In the first ODI at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Thursday, England crushed the West Indies by 238 runs thanks to a dominant all-around performance. Before West Indies were bowled out for 162, thanks to triple goals from Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton, the hosts reached 400 for 8 thanks to blustery half-centuries from Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell.
When given the opportunity to bat, England got off to a fast start, with Duckett hitting Matthew Forde for a boundary in the first over. The openers put on a 64-run stand in seven overs before Jamie Smith, who was dropped in the next over, took three runs off Jayden Seales.
That was not to stop England’s charge, however.
Before Duckett left at 60, Root and Duckett added 73 more runs for the second wicket. It didn’t take Harry Brook long to get going, smashing Greaves for a couple of sixes in the 26th over.
The scorecard continued to move quickly even as West Indies attempted to regulate the boundary flow. As England laid the groundwork for their enormous total, Jacks sent Seales on a leather hunt in a 24-run over, while Jacob Bethell hammered him for a couple of boundaries and six in the 46th over.
West Indies never looked the part in reaction. By the fourth over of the chase, both openers were back in the pavilion after Saqib scored in the third over. Shai Hope and Keacy Carty made a brief effort to settle the innings, but their 36-run partnership did nothing to boost the visitors’ spirits. After quickly dismissing the pair, Saqib left the West Indies reeling at 66 for 4 in the 12th over.
As the West Indies fell to 124 for 9 by the 22nd over, Jamie Overton’s three strikes ripped through the middle order, guaranteeing they never looked like a contender. They lost wickets as they continued to swing hard. Seales, the number eleven batsman, had some success, particularly against Adil Rashid, who was also thrashed by Gudakesh Moite. Even with the quickfire 38 from the final wicket partnership, West Indies’ comeback was not respectable.
Brief Scores: England defeated West Indies 162 in 26.2 overs (Jayden Seales 29*, Shai Hope 25; Jamie Overton 3-22, Saqib Mahmood 3-32) by 238 runs with 400/8 in 50 overs (Jacob Bethell 82, Ben Duckett 60; Jayden Seales 4-84, Justin Greaves 2-68).
India
