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NORTH SOUND, Antigua – In the inaugural one-day international match against the West Indies, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran contributed significantly with a valuable 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket, leading England to a total of 209 after choosing to bat first on a challenging pitch. Livingstone topped the scoring with 48 runs in his first ODI as captain, while Curran fought hard to make 37. However, just as he appeared poised to accelerate the scoring with seven wickets down during the final 10 overs, he was dismissed. Following his departure, England experienced a dry spell, going 45 balls without hitting a boundary.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was instrumental for the West Indies, capturing 4 wickets for 41 runs as England was bowled out on the very first ball of the 46th over. This match marks a transition for England, who recently wrapped up a test series against Pakistan, whereas the West Indies concluded a white-ball series in Sri Lanka.

Livingstone was unable to win the toss, and the West Indies chose to bowl, a decision that proved advantageous given the pitch conditions, which often posed challenges for the batters. Both seam and spin bowlers utilized short deliveries that gripped and slowed, making aggressive shot-making a risky endeavor.

The match also saw four players making their debuts for England: Jamie Overton, Jordan Cox, John Turner, and Dan Mousley, although Overton and Cox had prior experience in Twenty20 internationals, with Overton also having played in one test match. Livingstone signaled his intent by hitting the first six of England’s innings in the 32nd over against off-spinner Roston Chase, highlighting the difficulties many of his teammates faced in building upon decent starts.

Phil Salt scored 18 runs, but his innings ended when he mis-timed a shot off Jayden Seales, leading to a spectacular catch by Alzarri Joseph. Will Jacks made 19 before attempting to send a full delivery from Seales into the leg side, only to pop it up to Motie, who cleverly caught the ball. Cox, looking settled with 17 runs, fell victim to a ball that exaggeratedly stood up, resulting in him top-edging to third man. Jacob Bethell, poised at 27 from 33 balls, also made an early exit while attempting to pull a slowing delivery from Matthew Forde.

Livingstone’s innings concluded at 48 off 49 balls when he misjudged a delivery from Motie that slightly straightened and returned the ball back to the bowler. Mousley contributed 8 runs before trying an ambitious slog sweep against Motie, which fell into the hands of a fielder. Curran emerged as England’s last significant hope, establishing himself with 37 runs off 56 balls. Unfortunately, he too succumbed to Motie and hit a catch directly to Shimron Hetmyer at long-on.

The lower order attempted to fight back, as Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer formed a partnership that yielded 17 runs for the ninth wicket. Archer was dismissed for 7 by a well-placed short delivery from Joseph, and Rashid became the final wicket to fall, scoring 15 runs.

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