Sciver-Brunt hits late flurry as England race to ODI series sweep of West Indies

England head coach Charlotte Edwards praised her players for being “ruthless and clinical” after they completed a 6-0 clean sweep against West Indies, winning Saturday’s rain-reduced third one-day international at Taunton by nine wickets.

Chasing a DLS target of 106 in 21 overs, Nat Sciver-Brunt scored an unbeaten half-century to continue a successful start as captain, smashing back-to-back boundaries to seal the win with 61 balls remaining.

After consecutive double-century partnerships between Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont in the first two matches of the series, England rejigged their batting order to enable the middle-order a chance to join the series run-fest. Opening up alongside her skipper, Sophia Dunkley contributed 26 before being trapped leg-before by Karishma Ramharack, while Alice Capsey struck a quick-fire 20 from 11 balls at No 3, as England stormed to victory.

“We’ve taken a lot of confidence from this,” Edwards said of her side’s first outing since their 16-0 Ashes thrashing last winter. “We’re under no illusions that we’re going to have tougher times ahead, but equally what I’m seeing already is that appetite for people to want to keep getting better because they’ve got to.

“We want to be picking from a pool of 25 players which I genuinely think we are now. We’ve created [pressure] ourselves by competition for selection in county cricket, by going to county cricket and having to perform.”

One notable absentee from the series was Sophie Ecclestone, who has been struggling with injury. On Saturday, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed in a statement that she is taking a break from domestic cricket “to manage a minor quad injury and prioritise her wellbeing”. She is expected to be available for the series against India which begins at Nottingham on 28 June.

However, her selection is by no means guaranteed after a series in which fellow left-armer Linsey Smith took a career-best five for 36, Charlie Dean formed part of England’s new “leadership group”, and Sarah Glenn bagged three wickets during her return to the one-day international side at Taunton on Saturday.

“We’re going to have some selection headaches over the next week or so,” Edwards said. “We’ve got four of the best spinners in world cricket at the moment, which we’re blessed to have.

View image in fullscreen Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 57 from 33 balls, including nine boundaries. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

“We’ve been in constant communication [with Ecclestone] over the last couple of months. Soph’s had a really tough six months. We just want her back in this team in a really good place. Hopefully this little break she’s going to have will help her do that.”

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With West Indies’ captain, Hayley Matthews, still sidelined with a shoulder injury, England had earlier made short work of the West Indies’ top-order, reducing them to 4 for three in the opening four overs after opting to bowl in perfect overcast conditions.

Realeanna Grimmond nicked off against Kate Cross, while Em Arlott – who was tasked with opening the bowling after England rested Lauren Bell – took wickets in successive overs, dipping the ball into the stumps of Zaida James before swinging the ball past the bat of Stafanie Taylor and into her front pad, trapping her plumb in line.

West Indies had staged a recovery to 43 for three when rain forced the players from the field for what turned into a five-hour delay. They lost a tumble of wickets immediately after the return, but Aaliyah Alleyne smashed 20 runs off the penultimate over from Lauren Filer, twice top-edging over the head of Jones behind the stumps, while Jahzara Claxton sent the ball sailing over the deep midwicket boundary for six, adjacent to a jubilant West Indian dugout. It was, at least, something to cheer about in a tour which has offered little joy for the visitors.

West Indies fly home early on Sunday and are being thrown into the deep end by a bizarre act of scheduling from their board: their series against South Africa in Barbados begins in just four days, meaning the hosts will have to face last year’s T20 World Cup finalists while still battling jet-lag.

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