England got off to a horrible start to their limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, suffering an eight-wicket defeat to the West Indies.
After being inserted into a rain-interrupted opening three-match, they mustered just 209 in a poor performance with the bat and then saw the West Indies cruise to a reduced target of 157.
Significantly, the Windies’ chase was delayed by a heavy downpour at the interval which covered a soporific surface. It came to the liking of Evin Lewis, whose big knock threatened to inflict a sixth 10-wicket defeat on England in one-day history.
However, Lewis had already lost his opening partner, Brandon King, shortly after a restart at 9.10pm following the second of two long stoppages, when he himself fell trying to bowl a ninth six that would have led to consecutive centuries. .
Lewis made a spectacular return from a three-year exile from ODIs last weekend, hitting an unbeaten 102 off 61 balls to seal a late-tour consolation victory over Sri Lanka.
England had a horrible start to their Caribbean tour, losing by eight wickets to the West Indies.
West Indies opener Evin Lewis scored 94 off 69 balls as the hosts chased a revised total of 157.
Jayden Seales took two for 22 as West Indies bowled out England for just 209
This time their runs came at a calmer pace, although the 32-year-old carried his form across continents, surviving good balls from Jofra Archer and England’s new boy John Turner during a Test Test. power play and hitting anything lightly. offline for six.
Three times he cleared the ropes in an initial 10-over block that cost 49 runs without a wicket, and two more knocks followed in a half-century off 46 balls.
The West Indies were just 13 runs short of inflicting England’s 15th overseas defeat in their last 22 outings when they holed out off the bowling of Adil Rashid.
However, England will spend Antigua’s Independence Day on Friday reflecting on their shortcomings in white-ball batting. Initially failing to hit the right pace, they then relinquished a position of strength at 165 for four in the 35th minute, when Liam Livingstone’s counter-attack of 48 came to a tame end.
It was not in isolation. England marked Livingstone’s debut as international captain (in the absence of the injured Jos Buttler, he became his sixth in all formats this calendar year) with an innings riddled with bad decisions and exasperatingly repetitive dismissals.
Sam Curran, who made 37, was one of only three England batsmen to top 20.
England’s new boy John Turner failed to take a wicket in his five overs with the ball.
Phil Salt fell inside the first 10 overs of a one-day international for the 18th time in 23 innings when an attempt to salute Jayden Seales’ first delivery after changing ends with a boundary resulted in a skier and his teammate fly-half Will Jacks also botched an aerial hit.
The go-over policy was made precarious by the lack of pace on the field, but unperturbed, England’s batsmen stuck to the tactic when drilling gaps for one and two, and rotating the strike, seemed the wiser option.
How this England team would have fared, bereft of the Test players who turned up in Pakistan just three days ago, with a senior boss like Joe Root in their ranks.
Jacob Bethell showed some of the elegant strokeplay that caught the attention of the Test selectors but fell for 27, a tally equaled by the combined scores of the tourists’ four debutants.
Adil Rashid scored more than seven runs on a punishing night for England
It was Livingstone’s international debut as captain, in the absence of the injured Jos Buttler.
Bethell’s departure, so soon after that of Jordan Cox, sparked a rebuild of 93 for four, but England were left to rue Livingstone’s inability to make retired West Indies star Shimron Hetmyer pay for leaving a chance at midwicket when he was on 44.
It came during a series of boundaries, including the first two sixes of the match, removed by Roston Chase, but cost the Windies just a handful of runs when Livingstone fell in the next over, harmlessly pushing a catch back to the slow left . -armer Gudakesh Motie of a delivery that was stopped.
Sam Curran’s completion of a 72-run stand was the first of six wickets in 11 overs, as England criminally left 29 balls unused.
There were 60 left when Curran inexplicably chose plenty of time to give Motie a third hit in six deliveries. He finished with the second four-wicket haul in ODIs, while seamer Seales returned career-best figures of two for 22.