England beat West Indies by 10 wickets to seal a series clean sweep at Edgbaston… as Ben Stokes hits team’s fastest ever Test half-century

Mark Wood blew West Indies away with a series of blistering bowling performances to give England a convincing 10-wicket victory at Edgbaston and wrap up the series 3-0 inside three days.

Wood brought the tension to Birmingham, terrorising the tourists by ending their second innings resistance with the kind of devastating performance once associated with the kings of Caribbean cricket.

Ben Stokes then showed the same flair with the bat, taking a rare turn off the opener to hit the fastest half-century ever by an Englishman – taking just 24 frantic deliveries.

The 35-year-old, who left Trent Bridge last week with just two wickets despite hitting 97mph in one of the fastest performances ever on English soil, finally saw his fortunes turn when he took five for 40.

He took on them in fierce fashion after lunch, knocking out Josh Da Silva, Alzarri Joseph, Kavem Hodge, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph in 21 dramatic innings.

Mark Wood blew the West Indians away with a fierce series of fast bowling balls

Skipper Ben Stokes hit the fastest half-century ever by an Englishman

By the time he finished, the tourists had fallen from 156 for five to 175 in total, leaving England with just 82 runs to win.

Zak Crawley was sent for scans after a finger injury sustained in the slips, and captain Stokes seized the opportunity to promote himself to opener and give the crowd the entertainment they had come for.

Stokes hit 10 fours and two sixes to make 57 not out in just 28 balls, giving the Windies attack a blow as if it were a charity match.

England’s slip-up is a welcome side effect given they last won a multi-match series in December 2022. But the fact they only needed 10 of a scheduled 15 days of active cricket is also cause for concern.

This is a West Indies team that has struggled to remain competitive for some time, lacking experience and depth and still without the region’s best-known players, some of whom, such as Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, are currently in this country cashing in on contracts in the Hundred.

With a modest-looking Sri Lankan team set to compete in three Tests in the second half of the summer, more early wins and bigger margins could be on the cards.

But that is more of a concern for the managers than for the players on the field, who did their jobs here with flair and authority.

Wood brought the heat to Birmingham, terrorizing the tourists and ending their resistance

West Indies’ Alick Athanaze leaves the field after being bowled out by Shoaib Bashir

They took three wickets in the morning session, ending West Indies’ chances of a serious comeback, and then delivered the deadly one-two punch.

Wood galvanised the crowd by wiping out the rest of the visiting line-up and Stokes put on a show by taking everyone out, knocking them out and beating them.

England, who were 61 runs ahead with eight wickets to go, took an early one when Shoaib Bashir justified the decision to let him use the Birmingham End first.

Alick Athanaze, who had just taken a 90mph bumper to his body from Wood, got his timing wrong when sweeping the off-spinner and was left lbw for 12.

Bashir was responsible for West Indies’ demise last week, but this was the end of his contribution and not the beginning of a new record haul.

This is a West Indian team that has struggled to remain competitive for a long time

Things might have been different had he dismissed Hodge with his next delivery, but his lead split the difference between wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and Joe Root at first slip.

Hodge had a stroke of luck when Wood crossed the line with a four-point lead, but he and Mikyle Louis put together a brisk 72-point stand to erase the remainder of the deficit and build up a lead.

England, however, were never going to let them go. Stokes, who was running his fastest time in four years when he touched 87mph, had Louis caught at second slip for 57 by Crawley and Gus Atkinson pinned Jason Holder lbw before lunch.

A lead of 57 at lunch gave the West Indians something to work with, but Wood snatched away their hopes as he got an adrenaline rush. It was mesmerising to watch.

Da Silva was caught off guard by a reverse strike. The umpire raised his finger as the ball struck the front pad, and Alzarri saw his middle stump flattened by an aggressive yorker.

Wood set the rafters shaking again when Seales failed to protect his off-stump and Hodge, showing courage in scoring 55, followed with a thin edge that landed in the gloves of Jamie Smith.

Josh Da Silva was surprised by the reverse strike of England bowler Wood

It would have been cruel to deny Wood his fifth wicket, but Joseph stood no chance and threw a catch to Harry Brook, who had a sharp pass.

Crawley’s absence gave Stokes the pretext to play entertainer and he made it a short but memorable afternoon, starting in fifth gear and swinging from the hip and peppering the ropes with a series of increasingly deflective drives.

After setting his country’s record for a half-century, he ended the match with two highlights, lifting Shamar and Kraigg Brathwaite into the stands.