ENG vs WI: England Register Their Second-Biggest Win In ODI Cricket

Birmingham: England inked a dominating win over West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series. The team piled up their sixth 400 or 400-plus total in the history of the format. Jacob Bethell was the star of the show with the bat while Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton shone with the ball.

West Indies were under pressure from the start while chasing a huge target of 401. Wickets kept tumbling for them from the start. The struggle of the batters in the middle can be highlighted from the fact that West Indies’ No.11 Jayden Seales was their highest run-scorer with a knock of unbeaten 29 runs. The Caribbean side were bundled out on a paltry total of 162 as the England bowlers dished out a collective effort. Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton picked three wickets each.

Earlier in the match, West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl. However, the England batters proved their decision wrong as they thrashed the West Indies bowlers to all parts of the ground. In fact, they became the first team in ODIs to score 400 without a single player scoring a century. Four of the batters piled up fifties to help the team post a massive total and Jacob Bethell was the star of the show with his explosive knock.

Bethell played an explosive knock of 82 runs from 53 deliveries while Ben Duckett (60), Joe Root (57) and Harry Brook (58) also contributed by scoring fifties. Jayden Seales picked four wickets.

England are now leading the ODI series between the two by 1-0 with a solid performance in the opening fixture. The second match of the series will be played at the Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on June 1.