West Indies laid down a significant marker ahead of the ODI series as it beat England by 21 runs in the sole T20 match on Saturday.
West Indies got off to a quickfire start and was 106 for one midway through its innings before Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid took three wickets apiece to restrict the tourists to 176 for nine. In response Alex Hales struck 43 as England started strongly but it fell to 68 for four and was all out for 155.
Led by openers Chris Gayle (40) and Evin Lewis (51), West Indies got off to a ferocious start with Gayle bludgeoning four sixes before he was run out.
Lewis made an impressive 28-ball fifty but his dismissal signalled the start of a collapse with Plunkett also accounting for Marlon Samuels (10), and Kieron Pollard (six) in a three-wicket burst. Rashid dismissed Chadwick Walton (13), Carlos Brathwaite and Sunil Narine.
Rovman Powell scored 28 before he was caught off the bowling of Tom Curran, Jerome Taylor (1) fell to Chris Jordan and Ashley Nurse was unbeaten 13 on as Windies set England 177 to win.
England’s response got off to a bad start with Jason Roy caught for a first-ball duck, and Hales was dropped on zero before he was bowled by Brathwaite having smashed eight fours and one six. Joe Root (17) and captain Eoin Morgan (two) went in quick succession as England faltered.
Jos Buttler (30) looked to get England back on track but fell to Kesrick Williams.