The weather finally had its say in the eighth and final match of England's white-ball tour of the Caribbean. The fifth T20 of the series was abandoned after just five overs, with West Indies at 44 for none. St Lucia is still in the rainy season, and it's almost miraculous that this was the first match to be affected by the weather. Over the past three weeks, rain had either preceded or followed England's games, but this time, heavy rain began shortly after play started, leaving no chance of resuming.
This result secured a 3-1 T20 victory for England in a series where the toss winner won every match. The 4pm start times created a double disadvantage for the team batting first, as the wicket was trickiest under the afternoon sun, while dew in the evening made the pitch better for batting and the ball slippery for bowling. Despite this, England and captain Jos Buttler secured their first away T20 series win in over two years, marking a positive start to the new era of white-ball cricket.
Fast-bowler Saqib Mahmood was particularly impressive, taking nine wickets in four matches. Buttler expressed his satisfaction, highlighting the contributions of various players throughout the series. Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum has paved the way for England's backroom staff to transition across formats, as white-ball coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson are leaving the setup. McCullum, whose Test side is currently in New Zealand, is set to begin his role as England's all-format head coach on the white-ball tour of India in January.
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