21 February,2019 11:00 AM IST | | mid-day online desk
Chris Gayle
England kicked off the 5-match ODI series in West Indies in grand style as they chased down a mammoth 361 in 48.4 overs in the first ODI match at Barbados. Interestingly, two big records were shattered in the match as West Indies broke the world record for sixes in an innings while England registered their highest successful chase ever in ODIs.
West Indies batted first in the ODI in Bridgetown and Chris Gayle, who has announced retirement from ODIs after the ICC World Cup later this year, played the sheet anchor with a brilliant 129-ball 135. Shai Hope played second fiddle to Chris Gayle with 64 runs off 65 balls.
Darren Bravo scored a quick-fire 40 off 30 balls in the later part innings and Ashley Nurse tonked 25 from 8 balls at the death to take West Indies total to 360 in 50 overs.
However, England chased down the huge total with Jason Roy setting the pace at the start by racing to a hundred off just 65 balls -- the fastest-ever in ODIs in the Caribbean. He put on an opening stand of 91 with Jonny Bairstow.
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Fight night in Bangalore!
Roy maintained the charge through a 114-run second-wicket partnership with Root and by the time he fell in the 27th over to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, England were well on course.
Joe Root, the Test captain who finally came good with a hundred in the last innings of the three-match series in St Lucia just over a week earlier, also got to three figures against the University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor's XI last Sunday and tapped into that rich vein of form once more.
He put on 116 for the third wicket in 16 overs with Eoin Morgan and although the ODI skipper departed to fast bowler Oshane Thomas with victory in sight, there would be no serious alarms for England on the way to victory, although Root fell with the scores level attempting the winning hit off West Indies captain Jason Holder.
England leads the series 1-0. The second ODI is on Friday, which will also be played at Barbados.
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