England caught cold by Windies
Extra firepower too much for Morgan’s men
West Indies responded to their Test series defeat by reminding England why they are World Twenty20 champions on a perishingly cold night in the North-East .
The Caribbean this was not, but the tourists warmed up — metaphorically, at least — for Tuesday’s first one-day international in Manchester with a convincing 21-run victory that hinged on their extra firepower.
While West Indies managed 11 sixes between them — including seven from their incendiary opening pair of Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis — England hit only two. In the end, victory came rather more easily than it did when these sides last met in the format, in the World Twenty20 final at Kolkata last year.
Set a gettable 177, Eoin Morgan’s side had got off to the worst possible start when Jason Roy timed Jerome Taylor’s first ball to backward point — hardly the statement he wanted as he seeks to regain his 50-over place.
Alex Hales quickly made good the loss, bludgeoning four fours from Kesrick Williams’s next over, then pulling Taylor for six. After five overs, England had 55 — and Hales 43 from just 16 balls.
Then the rot set in. Hales charged at Carlos Brathwaite and was bowled, before the West Indies spinners, Ashley Nurse and Sunil Narine, skidded the ball through.
Joe Root spooned Nurse to cover to depart for 17 off 19 deliveries, and Morgan extended his dismal sequence to 12 runs in seven innings for Middlesex, Barbados Tridents and England when he was caught for two trying to reverse-sweep Narine.
The batsmen’s rhythm was not helped by a series of stoppages, as the umpires debated how slippery the outfield was and West Indies dawdled between overs. At one point, police evacuated one of the stands after three spectators were injured in a fall caused by unstable flooring. One woman was taken to hospital.
From 68 for four Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow added 50, but the run-rate was nearly 10 an over, and England were reduced to scampering twos. Instead, wickets tumbled.
Earlier, the West Indian innings had been given an adrenalin-fuelled start by Gayle and his protégé Lewis, only to peter out against the pace of Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid’s leg-spin.
Perhaps stung by captain Brathwaite’s pre-match suggestion that he now played ‘second fiddle’ to his opening partner, Gayle set about hitting the high notes.
David Willey disappeared for successive sixes, Tom Curran was hit back over his head, and Chris Jordan flayed. After six overs West Indies had 72, and looked set for 230. Eng- land looked rudderless. But if Gayle bats like a Rolls Royce, he runs like a Robin Reliant. After battering 40 off 20 balls, he hesitated over a single to Roy at backward point, jogged to the danger end, then failed to dive as Plunkett disturbed the stumps.
Lewis got in on the act en route to a 26-ball fifty, but after he was out, West Indies lost their way. Deprived of the motivational presence of his old sparring- partner Ben Stokes, Marlon Samuels made a subdued 10 from 13 balls, and Plunkett had three wickets in eight balls when Kieron Pollard then top-edged a pull to long leg.
Rashid took a career-best best three for 25, including Brathwaite — slayer of Stokes in the World Twenty20 final last year — bowled round his legs on the sweep for just two.
In all, the last 14 overs yielded just 102 runs for nine wickets. England seemed back in the game, only to fall apart themselves.