England v West Indies
Wisden's review of the first ODI, England v West Indies
11-Apr-2018
At Manchester, September 19 (day/night). England won by seven wickets. Toss: West Indies.
West Indies needed to win the five-match series 4-0 or better to guarantee automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup, but fell at the first hurdle. Despite the recall of Gayle for his first one-day international since the 2015 edition, they batted for the most part as if from another era. The sight of Samuels failing to find the boundary throughout a 46-ball 17 summed up a listless performance; the fact that he fell to a leg-side delivery from Stokes, his old sparring partner, was the icing on England's cake. Amid consternation from spectators, the game had been reduced to 42 overs because of a wet Old Trafford outfield struggling to cope with the demands of cricket and concerts, but that didn't affect Gayle's approach. He should have gone third ball, only for Root to drop the chance at slip off Woakes, and a trio of sixes followed, including two in an over off Willey. But Root had his redemption when he held a good running catch at cover to end the fun, and change the tempo, as West Indies' middle order took turns to get bogged down, then get out. Only Holder injected any impetus into an innings that ended on 204 for nine. England employed the opening partnership that had ended the Champions Trophy in June, a declaration that this was Bairstow's time for a run in the side. At the ground where he had fallen for 99 in the previous month's Test against South Africa, he responded with a maiden one-day century full of craft and thunder, bringing the contest to a swift conclusion. Root kept him company during a second-wicket stand of 125, and Stokes sealed victory with six over long-on off Nurse.
Man of the Match: J. M. Bairstow.
West Indies needed to win the five-match series 4-0 or better to guarantee automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup, but fell at the first hurdle. Despite the recall of Gayle for his first one-day international since the 2015 edition, they batted for the most part as if from another era. The sight of Samuels failing to find the boundary throughout a 46-ball 17 summed up a listless performance; the fact that he fell to a leg-side delivery from Stokes, his old sparring partner, was the icing on England's cake. Amid consternation from spectators, the game had been reduced to 42 overs because of a wet Old Trafford outfield struggling to cope with the demands of cricket and concerts, but that didn't affect Gayle's approach. He should have gone third ball, only for Root to drop the chance at slip off Woakes, and a trio of sixes followed, including two in an over off Willey. But Root had his redemption when he held a good running catch at cover to end the fun, and change the tempo, as West Indies' middle order took turns to get bogged down, then get out. Only Holder injected any impetus into an innings that ended on 204 for nine. England employed the opening partnership that had ended the Champions Trophy in June, a declaration that this was Bairstow's time for a run in the side. At the ground where he had fallen for 99 in the previous month's Test against South Africa, he responded with a maiden one-day century full of craft and thunder, bringing the contest to a swift conclusion. Root kept him company during a second-wicket stand of 125, and Stokes sealed victory with six over long-on off Nurse.
Man of the Match: J. M. Bairstow.