West Indies vs England 2017: 3rd ODI, 5 Talking Points

England crushed West Indies by 186 runs in the third and final ODI at Bridgetown to complete a series whitewash (3-0). The comeback man, Alex Hales, and the ever-reliable Joe Root, were the wreckers-in-chief with the bat as both of them scored hundreds, helping England post 328 on the board.

The Windies were never in the game as they lost 6 for 45 runs with Chris Woakes, Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett running havoc in the top order. Jonathan Carter once again rescued them from embarrassment, but as was the case right through the series, he was dismissed after a start as the hosts were bowled out for 142 in the 40th over.

West Indies, who are already out of the Champions Trophy this year due to their ninth place in the ICC rankings, did themselves no good as they lost the series 3-0. England, meanwhile, will look to carry this momentum forward in the multi-nation tournament in June.

Brief Scores: England 328/10 in 50 overs (Hales 110, Root 101, Joseph 4/76) beat West Indies 142/10 in 39.2 overs (Carter 46, Woakes 3/16, Plunkett 3/27)

Here are the talking points from the third and final ODI at Barbados:

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#5 Rust-free Alex Hales puts Windies to the sword

Alex Hales had been suffering from a hand injury and was expected to recover only after this series. However, a quicker than expected rehabilitation saw him take the flight down to the Caribbean islands to play the final ODI.

And when he took to the crease, he showed no signs of rust. He played out the early overs which were difficult for batting with much grace. His temperament and composure stood out in the early part of his innings before his natural instinct to attack took over.

There was no stopping Hales from then on. He carted leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for two fours and two sixes in a 22-run over as he raced to his fifth century in ODIs, becoming the fastest England player to the landmark. Hales dismissal triggered a collapse that saw England lose six wickets in the next ten overs.

#4 Root rides his early luck to post ninth hundred

Root and Hales put on 192 for the second wicket

Joe Root started off on a poor note as he flicked Alzarri Joseph straight to mid-wicket when on 1, but Evin Lewis dropped a sitter much to the shock of the West Indian fans. He was dropped yet again on 12 by Ashley Nurse off Jason Holder in a lonely slip placed in the fourth slip area.

The England skipper made the most of his early luck and dug into the Windies bowlers to post his ninth century in ODIs. He is now the second highest century maker for England in ODIs with the first still being Marcus Trescothick with 12 hundreds.

Root was dismissed soon after his hundred, by Joseph. With two set batsmen departing in quick time, England's hopes of crossing 350 were shattered, but it hardly mattered in the end as the hosts fell way short of the target.

#3 Alzarri Joseph's mixed day

Alzarri Joseph mixed pace with aggression to stake a claim in the 11

The young Alzarri Joseph had made a name for himself in the Caribbean Premier League when he hit Ab de Villiers on the helmet. But somehow his opportunities for West Indies were far and few between. An injury to Shannon Gabriel opened a place for him and the tall pacer bowled his heart out, combining pace with consistent lines to finish with figures of 4/76.

The Antigua seamer hit the right channels right from the start and was unlucky to not have Root early on. He had already dismissed the dangerous Jason Roy who drove him to mid-off. He then put an end to the 192-run stand between Hales and Root by outfoxing the former with a slower delivery.

Joseph gave the Windies a glimmer of hope next over when he had the other set batsman, Joe Root, with a cross-seamed delivery that he hit straight to long-on. The 20-year-old wasn't done, though, and two balls later, had Moeen Ali chipping a catch back to him as he completed his four-wicket haul.

#2 Jason Holder's tidy spell

Holder won the toss thrice in the series but lost the game each time

Jason Holder can be more than a handy bowler, in spite of his friendly pace, if he gets his channels right. The tall West Indies captain bowled a tight line early on and barely gave anything away as batting looked difficult in the early hours at Barbados.

He had Joe Root edging to the slips on 12 only to see Carter shell a tough chance. Once Joseph saw the back of Hales, Holder made sure Buttler wasn't there for the late flourish by cleaning him up with a full delivery that the England finisher looked to ramp over the keeper.

Holder then had Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes top edging off consecutive balls to restrict England to below an unreachable total. He finished with tidy figures of 10-1-41-3 but his captaincy at certain stages of the game and series left huge question marks behind.

#1 The West Indian collapse

Woakes triggered a Windies collapse by taking two wickets in his first two overs

If the England innings seemed like a fast forwarded movie courtesy whirlwind knocks from Alex Hales and Joe Root, the West Indian innings was three times quicker. They lost six wickets for 45 runs by the 17th over.

Finn initiated the collapse in the third ball of the innings when he dismissed Kieron Powell, caught at square leg. Woakes took a wicket apiece in his first two overs of Evin Lewis and Kraigg Brathwaite; his precise lines combined with the pace of Finn and Plunkett were too hot for the Windies to handle.

Plunkett came into the attack and cleaned up Jason Mohammed's stumps before having Shai Hope and Jason Holder off consecutive balls in the 17th over. The West Indian collapse was least surprising given the way they have batted right through the series. They never recovered from the early collapse and succumbed to their worst loss at home in terms of runs.