West Indies beat England by eight wickets in first ODI in Antigua as Gudakesh Motie and Evin Lewis star – Eurosport

Gudakesh Motie took 4/41 and Evin Lewis starred with a 69-ball 94 in a rain-reduced first ODI against England, as West Indies raced to a dominant victory with 55 balls to spare

England handed out four ODI debuts in their team selection, with John Turner, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton and Jordan Cox all making their first appearances in the format.

And the team’s inexperience shone through as they struggled to adapt to the surface and were bowled out for 209 with 4.5 overs to spare, with Liam Livingstone top scoring in his first game as captain with 48.

A rain shower in the interval delayed the second innings, and a second weather break saw overs lost in the match.

But West Indies took complete control, having negotiated a tricky spell with the new ball from the impressive Jofra Archer and John Turner.

Evin Lewis, making his second appearance after a three-year hiatus from international cricket, played a leading role, slamming eight sixes in his 94 to post his 11th ODI half-century and go beyond 2,000 career runs in the format.

Earlier, West Indies bowled well, utilising the cross-seam variations, with pacers Jayden Seales, Matthew Forde and Alzarri Joseph picking up two apiece. Seales in particular was tricky for England to get away, conceding just 22 runs off his eight overs. Spinner Motie returned the pick of the figures, bagging 4/41.

Every single member of England’s top six reached double figures in the first innings, with Jordan Cox’s 17 the lowest of those. But none reached fifty, with Livingstone’s 48 comfortable the best effort among them.

Each set batter struggled to up the scoring rate, with miscues and leading edges accounting for almost all of England’s wickets.

There was encouragement for England, with Jacob Bethell and Cox showing why they’re so highly rated in the set-up, and Sam Curran reminding the selectors why he’s a viable left-handed option in the top order with a solid rebuilding knock of 37.

But the team’s lack of experience in this format really shone through, and all too often they weren’t able to ride out sticky spells without taking on an overly-risky approach.

The bowling attack may have set up the win, and Motie picked up the official POTM award, but it was the left-handed opening bat Lewis who lit up North Sound in Antigua. The 32-year-old delivered a powerful display of top-order hitting, showing a fluency that no other batter was able to manage on a sticky surface.

Lewis was outside the West Indies setup for more than three years, but made his return in the final match against Sri Lanka last week, slamming a superb 102*.

And he continued that outstanding comeback to put England to the sword, going beyond 2000 career ODI runs in the course of his 94. He deserved a hundred, but missed out by going for the landmark in style, departing with the win within touching distance.

Lewis had done well to bide his time when the ball was moving early on, but when he did unleash he did so against both pace and spin, peppering the stands in a brilliant display, hitting five fours and eight sixes.