England v West Indies: Nat Sciver makes 82 as hosts win T20 series

England cruised to a 20-run victory over West Indies to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match Twenty20 series in Derby.

Nat Sciver's 82 from 61 balls was the standout performance as England made 154-6 on a sluggish pitch, with Shamilia Connell taking 2-13.

West Indies made a better attempt at their chase than in the previous two games, led by 63 from Deandra Dottin, but she fell with three overs to go.

The tourists could only reach 134-5 as England secured a comfortable win at the Incora County Ground.

This was an improved performance with the bat by West Indies, who have rarely looked comfortable chasing in all three matches.

Dottin once again led the way, but they were unable to find the boundary as the overs ticked down despite rearranging their batting line-up.

England had their own struggles with the bat but Sciver's innings, coupled with leg-spinner Sarah Glenn's 2-18, was enough to seal the series with two games remaining.

The fourth match takes place on Monday at 18:00 BST.

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Sciver leads the way

Sciver was the only England player to get to grips with a slow and tricky pitch, rescuing the hosts after they slipped to 83-4.

After two strong powerplays in the previous matches, England fell to 13-2 inside the first three overs. Tammy Beaumont sent a thick edge off pace bowler Connell behind before Danni Wyatt, who had previously been dropped twice off the same delivery, slapped the same bowler to Sheneta Grimmond at deep cover.

Sciver and Heather Knight's 59-run stand steadied England but, just as the two looked to accelerate, Knight was caught behind and Amy Jones was bowled by Hayley Matthews.

Sciver opted for quick singles - she registered just one scoring shot on the off side in her 40-ball half-century - and was able to take advantage of a sloppy fielding performance from West Indies.

In the final five overs, Sciver hit out, taking 17 off the penultimate over, including England's sole six of the innings off Taylor. She was well supported by Fran Wilson, whose unbeaten 16 from 15 balls pushed England towards what proved to be a winning total.

West Indies changes fail to pay off

Having struggled to make an impact with the bat in this series, West Indies promoted number three Dottin to open alongside Lee-Ann Kirby, who occupied that role during the T20 World Cup.

Although they got off to a quicker start, too many dot balls were eaten up and boundaries were few and far between as the innings progressed.

The Kirby gamble did not pay off as she was tidily stumped by Jones for three and wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle, also moved up the order, slapped Katherine Brunt to mid-on.

It was left to all-rounder Dottin to once again marshal the chase. Her half-century came from 48 balls and she was particularly impressive against England's pace bowlers, whipping Anya Shrubsole through the leg side and dispatching a Sciver slower ball for six.

However, Stafanie Taylor, the other player in the West Indies side who is capable of taking a game away from the opposition, may have left her arrival too late. She came in with her side 91-4, needing 64 from 34 deliveries, requiring her to attack straight away.

When Dottin fell hoisting Brunt to deep square-leg, West Indies' chase faltered, and they were unable to finish strongly.

'We want to be ruthless and win 5-0' - reaction

Player of the match Nat Sciver on BBC Two: "We wanted to be ruthless so we're really pleased to win like that. The game was more competitive and our bowlers were really put under pressure.

"We want to finish with two more wins and be ruthless again."

England captain Heather Knight: "We've not had a perfect performance with the bat yet this series but we've always found a way to get over 150. We talked about the top order taking responsibility and Nat did that."

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor: "We did really well with our bowling but we're still giving up too many runs in the last three to four overs.

"Our batting was excellent but not the result we wanted. At least we saw a lot more intent."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "The best game of the three so far.

"England will want to improve their fielding but it's another very professional performance. They are moving in a good direction and I like their intensity."