BIRMINGHAM: Ben Stokes hit the fastest Test fifty by an England batsman as the hosts hammered the West Indies by 10 wickets to win the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Set 82 to win, England finished on 87-0 in a mere 7.2 overs as they completed a 3-0 series whitewash of the West Indies in spectacular style and with more than two days to spare.
England captain Stokes, opening in place of the injured Zak Crawley, needed just 24 balls to go to a fifty featuring nine fours and a six.
He bettered the previous record quickest Test-match fifty by an England batsman of 28 balls set by Ian Botham against India at Delhi back in 1981.
Stokes then ended the match by pulling West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s part-time spin for six to finish 57 not out.
Earlier, express fast bowler Mark Wood polished off the tail with a superb spell of 5-9 in six overs to finish with 5-40 in 14 as the West Indies were dismissed for 175 in their second innings.
West Indies opener Mikyle Louis, whose 57 was his maiden Test fifty, and Kavem Hodge (55) offered some resistance but the next highest score in the innings was 12 — a total shared by Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder and extras.
The tourists resumed on 33-2, still 61 runs behind an England first-innings 376, where Jamie Smith fell agonizingly short of a maiden Test century in making 95 while further fifties from Joe Root (87), Chris Woakes (62) and Stokes (54) helped the hosts recover from a collapse to 54-5.
Louis was 18 not out overnight, after being dropped by Stokes on nine, and Athanaze five not out.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and Wood opened the bowling after the pair had teamed up to good effect during England’s 241-run win in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
Athanaze was soon lbw for 12 to the 20-year-old Bashir after missing a sweep.
But the West Indies did avoid the embarrassment of a second innings defeat in three Tests following an innings and 114-run loss in the series opener at Lord’s.
Louis, who only made his debut in that match, completed a maiden Test fifty in style when he slog-swept Bashir for six before he cleared the ropes again off the spinner.
But the 23-year-old fell soon afterwards when paceman Stokes drew him into edging a full-length ball to second slip.
Hodge, who made his maiden Test century at Trent Bridge, went to fifty in just 56 balls, including seven fours.
But the West Indies, 151-5 at lunch, folded tamely as Wood ripped through the lower order.
Joshua Da Silva was plumb lbw before Alzarri Joseph had his stumps demolished by Wood after missing a drive.
Wood then roughed up opposing quick Jayden Seales with a bouncer before bowling him next ball for a duck with a fuller-length delivery — a classic one-two trick.
And the 34-year-old Wood, unlucky to take just two wickets in the whole of the second Test, ended the innings when he had Shamar Joseph well caught at second slip by Durham team-mate Stokes.
That might have been the end of Stokes’s involvement in normal circumstances but Crawley’s finger injury, suffered while dropping a slip catch earlier Sunday, was the cue for the left-handed batsman’s blistering assault.
Stokes thumped from Alzarri Joseph for fours through cover-point and deep square leg off successive balls in the first over of the chase, with the fast bowler conceding 23 runs in his opening two overs.
He then drove Jayden Seales on the up for four and struck Jason Holder back over the towering all-rounder’s head for yet another boundary to the delight of a capacity, sun-drenched crowd.