Opener Evin Lewis blitzed 96 as the West Indies hammered England by eight wickets in the first one-day international in Antigua.
The Trinidadian led from the front, striking five fours and eight sixes in his 69-ball innings, driving his side to within sight of their target at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, falling shortly before the end as he attempted to bring his century up with a six.
His side were chasing a modest target after an inexperienced visiting line-up posted just 209 and were dismissed within 46 overs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie taking 4-41.
Stand-in captain Liam Livingstone struck 48 from 49 deliveries, putting on 72 for the fifth wicket with Sam Curran (37), but they were the only two batters to pass 30 as the England batters struggled to find their rhythm.
England seamers Jofra Archer and John Turner, one of four debutants in the side, frequently troubled Lewis and his fellow opener Brandon King, bowling at high pace and drawing edges.
However they were unable to make a breakthrough and Lewis began to settle, clearing the leg-side boundary on five occasions as he reached 50 from 46 deliveries.
Rain took the two sides off shortly afterwards, but when played resumed with the home side’s target adjusted to 157, Lewis carried on where he left off, falling with his team 13 short of a win.
Captain Shai Hope came to the crease and he hit the winning runs in the 26th over to complete a comprehensive victory.
The two teams will meet again at the same ground on Saturday from 09:00h, before a final ODI in Barbados on Wednesday.
Lewis shows England how to master conditions
Leading a youthful line-up to the Caribbean was always going to be a tough ask of first-time captain Livingstone, not helped by a lost toss where he admitted that, like opposite number Shai Hope, he would have bowled.
Instead, his charges had to bat on a challenging surface that offered plenty of swing and grip.
Openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks combined for 39, but both struggled to unleash their trademark bombastic pinch-hitting and they fell in quick succession, skying catches off the bowling of Jayden Seales.
Jordan Cox (17), playing in just his fifth one-day match, and Jacob Bethell (27) also failed to pummel their way into the game, sending leading edges off Matthew Forde high into the Antigua sky and into the hands of waiting fielders.
Livingstone briefly looked like he might be able to drag the game back in England’s favour, striking three fours and two sixes from his 49-ball innings, but he fell tamely, chipping Motie’s delivery back to the bowler two short of his half-century.
That was the first of four successive wickets to fall to the spinner, before seamer Alzarri Joseph returned to wrap up the innings.
Lewis and King, who hit a scratchy 30 from 56, may have struggled initially, but Lewis found his groove towards the conclusion of the powerplay and went on to continually lift England’s bowlers over the boundary ropes.
The opening pair put on 118 before King was caught at square by Will Jacks off Livingstone’s bowling.
Lewis would find the hands of Bethell as he tried to clear long-off, but by that point the match was over as a contest. (BBC)
