West Indies chased down a mammoth 326-run target to beat England by four wickets in the first One-Day International against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Sunday.
Skipper Shai Hope led from the front with an unbeaten century and fittingly finished the match with back-to-back sixes off Sam Curran in the 49th over as the host sailed home with seven balls to spare.
The highest successful run-chase recorded by West Indies came in 2019 when it chased a 328-run target against Ireland with five wickets in hand and 13 balls remaining.
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This was only the third successful chase in excess of 300 for West Indies in ODIs. It had overhauled Pakistan’s 309-run target in 2017 at Providence to achieve the feat for the first time. The host went past that achivement on Monday to also register its highest run-chase in West Indies.
Earlier, England posted 325 in 50 overs after electing to bat. Middle-order batter Harry Brook top-scored for the visitor with a 72-ball 71 after openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks provided a brisk start.
West Indies started its chase on a high too, with Alick Athanaze and Brandon King combining for a 104-run partnership in 17.3 overs. Hope found support from Shimron Hetmyer (32 off 30 balls) and Romario Shepherd’s 28-ball 48 gave West Indies much-needed impetus towards the end.
The next ODI of the three-match series will be played at the same venue on Wednesday.
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