GAYLE strikes it rich

But Windies end up in the losing side; as England post record chase

Contrasting centuries by Jason Roy and Joe Root paced England to a comfortable sixwicket victory over the West Indies with their record oneday international run chase in a high-scoring opening game of a five-match series in Barbados on Wednesday.

Set what looked a daunting target after Chris Gayle's 24th ODI hundred anchored the home side to 360-8, Roy blazed 123 off 85 balls at the top of the order while Root cruised to a comparatively sedate 102 off 97 deliveries to take help the tourists reach their target with eight balls to spare.

In achieving the highestever ODI run chase in the Caribbean and the thirdhighest overall, England underlined their status as the top-ranked team in this format of the game and will be brimful of batting confidence heading into the second match at the same venue on Friday.

Fresh from a hundred in the lone warm-up match at the weekend, Roy was at his most ruthless against the hosts who missed key fast bowler Kemar Roach.

The 'man of the series' with 18 wickets as the West Indies surprised England 2-1 to reclaim the Wisden Trophy in the preceding Test duel, Roach has been ruled out of the entire ODI series due to early signs of what could develop into a stress fracture of the lower back.

Earlier, Gayle lit up the Kensington Oval with another display of power-hitting.

Playing his first ODI since the home series against Bangladesh last July and having announced that the upcoming World Cup will be his international farewell in the format, the big-hitting lefthander signalled his intentions for a lengthy grand finale with an innings of 135 off 129 balls with 12 sixes and three fours. His tally of maximums dominated an innings in which 23 sixes were struck, a new record for an ODI innings.