Motie, Joseph Rewrite History in ODI Heartbreak

-Timothy Thompson

With the third and final ODI against England on the horizon, the West Indies looked to finish the series on a high. The match had a peculiar start as the West Indies team was strangely stuck in heavy traffic coming to the venue, resulting in the toss being delayed. An occurrence like this seldom happens at the international level of the game, as teams are usually ushered through traffic to the ground in grand fashion. Minutes before the actual start of the game, the Windies players arrived at the ground, which pushed the start of play by 30 minutes.

The English won the toss and sent the visitors into bat once again for the second consecutive game. This match saw three changes to the lineup for the West Indies, as Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, and Matthew Forde made way for Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shamar Joseph. After losing the series, it was good to see Head Coach Darren Sammy rotating the opportunity among his players to give them a chance to gain form, with a busy summer schedule approaching.

The innings started with the familiar opening pair of Brandon King and Evin Lewis, who are known for their plague-like approach to the game, which is hard to contain if no cure is found. England, though, found the cure, as Evin Lewis departed thanks to a brilliant fielding effort from Jamie Smith, who moved sharply to his right to claim the catch. Then came the in-form and now highly rated Keacy Carty, who looked to carry on his fine form alongside King.

The partnership ended quickly, as King misjudged the length of the ball from Matthew Potts and was dismissed thanks to good bowling and excellent field placement. This dismissal brought the captain, Shai Hope, to the crease, who only got a chance to model the pitch as he went for a golden duck after top-edging his first ball—a well-directed short ball and only managed to pick out the fielder Carse.

Rutherford, who was fresh from his IPL trip, joined the West Indies at the number five slot of the batting order, batting alongside Carty. The pair did a good job of stabilising the innings, sharing a 55-run partnership before an interruption in play at the end of the 15th over was caused by rainy weather conditions. Rutherford was at this time on 33 (30) and Carty on 24 (27).

With rain affecting the already delayed match, it was reduced to 40 overs a side upon the resumption of play. Shortly after this, Carty tried to get back into his normal game but was bowled by England leg spinner Adil Rashid after dragging a wide and flighted delivery onto his stumps. He departed for 29 (35). Greaves, looking to improve his average of 26, was the next batter in to pair with the well-set Rutherford.

Rutherford, oozing with confidence, raced to his sixth half-century in ODIs, further extending his batting average beyond 70. Greaves, though, found the middle of the bat with every ball faced, but that came to his disadvantage as he picked out the mid-wicket fielder, Ben Duckett, off the bowling of Adil Rashid for a run-a-ball 12. This brought Roston Chase to the crease, and once again in the series, he went without scoring—and in a very disappointing manner.

Gudakesh Motie was in a no-nonsense mood as he came to the crease and blasted the hat-trick ball of Adil Rashid for six marking intent and lack of pressure.The West Indies at this stage desperately needed a successful partnership, with 18 overs left in the game and the score at that stage only being 128 with just four wickets in hand. Rutherford couldn’t further help this cause, as he was ironically dismissed on 70 matching his ODI batting average. The ball was a well-directed cross-seamed delivery, and Rutherford could only manage to find the toe end of the bat, with his effort being claimed thanks to some acrobatics by England captain Harry Brook.

With only the tail to bat, it was all up to Gudakesh Motie and Alzarri Joseph to take the West Indies well past the 200 mark. The pair did not disappoint, as boundary after boundary was struck, and even Adil Rashid—who recorded his best bowling efforts of 3/40 at The Oval couldn’t remove the pair. Motie raced to his second half-century in ODI cricket (in 28 matches) with a well-placed two through the mid-wicket region, continuing a very applaudable effort with the bat.

The pair of Motie and Joseph then completed history as they surpassed the effort of Viv Richards and Eldine Baptiste for the highest eighth-wicket partnership in ODIs—a record that had stood for 41 years, previously set in 1984 at the Old Trafford ground. Joseph departed on 41 (29), ending the much-needed 91-run partnership alongside Motie.

The West Indies then ended their 40 overs on 251 with the loss of 9 wickets. This total would be a simple feat for the English team, as the Duckworth-Lewis calculation saw them chasing a revised target of 246 from their 40 overs. Their mindset from ball one would have been to bat with intent, with just over six runs an over being required.

The Windies bowlers struggled early, as they failed to maintain consistent lengths and lines. This allowed the opening pair of Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett to have a good outing in the middle. After racing to his 50 from 25 balls, Smith continued to dominate the bowling of Motie until he was bowled for a well-played 64 (28). Then came the hero from the last game, Joe Root, who had a good partnership with Duckett until the latter was removed for 58 (46) after slapping the ball to extra cover off the bowling of Chase.

Root, playing a solid innings of 44 (49), was dismissed just shy of his half-century off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, with an excellent catch by the other Joseph, Shamar. From here, England batters Buttler and Brook ushered England to a 3-match win over the West Indies with just over 10 overs and 7 wickets left.

While the West Indies fell short once again, there were glimmers of hope in an otherwise turbulent performance. The historic 91-run eighth-wicket partnership between Gudakesh Motie and Alzarri Joseph stood out as a bright spark, reminding fans of the fighting spirit the Caribbean side is still capable of. However, inconsistency with both bat and ball, along with questionable shot selection and lack of discipline in key moments, ultimately cost them the match and the series. As Head Coach Darren Sammy continues to rotate his squad and search for the right combinations, this series serves as both a learning curve and a wake-up call. With a busy summer ahead, the West Indies will need to find stability, sharpen their execution, and reignite the fire that once made them giants of the game. For now, England takes a clean sweep, while the Windies leave with lessons learned and work to be done.