip.
He’d go all the way to his ninth ODI hundred, off 107 balls, including 10 boundaries. Next ball, in the same 43rd over, he was out, hitting straight to long on.
Joseph and captain Jason Holder shared seven wickets. — AP
