England’s revamped squad suffered a heavy defeat in the opening match of their Caribbean tour, as the West Indies claimed an eight-wicket victory in Antigua.
England's batting faltered, with their final six wickets falling for just 44 runs, resulting in a total of 209. The team’s hopes of a fresh start in white-ball cricket were dashed by a poor showing with the bat.
Despite an earnest effort in the field, England struggled to contain the West Indies. Jofra Archer and debutant John Turner posed a threat with the new ball, but West Indies opener Evin Lewis was in fine form, smashing eight sixes in a pivotal innings of 94 off 69 balls. His performance guided the hosts to a revised target of 157 with ease.
The tourists fielded four debutants in their lineup, with Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, and Turner all making their ODI debuts.
Captain Liam Livingstone lost an important toss in humid, overcast conditions, with rain looming. West Indies skipper Shai Hope opted to bowl, a decision that paid off as the match was later shortened to 35 overs due to rain.
The first 10 overs were challenging for England, with Phil Salt and Will Jacks struggling to find their rhythm on a sticky pitch. Salt was the first to fall, mistiming a shot to Alzarri Joseph at mid-off.
The middle order followed suit, with Jacks, Cox, Jacob Bethell, and Livingstone all falling while attempting aggressive shots on a slow pitch. Livingstone looked promising with his 48, adding 72 runs with Sam Curran for the fifth wicket, but his dismissal to Gudakesh Motie, who took 4 for 41, triggered a rapid collapse.
Reflecting on the loss, Livingstone said, “I don’t think we read conditions quite as well as we could have. When Sam and I were in, we thought 240-250 would be competitive. We’ve had some time off, and it’s about getting back into the rhythms of 50-over cricket. Our debutants will have learned a lot from today, and hopefully, they’ll build on that experience.”
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