| England 157-6 (20 overs): Dunkley 44, Knight 43, Alleyne 1-12 |
| West Indies 140-8 (20 overs): Williams 38, Matthews 35, Dean 4-19 |
| England won by 17 runs |
| Scorecard |
England won the Twenty20 series over West Indies with a 17 run victory.
England posted 157-6 batting first with Sophia Dunkley and Heather Knight contributing 43 and 44, respectively.
Charlie Dean took 4-19 to restrict the West Indies to 140-8 from their 20 overs.
With two games left, England has an unassailable three game lead.
England's first-innings total was the highest of the series so far, and was always going to be a challenge for the West Indies.
But the hosts started their chase brightly, reaching 55-1 after the opening powerplay before a double-murder from Dean changed the course of the game.
After taking the attack to England with 38 from 29 balls, Rashada Williams fell in the final over to deny the West Indies a victory.
England have won all of their games on the tour so far. On Sunday, the series continues at the same venue.
Dunkley was crucial in setting up England's total despite batting with a new partner.
In the first two T20s of the series, the opener has scored 25 from 21 balls, 43 at a run a ball and her final score was 141.
With the World Cup just over two months away, Dunkley has established herself as a reliable opener in the T20 format.
Dunkley smashed three consecutive boundaries from the second over of the game, which set the tone for her knock, and it took Shemaine Campbelle to end her stay at the crease.
Knight was given the freedom to play with aggression and freedom when Dunkley left the game.
The skipper started with a reverse-sweep for four and the intent continued, favouring the leg side as she struck five fours and a six before she holed out in the last over.
When Dunkley and Amy Jones fell in the 14th over, there was a chance of a middle-order wobble, but Knight's positivity ensured West Indies could not make the most of the chance to dominate.
It was the best batting performance of the tour so far.
Matthews has had a frustrating series with the bat, showing a glimpse of her brilliance but struggling to kick on to the big scores her team requires.
Her 35 from 31 balls contained six fours, including a lofted cover drive that could be a contender for the shot of the year, but her dismissal to Dean in the eighth over ruined her chances.
The middle order buckled under the pressure earlier in the series, but that was not the case with Williams and Holder.
Williams, 25, scored the hosts' only half-century of the series in the second one-day international and has been their star player of the tour with her aggressive intent, while Holder made a run-a-ball 21 on her debut
They were stopped by another young man with a bright future in Dean, who has taken seven in two games during the T20 series to go with seven in the One Day Internationals.
The off-spinner deceived the batters with her variety in pace and accuracy and has formed an exciting bowling partnership with the other.
England relied on their spinners with Lauren Bell and Katherine Brunt resting.
Heather Knight said she enjoyed the day. In T20 it's all about trying to find the boundaries and play to your strengths, so it was nice to contribute to a team win and feel in good shape.
We are not too far away from knowing what our best team is and what the T20 World Cup squad looks like. Getting to know a few people and how they work in different places has been a bit of a fact- finding mission.
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