Lumb and Jordan fire for England

Michael Lumb's career-best Twenty20 batting, and some spectacular late hitting from Chris Jordan, ensured England's highest score of the series against West Indies at the Kensington Oval.

England were in dire need of consolation and some renewed confidence in this dead rubber, before they travel on to Bangladesh for the ICC World Twenty20.

Lumb (63) appeared to give them a decent shot at both, clubbing nine fours and two sixes in an opening stand of 98 with Alex Hales.

Then Barbados-born Jordan, at the ground where he watched and played so much cricket growing up, hit Dwayne Bravo for four sixes in the final over as the tourists reached 165 for six.

Between those highlights, however, the wheels came off for England as five wickets fell for 32 runs just when their power-hitting middle order was supposed to move into overdrive.

Lumb found initial pace on the ball much more to his liking than the spin England experienced from the outset here in their two defeats this week.

The relevance of his performance, in mind of conditions anticipated for the impending global tournament in the sub-continent, was a moot point.

But England's openers could only deal with what presented itself here, and did so especially well - their 64 after six overs not quite an England powerplay record but nonetheless making a mockery of previous struggles against the new ball.

Lumb gave West Indies two chances, when Johnson Charles could have run him out with a direct hit on 42 and Darren Sammy was unable to hold on to a fearsomely-struck return chance on 51.

By then, the left-hander had raced past his 50 from just 27 balls - having been set up by a wayward first over from left-arm pace debutant Sheldon Cottrell, which cost 17 runs.

With those profitable sighters under his belt, Lumb then also tucked into Sunil Narine's mystery off-spin.

When Cottrell returned, however, he got his revenge - Lumb mistiming a skier into the off-side and Hales hitting him into the hands of long on.

Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler still had the perfect platform for the final seven overs.

But neither could cash in, Morgan pulling Narine to deep midwicket and Buttler skying Krishmar Santokie to cover.

Thereafter, no England batsman could take charge of the situation until Jordan made sure the innings did not end in a whimper after all.