England wins 3rd T20 against West Indies by 3 wickets to clinch 5-match series

GROS ISLET, St. Lucia (AP) — Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood again knocked the top off the West Indies innings to set up England's three-wicket win in the third Twenty20 international on Thursday which clinched a series victory with two matches remaining.

Set 146, England reached its target with seven wickets down and four balls to spare.

The chase was led by Sam Curran who made 41 in partnerships of 38 with Will Jacks (32) and 39 with Liam Livingstone. Livingstone was dropped on 6, 8 and 21 but went on to reach a valuable 39. With each dropped catch, the match slipped from the home team's grasp.

Jamie Overton (4) and Rehan Ahmed (5) were at the crease when the winning runs came in the final over.

Player of the match Mahmood took 3-17, dismissing Evin Lewis (3) in the first over of the match and returning to dismiss Roston Chase (7) and Shimron Hetmyer (2) as the West Indies slumped to 39-5 at the end of the six-over power play.

“I just feel freer (in this series) to be honest,” Mahmood said. “I think when I've played in the past I've always kept someone else's place warm whereas coming into this if feels like my own and I can really express myself and always look to take the brave option.”

Captain Rovman Powell made 54 as the West Indies recovered to 145-8 after the failure of the top order.

The West Indies lost three wickets in the power play in each of the first two matches of the series which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets respectively.

Mahmood took 4-24 including the power play wickets of Lewis, Brandon King and Hetmyer in the first match and 2-20 in the second.

England received a major boost before the match when captain Jos Buttler won the toss which was delayed for 45 minutes by a wet outfield.

The first two matches of the series and the three matches of the previous one-day international series between the teams all were won by the team that won the toss. The West Indies paid heavily for indiscipline at the start of their innings — in spite of a deteriorating position its top batters continued to play recklessly.

Shai hope was run out on the fourth ball of the innings by Jacob Bethell who threw down his stumps as Hope first set off for a hopeless run, then failed to regain his ground.

Lewis was out five balls later, slashing at a length ball from Mahmood which flew to Jofra Archer at third man. And Nicholas Pooran fell to the fifth ball of the third over, bowled by Archer as he threw up his head and swung across the line at a straight delivery.

The West Indies were 17-3 after three overs.

Powell and Romario Shepherd put on 73 for the sixth wicket and Alzarri Joseph, returning after a suspension for his extraordinary protest in the first match of the series, made an unbeaten 21. Joseph walked off the field in the first match after disputing his captain's field settings.

The fourth and fifth matches of the series will be played at St. Lucia on Saturday and Sunday.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Liam Livingstone plays a shot against West Indies during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Phil Salt plays a shot against West Indies during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Rovman Powell plays a shot against England during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Akeal Hosein celebrates taking the wicket of England's Phil Salt during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Phil Salt is bowled by West Indies' Akeal Hosein during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Jos Buttler plays a shot to be caught by West Indies' captain Rovman Powell during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Alzarri Joseph, center, celebrates with teammates Nicholas Pooran and Akeal Hosein the dismissal of England's captain Jos Buttler during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Rovman Powell takes the catch to dismiss England's captain Jos Buttler during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Sam Curran plays a shot for six runs from a delivery of West Indies' Gudakesh Motie during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' wicket keeper Shai Hope drops a catch from the bat of England's Liam Livingstone during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Saqib Mahmood celebrates with teammates taking the wicket of West Indies' Roston Chase during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St.Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Shai Hope plays a shot from a delivery of England's Jofra Archer during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Saqib Mahmood bowls against West Indies during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St.Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Rovman Powell plays a shot for six runs from a delivery of England's Jofra Archer during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St.Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Saqib Mahmood, left, celebrates with teammates taking the wicket of West Indies' Roston Chase during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St.Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Sam Curran fields against West Indies during the third T20 cricket match at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St.Lucia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The leader of USA Track and Field cut through confusion surrounding the 2028 Olympic trials, saying the preference is to hold them in the LA Coliseum several weeks before the actual Olympic track meet takes place there.

Max Siegel told The Associated Press on Thursday that the goal is to give U.S. athletes the closest thing to a simulation of the actual Olympics, and that there is no better place to do that than holding the trials in the same stadium as the Games.

He also said plans are for the meet, which traditionally has been spread over 10 days, to be shortened in 2028. Siegel is hoping to have the issue settled by January. Olympic trials usually take place six to eight weeks before track starts at the Games.

“It is no secret that our desire is to have something in the West Coast, and preferably in LA,” Siegel said. “We're going to do everything that we possibly can to try to have our trials” at the Coliseum.

LA chairman Casey Wasserman injected some uncertainty into the issue over the summer when he said he thought hosting the trials so close to the Olympics “adds a level of complexity to our planning that I'm not sure is best for the athletes.”

The main concern was whether the Coliseum, which also hosts University of Southern California football games and other events, would be ready for a world-level track meet in time for trials. There's also the issue of resetting the stadium for the Olympics in the month or so after trials.

Asked on Thursday about LA's current position, the organizing committee sent AP a statement: “We are exploring the possibility of hosting the 2028 Track and Field Trials at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.”

Holding trials at the stadium where the Olympics are taking place would fit with U.S. Olympics in the past: In 1996, they were held at Olympic Stadium in Atlanta and in 1984, they were at the Coliseum.

USATF has held every Olympic trials since 2008 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men's 100-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials, June 23, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)