West Indies vs England: Hosts race to victory in first ODI

Leading a youthful line-up to the Caribbean was always going to be a tough ask of first-time captain Livingstone, not helped by a lost toss where he admitted that, like opposite number Shai Hope, he would have bowled.

Instead, his charges had to bat on a challenging surface that offered plenty of swing and grip.

Openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks combined for 39, but both struggled to unleash their trademark bombastic pinch-hitting and they fell in quick succession, skying catches off the bowling of Jayden Seales.

Jordan Cox (17), playing in just his fifth one-day match, and Jacob Bethell (27) also failed to pummel their way into the game, sending leading edges off Matthew Forde high into the Antigua sky and into the hands of waiting fielders.

Livingstone briefly looked like he might be able to drag the game back in England’s favour, striking three fours and two sixes from his 49-ball innings, but he fell tamely, chipping Motie’s delivery back to the bowler two short of his half-century.

That was the first of four successive wickets to fall to the spinner, before seamer Alzarri Joseph returned to wrap up the innings.

Lewis and King, who hit a scratchy 30 from 56, may have struggled initially, but Lewis found his groove towards the conclusion of the powerplay and went on to continually lift England’s bowlers over the boundary ropes.

The opening pair put on 118 before King was caught at square by Will Jacks off Livingstone’s bowling.

Lewis would find the hands of Bethell as he tried to clear long-off, but by that point the match was over as a contest.