Key events
Match report
And here’s Ali Martin’s report.
A thumping win for England to get Harry Brook’s reign off to a perfect start.
More triumphs like this and the comparisons with Eoin Morgan’s team will really gather pace.
Long way to go til then.
Ciao all. Have a lovely evening (at the Cabaret, no doubt)
While we wait for the report to land from Birmingham, let’s have a word from Stuart Broad on Sky Sports:
It was a good bowling performance, I do not think it was anything magical or special.
The batsmen won this game with 400 runs on the board, then the plans became quite simple.
From a West Indies point of view, anytime your number 11 is top scorer, you know you have had a bad day.
“Evening Dan. Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome to Harry Brook’s England. Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay! May as well end with a Cabaret reference, eh?”
That’s from Simon McMahon.
I’m still at a loss.
Fitting to hear from Eoin Morgan. A few have pointed out that Brook’s first game in charge has similarities with Morgan’s 10 years ago. That story ended with a World Cup win. Just saying.
A pretty seamless day and a dominant performance. [Harry] Brook will have way tougher days than today, but to build a template moving forward, this is as good as you get.
Before a ball was bowled today, Brook wanted more runs, more dominance from his batters, he got 400 runs, and then each and every bowler looked to take wickets.
That allowed him to impart some of the expressive side of his captaincy with aggressive fields. He will sit back, for a short period of time, very content.
Final word goes to the winning captain, Harry Brook:
That was a pretty phenomenal performance from the boys. I just said the same thing I’ve been saying to the press.
As a batting unit I want us to put their best balls under pressure and score big runs. As a bowling unit I want us to work towards modes of dismissals with partners. As a fielding unit I want us to be 100% committed and chase the ball hard.
[Makes cricket really is that simple]
I’m not concerned that no one went big because we got 400 runs. Four of us got 50 plus scores so it was a pretty complete performance.
The tempo of our innings was pretty spot on.
There was a lot of energy on the ball. [Mahmood] got the rewards he deserved.
It’s nice to get the series underway in good fashion.
Next up, Shai Hope, who still has a smile on his face:
This was an experience for me. We didn’t get off to a good start with the new ball. Then we were playing catch up.
Sometimes you have to back your skills. They were striking at eight at one point and let it slip towards the back end trying to keep them under 350. We have some assessing to do before the next game.
It’s about executing when it matters but it’ll take time. We have some inexperienced bowlers but this is international cricket.
We have the quality. We’ve shown in the last couple of months that we have the batting. We didn’t start well either with the bat. Playing catch up was difficult.
Now for the post match presentation, kicking off with the player of the match.
Who else but Jacob Bethell who hammered 82 off 53 balls:
It’s pretty special to play here [his home ground] for the first time with England. To cap it off with a win is special.
I enjoy batting in the middle order. Today was a pretty easy situation to come in. We were pretty on top so just had to not give my wicket away and build with Jos.
I back myself once I’m in to hit a lot of balls to the boundary, so I don’t mind [absorbing some dots early on].
[On playing in the IPL] I found it really beneficial. I feel I’m a better play having played in India.
England win by 238 runs
Harry Brook’s reign gets off the a perfect start. Runs galore, wickets spread about, fantastic fielding including five catches from the man himself; maybe this skippering business isn’t so hard after all.
West Indies were poor, it has to be said. But England were ruthless in a game that’ll have echoes of Eoin Morgan’s start 10 years ago.
WICKET! Jospeh b Rashid 12 (West Indies bowled out for 162)
England win by 238 runs! At last Rashid lands a googly in the right spot and beats the forward press of Joseph. He knocks back his off stump and secures England’s second largest win in ODI cricket.
26th over: West Indies 162-9 (Joseph 12, Seales 29) This partnership of 38 for the 10th wicket is the highest of the innings. Cricket can be a strange sport sometimes. Carse is into the attack once more but he’s getting the same tap as the rest. A short ball is mowed down to a vavant mid-on for four by Seales.
One for the stattos among us, delivered by TerryM in Tucson:
“Nine down and all out caught. How frequent are all batsmen in a 50-over match all out caught?”
My guess is that it’s happened loads of times. But you never know. Maybe this is rare?
25th over: West Indies 156-9 (Joseph 11, Seales 24) Rashid is now going at 10 an over! Bizarre final partnership of this match. Seales goes 6, 6, 4 against with slog sweeps from three consecutive balls.
24th over: West Indies 139-9 (Joseph 11, Seales 7) The tailenders won’t go down without a fight. Joseph whips a couple off Overton and then pulls hard behind square for four. Handy stuff.
23rd over: West Indies 133-9 (Joseph 5, Seales 7) After I called him England’s best white ball bowler, and one reader went one better and called him England’s best white ball player, Rashid hasn’t quite delivered. A looper floater is clobbered over cow corner for six by Seales. The rest of the over is all over the place. I suppose even GOATs have off days.
22nd over: West Indies 124-9 (Joseph 3, Seales 0) Clever bowling from Overton. Short, short, short, short and then a fuller slower one to bag the wicket. He’ll be pleased with that, showing some nous to go with his grunt.
WICKET! Motie c Brook b Overton 18 (West Indies 124-9)
History for Harry Brook! It’s the first time a captain has taken five catches in ODI cricket, and he’s done in his first game at the wheel! Top bowling from Overton who landed four short balls before getting delivering a fuller one with all the pace off. Motie couldn’t help himself but was through the shot before the ball reached him. The skier into the off-side was safely pouched and England are one away from a thumping win.
21st over: West Indies 123-8 (Motie 18, Joseph 2) Motie can play! And against Rashid no less. First he belts a drive for four through the covers. Then he slaps a cross-bat six down the ground. And just to show his range, he sweeps fine for another four. Get him up the order!
20th over: West Indies 107-8 (Motie 4, Joseph 1) Motie leans into a cover drive that could well be the shot of the innings. Overton will be annoyed at that. He’s found success banging it in short, as he did in this over to bag his second of the evening.
The West Indies’ lowest ever score against England in ODIs is 127.
Not that it mattered. They still won the game by two wickets back in 1981.
WICKET! Forde c Mahmood b Overton 1 (West Indies 102-8)
Overton gets another with a short ball! They’re falling fast now. Overton bangs it in, Forde goes after it but can only splice it down to deep third where Mahmood takes it clean. Will they even reach 25 overs?
19th over: West Indies 102-7 (Forde 1, Motie 0) Rashid is on the board. Earlier I called him England’s greatest ever white ball bowler.
Tom Hopkins thinks I’m not heaping enough praise on the man:
“Hi Daniel. I might go you one better and posit Rashid as England’s greatest ever white ball player? Thinking of our most successful side, I think only Morgan (in a different way) comes close in terms of irreplaceability.”
WICKET! Jangoo c Brook b Rashid 14 (West Indies 102-7)
That’s a fourth for Brook! Not Rashid’s best ball, but this short one kept a smidge low which meant Jangoo couldn’t generate enough lift with his pull shot. It was hit relatively hard but not hard enough to beat the diving Brook who is now one away from a fielding five-for. England’s fielding has been perfect.
18th over: West Indies 100-6 (Jangoo 12, Forde 1) Overton has another as the West Indies continue their disappointing slump. New batter Ford isn’t going to hang about. He’s charging his second ball and slogging at everything sent down his way. What do you reckon? All out by the 25th over?
WICKET! Chase c Jacks b Overton 9 (West Indies 97-6)
The trap works! That’s pretty poor it has to be said from Chase. This whole innings has been poor from the tourists but England have been ruthless. After taking Chase surprise with a short ball that lifted, Overton dug it in again. Chase goes after it but hoiks it straight to Jacks in the deep on the leg side. The ball dipped on the fielder just as it got to him, but they don’t drop those at this level.
17th over: West Indies 97-5 (Jangoo 11, Chase 9) Adil Rashid enters the scene. Out of the frying pan and into the fryer as far as the Windies are concerned. Though it’s not the tidiest over from England’s greatest ever white ball bowler (no, who else then?). Six runs – all in singles – from that one as he struggled on a consistent line with a couple of half-trackers chucked down as well.
16th over: West Indies 90-5 (Jangoo 8, Chase 6) Overton is back. His finger is clearly bothering him as he’s grimacing after every ball, but he’s managed to send down six balls. Well, seven with the wide. There’s a half appeal for a strangle down the leg side but it clipped Chase’s thigh pad.
15th over: West Indies 85-5 (Jangoo 4, Chase 5) West Indies’ Test skipper, Roston Chase, clobbers Bethell’s final ball for four. It deserved it, that rank half-tracker. But it’s a successful set from England’s new boy wonder, removing Andrew thanks to a diving catch by Brook in the covers.
Do we know if Andy Flintoff (not that one) and Tim Smith are in fact the same person?
Who are they? Apparently two different readers who are on the same page.
Here’s Andy:
“Hi Daniel, To borrow an old (and possibly hackneyed) phrase, the West Indies had two hopes: Shai Hope and no hope, and now Shai Hope has gone, the end looks inevitable.”
Here’s Tim:
“Daniel, We are running out of options in the nominative determinism stakes for the W.Indies. Carty did not cart (enough); Hope is out, and so it is up to Chase to lead them home, I guess.”
I don’t want to come across as if I’m discouraging this sort of behaviour. Please, keep it coming.
WICKET! Andrew c Brook b Bethell 8 (West Indies 79-5)
Oooooh, they’re halfway thee-eere! It looked soft, and perhaps it was, but that’s a sharp catch from the skipper at extra cover. Bethell gave it some air and some width and Andrew took the bait. His drive was fluffed to Brook’s left where he took a clean grab on the dive.
14th over: West Indies 78-4 (Andrew 8, Jangoo 3) Mahmood continues, and why not? I’d be tempted to just bowl him through. He’s on the money, challenging the stumps of Jangoo from both sides of the wicket. One wide in that otherwise perfect over. Duckett at leg gully was briefly in the game, but Jangoo’s flick came off the glove so didn’t have the legs to reach him.
West Indies are in a deep, deep hole.
13th over: West Indies 77-4 (Andrew 8, Jangoo 3) Bethell’s back and young Jengoo hoists him high and long for six over wide long-on. That’s some shot. It won’t matter much in the end I wouldn’t think, but that’s a pretty handy opening boundary. I wonder how many other teenagers notched their first ODI boundary with a six.
While you ponder that and the players have a drink, why not have a think about this mail from Seth Levine:
Am I alone in thinking Saqib Mahmood has been under-selected for England? His first class figures (87 wickets at near enough 32) aren’t bad and against Stokes’ and McCullen’s main metric (he looks like a wicket-taker against good batsmen), he must be worth more than the 2 tests he’s so far been given (over 3 years ago). Weird he isn’t more in the conversation.
He’s been brilliant today, no doubt. But he does average 31.97 from 34 first-class matches. And though he’s quick-ish, he’s not rapid. I’d be surprised if he adds to his Test tally. What say the rest of you?
12th over: West Indies 70-4 (Andrew 2, Jangoo 2) Mahmood keeps picking up wickets from bad shots or great fielding, but he absolutely deserves every one. He’s been magnificent, thwacking a hard length and real pace with a bit of zip. The new man is the left-handed Amir Jangoo who is welcomed to the crease with a leg gully and two filders catching in front of square on the leg side. It’s funky but he’s not bothered and he spoons a pull for two to get off the mark. There’s an lbw appeal that was pretty close on ball tracker, but it was scooting past the off stump. An eventful over brings England closer to what now looks like an inevitable victory.
WICKET! Hope c Carse b Mahmood 25 (West Indies 66-4)
STUNNER IN THE DEEP! Think Ben ‘You-Cannot-Do-That’ Stokes in the opening game of the 2019 World Cup and you’ll have some idea of what Carse has just pulled off. Mahmood banged it in short and Hope got on the hook. Carse, down at deep backward square leg, got caught under the ball and had to back peddle. He still wasn’t there and had to leap while sticking a hand out. He clung on with the ball a little behind him. A proper screamer.
11th over: West Indies 66-3 (Hope 25, Andrew 2) All, ahem, Hope, lies with the Windie’s skipper. He pounces on some rare dross from Carse and lashes a cut shot over cover-point for four. Carse finds that hard length but Hope gets two and then a single to keep the strike. Good wheels from Carse, nudging it around 86 mph.
Readers, take note. This is how you start an email:
Hello Daniel, and congratulations on topping the OBO bill with Rob Smyth as your support act.
Rob as my ‘support act’. Not a chance. But I’m very open to flattery, even if it’s wildly untrue.
There’s more, though, to Tim Sanders’ message:
Rob mentioned the ‘irresistible parallels with the last time England had a white-ball reset a decade ago’. It’s notable that the three top-scorers in that 408 for 9 against New Zealand, are also the survivors from that XI still in the team today. Buttler (129), Root (104) made centuries. The third is the all-round magnificent Adil Rashid, who made 69, and at one point was matching Buttler stroke for stroke.
Sometimes the narrative arcs beautifully.
10th over: West Indies 58-3 (Hope 18, Andrew 1) Brilliant from Mahmood. For the fourth and fifth time in five overs he finds the inside edge of a wafting bat. The first time gave Hope a single and the second gave Hope four down to fine leg. Between that Carty plopped a catch to Brook at mid-off and 18-year-old Jewel Andrew collected a single from his first ball in ODI cricket.
After the first powerplay of this second innings, England are absolutely cruising.
WICKET! Carty c Brook b Mahmood 22 (West Indies 53-3)
Another soft one but it’s no less than Mahmood deserves! He’s been brilliant. Back into the attack and changing ends after Overton’s broken digit, he’s hammering a tough length on a tight line. Carty tries to force the issue off the back foot but that’s not the ball to be pulling. Rather than pivot and work it to the leg side, he scoops it to Brook at mid-off who snaffles the sitter.