England captain Harry Brook produced a blistering unbeaten knock to lead his side to a commanding nine-wicket victory over India in the third T20 International at Bristol on Thursday, sealing an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with one match still to play.
Brook smashed an unbeaten 79 from just 35 deliveries, while opener Phil Salt remained not out on 59 as England comfortably chased down India’s total of 158-7 with more than six overs to spare. The pair shared a match-winning partnership of 146 after the early loss of Jos Buttler, ensuring another emphatic victory for the hosts.
Brook dominated the chase with eight boundaries and four sixes, while Salt struck nine fours and one six in an equally fluent innings. Salt also survived an early scare after being bowled from a free hit when he was on four before joining Brook in taking complete control of the contest.
The victory followed England’s crushing 125-run triumph at Trent Bridge, India’s heaviest defeat in T20 cricket by runs, and extended the visitors’ losing streak to five consecutive T20 Internationals following their 2-0 series defeat in Ireland.
Earlier, England’s bowlers once again laid the foundation for victory. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue claimed two wickets each, while the fielding effort ensured India never gathered significant momentum despite winning the toss.
India’s innings was held together by captain Shreyas Iyer, who remained unbeaten on 80 from 49 balls after arriving with his side in early trouble. Teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed flashes of promise with a quick 15 but again failed to surpass his age after scores of 13 and 14 in the previous matches. He was dismissed by Archer after skying a catch to mid-on.
Ishan Kishan also fell attempting a pull shot, while leg-spinner Adil Rashid produced an athletic return catch to dismiss Abhishek Sharma, reducing India to 48-3. Iyer and Shivam Dube steadied the innings with a 53-run partnership before Dube was dismissed by Will Jacks. Iyer reached his second half-century of the series with a six off Rashid, but England tightened the screws in the closing stages, with Sam Curran and Archer conceding just eight runs without allowing a boundary in the final two overs.
With the series already secured, England will look to complete a clean sweep when the two teams meet in the final T20 at Southampton on Saturday.
