England 307-7 (50 overs): Sciver 90 (96), Wyatt 68 (60); Henry 3-59 |
West Indies 165 all out (40.3 overs): Knight 39; Dean 4-35 |
England won by 143 runs |
Scorecard. |
The first one-day international between England and the West Indies was dominated by the English.
NatSciver's 90 from 96 balls gave England a 307-7 lead.
The tourists got back in the game after England fell to 127-4.
The West Indies fell to 165 all out with 9.2 overs remaining.
It was an impressive return to the side forSciver, who took a break from the game after the Commonwealth Games in August, and a first win for England under Jon Lewis.
The West Indies' batters struggled to keep up with the run-rate throughout the chase, which was halted by a star player being taken off the pitch with cramp.
The hosts were 84-1 before Dean's spell caused a collapse, with Matthews only scoring 34.
Alice Capsey landed awkwardly on her left shoulder as she tried to save a boundary.
The 18-year-old left the field to be assessed by the medical team and did not come back for the rest of the match.
The second one day international will be held on Tuesday at the same venue.
England have not played since the defeat to India at the end of September.
England struggled without the experience ofSciver, Knight and Brunt and while there were moments of promise for the emerging talent, it showed a need for the side to avoid its dependence on the senior players.
Capsey, who was promoted to open in place of Emma Lamb, played with her aggression, smashing three boundaries before edging a loose drive behind her.
Tammy Beaumont made a start before holing out to mid-off for 33, Heather Knight struggled to get going, and Sophia Dunkley was brilliantly caught at deep cover.
After taking a break from cricket, she came back with a vengeance, scoring all around the ground as she capitalized on some sloppy West Indies fielding.
Even though she was dismissed, she continued to attack, even as a miscued ramp shot over her shoulder ended up in her hands.
The all-rounder was able to put pressure on the West Indies bowlers with her strike-rate of more than 100, and she was supported by her partner, who was the aggressive one.
It is important for England's young batters to step up at some point during the series, particularly ahead of the T20 World Cup.
It wasn't a perfect performance from England, but it was still a very comfortable victory and they didn't make many mistakes.
The West Indies are struggling after the retirement of Deandra Dottin and the injury to Stafanie Taylor. The first outing of the series showed that they rely a lot on Matthews with both bat and ball.
When she was on the floor in pain just four overs into the chase, many would have been worried.
There were signs of promise from others, with Chenelle Henry taking 3-59 and Knight and Williams both making eye-catching 30s, but they will have to improve a lot if they want to challenge England.
For Knight's side, runs fromSciver are expected. The bowling was a fine all-round effort, with Kate Cross continuing to grow into her role as leader of the attack with 2-27 from eight overs, and Dean achieving the rare feat of out-bowling the other team's captain.
England got a response in Antigua after a disappointing end to the summer.