Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd powered the West Indies to a four-wicket victory in the thrilling series-opening ODI in Antigua on Sunday.
Following a meek World Cup, England are at the start of a new era and they amassed 325 all out but Jos Buttler made his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs after being dismissed for three off 13 balls.
It looked to be enough as the Windies lurched to 213 for five in the 39th over but Hope’s unbeaten 109 off 83 balls and a punchy 48 from 28 deliveries from Shepherd underpinned a remarkable home triumph.
Hope’s three sixes in four balls off the expensive Sam Curran, who leaked 98 in 9.5 wicketless overs, helped the Windies get over the line with seven balls to spare as they drew first blood in the series.
There were positives for an England side who had six individuals in their XI who were out in India as Harry Brook top-scored with 71 off 72 balls while Phil Salt amassed 45 off 28 balls while Curran (38 off 26) and Brydon Carse (31no off 21) put on a lifted England beyond 300 after a middle-order wobble.
Rehan Ahmed was the pick of England’s attack but they were unable to pin down a side who failed to qualify for the World Cup, while Buttler’s form is an increasing concern and his run of innings with an ODI fifty stretched to 13 innings.
England started well as Salt crunched eight boundaries off fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shepherd but a turbocharged innings ended in tame fashion, vindicating the decision to introduce Gudakesh Motie’s left-arm spin after six overs.
Backing away to leg, Salt’s cut looped to the cover fielder to end a 77-run stand, while Will Jacks was gone for 26 in the next over after Joseph extracted extra bounce and found the outside edge.
Zak Crawley consolidated, initially alongside Test opening partner Ben Duckett then Brook, all of whom were watchful early on as the pitch started to become more unpredictable. Put down twice in the 30s, Crawley got to 48 when he set off for a single only to be left high and dry by Brook and run out.
Brook took 12 singles from his first 18 deliveries before reverse sweeping to the boundary while he accelerated after Buttler’s downfall with dismissive sixes off Shepherd and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah.
Liam Livingstone briefly got in on the act with back-to-back sixes in a Cariah over yielding 23 but the all-rounder and Brook were out in successive Shepherd overs. Livingstone was lbw to a delivery that kept low and Brook slapped a pace-off ball to mid-off, having added one run after being dropped on 70.
At 239 for seven with nine overs left, England were grateful for their lower order adding 86, underpinned by Curran and Carse putting on a belligerent 66 in just 38 balls. The pair each cleared the rope twice while Ahmed chipped in with a maximum as England’s innings ended with a flourish.
The hosts had only chased down 300-plus totals three times in ODIs but their attempt to overhaul the highest 50-over total at this venue began brightly courtesy of the highly rated Alick Athanaze.
The left-hander, leading run-scorer at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, feasted on Curran’s waywardness, hooking a six in the first over before ending the powerplay with a mighty mow off Gus Atkinson.
Brandon King was less fluent but put on 104 alongside Athanaze before Ahmed prised the pair apart. Athanaze missed a sweep at a googly and was given leg-before for 66 while Livingstone breached the defences of King on 35 eight balls later as England’s spinners gave them a foothold.
Keacy Carty made just 16 in a 39-ball stay before he was trapped in front by Carse’s grubber and the run-rate was steadily escalating when Shimron Hetmyer walked to the crease.
Both Hetmyer and ODI debutant Sherfane Rutherford were caught on the boundary off Atkinson and Ahmed respectively as the Windies went into the last 10 overs requiring 106 runs for victory.
Hope was the wicket England prized most, though. A standout ODI talent, he went effortlessly through the gears, rotating the strike well while he also thumped the only six Ahmed conceded in his 10-1-40-2.
He went past 5,000 ODI runs before, with 90 needed off 48 balls, Shepherd went on the attack to Curran, muscling two leg-side sixes in an over containing 19 runs.
The 45th over, also bowled by Curran, went for 15 and the 47th by Carse was taken for 17 as Hope and Shepherd turned the tide. While Atkinson took out Shepherd lbw, Curran was powerless to stop Hope repeatedly hammering him over the rope as the Windies claimed victory.
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
Marsh named captain in Australia's T20 World Cup squad as Smith and Fraser-McGurk miss out
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia at next month's T20 World Cup, but Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk have been left out of the 15-man squad.
Marsh, who has shared the duties on an interim basis since Aaron Finch's retirement, was named the Baggy Greens' permanent T20 skipper on Wednesday.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been named in the squad, which features 11 of the players that were part of the team that won this tournament in 2021.
However, there is no place for former skipper Smith following a difficult spell of form, while Fraser-McGurk is also absent despite his impressive form in the Indian Premier League.
"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," selection chief George Bailey said.
"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.
"Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
"Ultimately, the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign."
"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh added.
"We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."
Australia will begin their tournament against Oman on June 5, while they will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B.
Australia's provisional squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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