'It felt like a 330 chase, not 360' – Eoin Morgan delighted with batting display

At 287/4, the visitors were headed towards 400, but England’s bowlers pulled things back nicely, conceding just 73 runs in the last nine overs – 34 of which came in two overs. Jason Roy and Joe Root then launched a savage assault on the visiting team’s bowlers, shaving off 54% of the target inside the first 25 overs. And with nine wickets in hand, England never fell behind the mark in a steep chase of 361.

"The calm nature in which we came back with the ball was great," Morgan said after the game on Wednesday, 20 February. "We did well in the last 10-15 overs – they were headed for 380-400. It felt like a 330 chase, and not 360 – that's how well we started the chase with Roy and Bairstow.”

That headstart meant England wiped out the target with eight balls to spare. Roy ended up with 123 off 85 balls, while Root was more sedate for his 102 that took 97 balls. It was a typically formidable effort from the side ranked No.1 on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, although Morgan rued their missed chances on the field.

“Joe and Roy, when they bat together, complement each other. The way they batted today proves that,” he said. “We just didn't have a great day in the field, and we need to hold our catches on this kind of a ground and wicket. Adil bowled well when he was asked. We are happy with where we are, and that's good with the World Cup in perspective."

For Roy, who pillaged 15 fours and three sixes to notch up his seventh ODI hundred, the innings was all about trying to minimise damage. The England opener had shelled Gayle on 9, and but for the lapse, England could have well been chasing a sub-par total.

"It was a nice surface. A pretty big total, daunting to start with, but Jonny and I started well and continued," he said. "I'm still in a deficit for dropping Chris Gayle, so I need to make up for it throughout the series. We (Joe and I) rotated the strike well, and to see us right through to the end was impressive. We'll keep our feet on the floor and work hard for Friday."

As for Gayle, he took full toll of the lapse to mark his final stretch as an ODI batsman with his 24th hundred. "Credit to our batters, we did a remarkable job," Jason Holder, the Windies captain, said. "Gayle took his time and batted deep. He's always been a star for us, and it's great to see him play the way he's playing.”

Holder, however, was disappointed with the fielding effort. If Roy dropping Gayle had made England’s task harder, Windies returned the favour by dropping both Roy and Root twice each.

"Didn't bowl as well as we'd like, and we simply didn't do well in the field,” Holder said. “Our energy and body language wasn't up to the mark, perhaps due to missed chances. The bowlers did create chances, but we didn't hold them – almost six-seven chances. If we hold onto those, we will definitely be better in the next game.”