WI vs ENG, 1st ODI: West Indies hammer inexperienced England in series opener

Evin Lewis played a commanding knock of 94 to guide West Indies to an eight-wicket win over England in the rain-affected first one-day international.

In Short

• West Indies beat England by eight wickets in rain-hit ODI
• Evin Lewis scored 94 off 69 balls with eight sixes
• England fielded four debutants and scored 209 in 45.1 overs

West Indies cruised to an eight-wicket win over an experimental England side in a rain-affected first One-Day International (ODI) on Thursday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Evin Lewis' explosive knock of 94 off just 69 balls, featuring eight towering sixes, steered the hosts to an easy victory with nine overs to spare, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

England fielded four debutants-Jamie Overton, Jordan Cox, John Turner, and Dan Mousley-as part of a rotation strategy following a recent Test series loss in Pakistan. Led for the first time by stand-in captain Liam Livingstone, England struggled to a modest total of 209 all out in 45.1 overs. Livingstone top-scored with 48, including two sixes, but his effort fell short on a pitch where runs were hard to come by.

The left-handed Lewis, back in ODI action after a three-year gap, dominated with his powerful hitting, particularly impressive given the challenging conditions. His innings included eight sixes-four times the total hit by the entire England side-highlighting the significant gap in power-hitting between the teams. Lewis reached his half-century in just 46 balls before rain interrupted the West Indies' chase. Upon resumption, the West Indies' target was revised to 157 via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, a score they achieved comfortably.

Despite England's efforts to use the gripping pitch to their advantage, West Indies' opener Brandon King contributed a steady 30 in a 118-run partnership with Lewis, who anchored the innings until falling just 13 runs short of a century. Keacy Carty was unbeaten on 19 as the West Indies sealed victory.

England's batting lineup struggled to adapt to the slow, variable bounce, with Jayden Seales and Gudakesh Motie consistently exploiting the surface. Motie claimed 4-41, dismissing both Livingstone and Sam Curran, who had tried to rally England with a 72-run stand for the fifth wicket. Phil Salt's mistimed shot off Seales epitomized England's difficulty with timing on the sticky wicket, and their innings struggled to find momentum throughout.

Livingstone's knock was one of the few highlights for England, yet his dismissal to Motie, along with Curran's, marked the end of any serious push to set a competitive total.

West Indies and England will return to the same venue on Saturday for the second ODI, where the visitors will aim for a comeback to keep the series alive. The final ODI will take place in Barbados next Wednesday, followed by a five-match T20I series that promises an intense face-off in the shorter format.