Coming in to bat at 121/3 in Barbados, Hetmyer guided the hosts to a decent total of 289 with his 83-ball 104*. Sheldon Cottrell then sliced through the England batting lineup in the chase, returning 5/46 to bundle out the visitors for 263.

Hetymer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fourth ODI hundred. "Just trying to open up more sides – still a work in progress," he said off his batting after the game on Friday, 22 February. "I'm trying to change my approach, trying to bring different dimensions to the game.

"Our mood was good as usual, the guys believed in themselves. It was a wonderful day for me and the team and I feel really pleased with my performance, which helped the team to win and level the series. We are on a rise as a team and we are trying to take it a game at a time, and one step at a time."

Hetmyer and Darren Bravo notched a 76-run partnership for the fourth wicket, taking the Windies total close to 200 before the latter fell to an unfortunate run-out – Adil Rashid hit the stumps from short third man. "I started slowly and Bravo was quite helpful to me in guiding me," Hetmyer said.

"We played well as a team today, we batted well and batted deep. Then the bowlers did a fantastic job with the ball: special congrats to Cottrell for the way he bowled. It was great to see him do such a great job with the new ball and then come back and finish off the innings."

With the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 set to begin on 30 May, both teams have come into the five-match series with added intent. While England won the first game, chasing a 360-run total with six wickets in hand, the Windies have hit back with a 26-run victory on a tricky surface.

"Really pleased. We played a really good game," said Jason Holder, the Windies skipper. "Credit to Hetty, he set it up nicely for us with the bat. On a sticky wicket, we got a good total and credit to our bowlers [for] the way we defended it.

"We had the belief. We pushed from there. It gave us the momentum, put England under pressure. Credit to the boys. We need options in this day and age, with the big scores that batting teams score in modern ODI cricket. Cottrell has added variation – he is a wicket-taker and very enthusiastic, love his energy. It's good to see the youngsters stepping up."

Eoin Morgan, the England skipper, was disappointed with the lack of substantial partnerships in their batting innings, but credited Cottrell for his inspired bowling display. "My first time facing him," Morgan admitted. "[He poses] a different challenge – swinging the ball both ways, and he comes back with variations with the older ball.

"Collectively, we have to chase down, in partnerships. In international cricket, you really need to nail it when you are on top and we failed to do that. We did a lot of good things today. Two games into the pitch, we made a lot of improvements. I thought 290 was well within our capabilities. The run-rate was never an issue. Windies deserved to win."

The two teams will lock horns in the third ODI in Grenada on 25 February.