England seek the same again as West Indies go west in search of answers

Edgbaston 2015 was the scene of England's original white-ball reboot, when Eoin Morgan's unfettered underachievers shed the reticence and blazed their way to a then-record total of 408 for 6 against New Zealand. Ten years later, the same venue produced a similar onslaught, an even 400 against West Indies, after a remarkable run of 30-plus scores from each of the top seven, with Jacob Bethell's 82 from 53 balls the stand-out.

There, for the time being, however, the parallels end. Because, while there was plenty in this latest performance for England to take pleasure in, the standard of the challenge wasn't quite on a par with the Brendon McCullum-inspired Kiwis who had reached their first World Cup final only months earlier.

West Indies have missed each of their last two ICC 50-over tournaments - the 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy - and on Thursday's evidence, it's not hard to see why. A guileless bowling display bled into a batting performance that lacked body or substance, and had it not been for an unlikely top-score of 29 not out from Jayden Seales at No.11, this would have been the heaviest defeat in their once-proud ODI history.

It doesn't augur well for the remainder of the series, though England - it should be stressed - will not mind a jot if the one-way traffic continues. A win is a win is a win, especially when you have come into the contest off the back of seven consecutive defeats, their worst run since the dog days of 2001. That includes a Champions Trophy display so bad that they might have preferred the West Indies option of watching on helplessly from the sidelines, rather than the middle.

Jamie Overton's finger injury is the only lasting cloud from that contest - he has now been ruled out of the rest of the white-ball series after being diagnosed with a fracture. Saqib Mahmood's impeccable command of line and length once again marked him out as a real asset in the powerplay, while Brydon Carse's successful return from a gruesome toe injury was no less significant given his likely workload across formats this summer.

In the batting stakes, Jamie Smith's promotion to open proved an immediate success. He'll face more challenging new-ball spells, no doubt, but the power and placement of his strokeplay brooked no argument. And talking of which, Harry Brook's happy knack of rising to the responsibility of leadership shows no sign of abating. His sixth match in charge, and first in an official capacity, produced a fourth consecutive half-century, and it took a fine catch to dislodge him when well set.

West Indies haven't got a lot to write home about just yet. Gudakesh Motie was the pick of their bowlers at Edgbaston, though 7-0-39-0 is not exactly tearing up trees, while Seales' 4 for 84 from nine overs at least provided some reward for his willingness to go to the well. Their batting, however, never got started. Maybe Evin Lewis' recovery from a groin injury could offer some more impetus at the top. But, with the IPL's latter stages having taken Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd out of contention for this campaign, it's clear the issues that beset West Indies cricket aren't simply related to individuals.

England WLLLL (last five ODIs, most recent first)
West Indies LWLWW

The golden child was at it again on Thursday. Bethell has still not made a century in his brief professional career, but already he's one of the most sought-after all-format players in England's ranks. His Test-best 96 in New Zealand came amid a run of three half-centuries at No.3 that have stirred the pot ahead of India's visit next month, while his cameo for IPL finalists RCB impressed no less a figure than Mr Aura himself, Virat Kohli. And now, an effortlessly competent 82 from 53 balls in only his tenth ODI. All of England's new-look team are learning the format on the hoof. He's got to grips with it as quickly as anyone.

A lot has happened since that famous Headingley Test in 2017, when Shai Hope's twin hundreds secured an extraordinary win against the head (straight after a shellacking at Edgbaston, no less). And if his role in Test cricket has fallen away in recent times, then it's worth remembering it wasn't so long ago that he was teaching England a few lessons in how to pace an ODI innings. In consecutive winters in 2023 and 2024, he produced superb centuries in Antigua. The former secured a memorable 326-run chase, the latter required the rarely-seen best of Liam Livingstone to outgun it. If anyone is to provide some traction to their batting, Hope must spring eternal.

There was never any danger of wholesale changes from England just yet - their batting is in fine order, and Gujarat Titans' IPL elimination removes any threat of Jos Buttler negotiating an early release to take on RCB in the final. Overton's finger injury gives Matthew Potts a chance to feature after being named in every squad so far this summer, even though they may have been tempted by the point of difference offered by Luke Wood's left-armers.

England: 1 Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Matthew Potts, 11 Saqib Mahmood

Evin Lewis was struck in the groin while batting on the eve of the first ODI, so assuming he's recovered, he's likely to slot back in at the top, potentially at the expense of Jewel Andrew, who nevertheless looked as competent as anyone in his brief stay at Edgbaston. Justin Greaves opened in Lewis's absence, and may slip back down the order. Seales' four expensive wickets may keep him ahead of Shamar Joseph.

West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Amir Jangoo, 6 Justin Greaves, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Matthew Forde, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Jayden Seales

The sun has returned in time for the weekend in Wales, so hot weather (by British standards) is in prospect. Cardiff is notorious for its short straight boundaries and deep pockets square of the wicket, so hit-the-deck, cross-seam bowling might prove fruitful through the middle overs.

"We know we've got to match that intensity and the performance from the other day, because it's going to be a tough challenge. They've got a lot of match winners... Even though we played well, we still left a lot of things out there and we had good chats about that.
Will Jacks is not resting on his laurels after the opening ODI

"It's good when batsmen play out of their skin, but when you know you have a plan and you've not really given it a chance to work, that's the most annoying thing."
West Indies' coach, Daren Sammy, was less impressed with his team's performance.