England has done something no team had ever done before — they beat India in a Twenty20 series. Not just beat them, either. England romped to a nine-wicket victory in Bristol on Tuesday, completing their chase of 159 runs in just 13.5 overs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The stars of the show were Harry Brook and Phil Salt. Brook, the England captain, smashed 79 runs from just 35 balls at the top of the order, crashing four sixes and eight fours. Salt, his opening partner, supported with a steady 59 from 42 deliveries. Together they built an unbroken partnership of 144 runs, cutting through India's bowlers with barely any fuss.
For England, this win marked a historic first. Despite playing India regularly in international cricket, no England men's side had ever secured a T20 series victory against them. Now they have — and in style, winning three straight matches after the first fixture was washed out by rain.
The pitch at Bristol was baking in the summer heat, but England's batting was even hotter. Brook especially looked in imperious form, hitting four boundaries in a row during one over from Washington Sundar. Salt, meanwhile, showed his class by weathering a maiden opening over for the second match in a row before accelerating.
England's bowlers had set up the win earlier in the day. Jofra Archer finished with figures of 2 runs from his final over, and India's innings limped to 158-7. Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with a valiant 80 runs, but his teammates offered little support, with most falling to lofted shots that landed safely in English hands.
India, the back-to-back T20 World Cup champions, now face the prospect of winning zero matches in a five-game series for the first time in their history. The series concludes in Southampton on Saturday, where England will look to complete a clean sweep.
For England coach Brendon McCullum, whose job had faced questions after a recent Test series loss to New Zealand, this result brings some relief. His T20 side has now won 19 of their past 22 matches and heads into their month-long break for The Hundred tournament in high spirits.
The cricket will return, but this victory is already written into the record books.