England dominated from the outset with the ball to bundle out the Caribbean men for a modest total of 122 all out. They then got to the total with no pressure losing only one wicket at get to their target at 125-1.Chris Woakes got his second five (5) wicket haul as he destroyed the West Indies top order.
Chris Gayle was the first victim for Woakes, caught behind by vice-captain and wicketkeeper Jos Butler. Darren Bravo who had not played much cricket at the end of last year and this year either did not last long as it only took Chris Woakes one ball to send him back to the pavilion. Bravo was also caught behind by Jos Butler with just one run on the broad and with two wicket down for just one run, West Indies were in a hole early in the game.
Chris Woakes was denied a hat-trick by Marlon Samuels as he was able to negotiate the right-arm fast bowler.
Opener Dwayne Smith who found the boundary a couple of times seemed to have found a partner in Samuels with both batmen finding the boundary to ease the pressure.
Soon after though, Dwayne Smith became Woakes third victim as he could not handle a full length delivery and played it in the hands of Ian Bell at second slip, to leave the score 3-35. One ball later, in the next over Steven Finn uprooted Samuels’s wicket with a Yorker delivery that Samuels failed to negotiate.
Denish Ramdin and Lendl Simmons were the two new batsmen at the crease. Simmons held his own and looked more comfortable than his fellow teammates that were out already. Ramdin was Chris Jordan’s only victim when he was bowled by a straight delivery to leave the Caribbean men struggling at 5-51.
The inexperienced Jonathan Carter joined Lendl Simmons who looked disciplined and was getting runs to try dig his team out of a deep hole.
James Tredwell was given the ball and with his very first ball he knocked over Carter’s stump to leave the young Barbadian in disbelief, beaten by the bounce and pace of the delivery leaving the score at 6 for 67.
Darren Sammy came to the crease and was playing his natural game and what could have been a blinder, but with Ravi Bopara knowing that Sammy like to hit over long-on he deliberately bowl the bowl outside off stump and Sammy fail to make the right connection and was well caught by James Tredwell at Long-on.
Andre Russell who is a finisher of the game came to the crease when he needed to give his team a good partnership to give himself and other bowlers a reasonable total to inspire them.
Lendl Simmons who made a well-played 45 was brilliantly caught by James Tredwell at short cover off the bowling of Chris Woakes in the 28th over with the score at 119 for 8 wickets.Captain Jason Holder came to partner Russell at the crease but did not last long as he was Steven Finn’s second victim when he fell to Ian Bell who take his second catch at second slip.
Substitute for Sunil Narine was next to comes to the crease to join his fellow Jamaican teammate Nikita Miller. But he did not spend any time out on the pitch has Chris Woakes fifth wicket was Andre Russell who was easily caught by Chris Jordan at deep extra cover to end the innings.+
With just 122 runs made by the West Indies it was not expected to cause the English team any trouble and it did not. Both England openers found life easy against the West Indies bowling attack. Moeen Ali was the more attacking batsman and found boundaries easy to come by off both Kemar Roach and Captain Jason Holder.
Jerome Taylor came and could not stop the dangerous looking Ali as Bell was there steading the partnership. Kemar Roach got the only wicket to fall when he had Moeen Ali caught by a full stretch Darren Bravo at short extra cover with England well in control of the game at this stage with the score at 70 for 1 wicket.
Needing another fifty three runs England could and would not think of losing it from there. James Taylor came and finished it off with Ian Bell to win easily and build their confidence going in to the World Cup.
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