Jones, Knight near-misses set up England’s thrashing of West Indies

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Knight, England’s captain, won the toss and elected to bat first, and her team were given a rollicking start by Jones and Tammy Beaumont, surging past 50 inside eight overs. Beaumont fell for a boundary-laden 28-ball 32 and recalled wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor followed in the next over for four, but any sense of opportunity was quickly slammed shut by Taylor’s deputy Jones and Knight, who put on a 156-run stand.

There was individual disappointment for each as both fell in sight of a hundred. Jones has been in excellent form domestically and internationally but has yet to notch a maiden ton in an England shirt, while for Knight it would have been a second ODI century.

With England 258/3 in the 41st over, the hosts might have hoped to near 350, but a fightback from the West Indies restricted them to 318/9. Leg-spinner Afy Fletcher claimed the key wickets of Knight and Nat Sciver, while precocious off-spinning all-rounder Hayley Matthews finished with a career-best 4/57.

If West Indies had done well to limit England late on, the sense remained that England had a few too many, and it eventuated that England’s victory was their biggest ever against the Caribbean side in terms of runs.

The experienced seamer Katherine Brunt set up England’s defence, bowling a metronomic and incisive opening spell of 5-2-6-2, Kate Cross too bowled with pace and accuracy, and finger-spinners Ecclestone and Marsh hastened an early finish.

Chedean Nation’s unbeaten 42 was the lone act of resistance as West Indies were bowled out for 110, giving England a 208-run win. The two teams will meet again at Worcester on 9 June.