West Indies vs England: Sam Curran's response and spin twins get tourists back on track for ODI series decider

Redemption. A return to form. A triumph over adversity. Call it what you will, but Sam Curran showed just why England have continued to back him with the ball as he produced a player-of-the-match display in Wednesday’s six-wicket ODI win over the West Indies.

Going wicketless for 98 runs in 9.5 overs in the four-wicket loss in the opener in Antigua three days prior, on the back of the recent Cricket World Cup in India where he took two wickets in three matches at an average of 70, meant there were questions about Curran's continued presence in the side.

However, a devastating 3-33 to get stuck into the West Indies' top order - the hosts slumping to 23-4 and eventually dismissed for 202 - after they were made to bat first in the second game at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, as opposed to chasing in the first, saw the left-arm seamer justify being named in an unchanged England XI.

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"Any time you bowl in certain scenarios, you know you're going to have a tough day, but I think if you dwell on those things too much, I feel like it would have probably affected me here," Curran said.

"The big, big messaging from this group was 'you've got to learn from those situations' and I feel like I'm a very strong character in that regard. I don't feel like that's going to affect me at all.

"I feel like I haven't played a huge amount over the last couple of months, like any player it's a bit of rhythm and confidence, and fingers crossed we can keep looking forwards."

Curran has proven to be a particularly devastating seamer in T20 cricket, where his 43 wickets in 41 internationals have come at 23.86 apiece and at a strike rate of a wicket every 18.6 balls.

Conversely, he has taken 33 wickets at a shade under 40 a pop in 31 ODIs, a number which has jumped from 35.18 prior to this year's World Cup and that first game of this three-match series where he recorded the worst bowling figures for an England men's player in ODIs.

However, Curran produced a relatively miserly 4.71 economy rate against the West Indies on Wednesday and his +2.3 rating on CricViz's expected wickets statistic underlines how good his performance was. Former England seamer Steven Finn was impressed by the response as well.

"When you've been smashed around a bit - and it happened to me a number of times in my career - you just want to get back into the game and want to overcome that anxiety as quick as you possibly can," Finn said of Curran on TNT Sports.

"That's either a wicket or bowling a few good balls and feeling that sting off the end of your fingertips. He got some good swing early in his spell but, as soon as he got that wicket, you could see he had that extra zip on the ball and extra bit of velocity behind it.

"He grew in confidence as soon as he got that first wicket and, as a bowler, it's lovely to get back out there and feel the feeling of taking wickets and as though you're helping your team."

While Curran's performance with the ball was arguably the most headline-grabbing, the contribution of spinners Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed should not be underestimated either.

It was Livingstone, who has that rare capability of being able to mix it up with both leg and off-breaks, who made the crucial breakthrough just as Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford threatened to take the game away from England with a century partnership, having the latter caught by Phil Salt for 63.

The Barrow-born all-rounder clean-bowling Hope after the Windies captain had made a run-a-ball 68 signalled the beginning of the end for the home side's innings and although Romario Shepherd took a liking to Livingstone's bowling in a brief cameo of 19 from 17 balls, Ahmed came in to mop up the tail.

The spin duo finished with 3-39 and 2-40 respectively, with Ahmed's double coming at just four an over from a full 10-over spell and he now has nine wickets at just 21.77 in five ODIs, underscoring the 19-year-old's undoubted talent.

"The beauty of those early wickets meant Buttler could use the wrist-spinners against that middle and lower order, and that's where wrist-spin is really potent," Finn said of Livingstone and Ahmed's importance to England.

"It's making sure powerful players can't just throw their hands at pace-on deliveries - there's a bit more guile about it when they're having to face the wrist-spinner.

"The beauty is Livingstone can challenge both edges of the bat, and it leaves batters guessing."

England now have the chance to win the series 2-1 when the teams head to Barbados for Saturday's decider at Bridgetown's Kensington Oval.

It would be a surprise if any of that trio, particularly with Curran and Livingstone being so potentially destructive with the bat as well, are not included, even if white-ball head coach Matthew Mott and skipper Jos Buttler opt to make changes.

At 25, Curran is likely to have a big part to play in England's ODI team beyond this series, provided that the matches prior to this pivotal bowling display prove to be a mere blip, and he is certainly feeling optimistic about what the future holds.

"The message is that it's a new side at the moment and it's looking forward for the next couple of years," Curran said.

"I think the energy around the group has been fantastic as well. It feels like a lot of energy and buzz around the group right now and I feel quite a big part of that, so I feel that's a good thing."