Phil Salt smashed a brilliant century to lead England to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first T20 at Barbados.
After a disappointing loss in the ODI series, Salt produced an unbeaten 103 off 54 balls on the island he once called home, guiding England to a comfortable chase of 183.
This was Salt’s third T20 century for England, and all three have come against the West Indies in the past year.
His blistering knock included a rapid 50 off just 25 balls, helping England score 73 from the first six overs, with only Will Jacks (17) falling early.
Captain Jos Buttler, making his return after a four-month injury layoff, was dismissed for a golden duck, but Salt remained unfazed, slowing down his pace while keeping the required run rate under control.
England completed their chase with 19 balls to spare, achieving the highest T20 chase at Kensington Oval.
Alongside Salt, Jacob Bethell, another player with Bajan roots, finished on 58* off 36 balls, becoming the youngest player to score a T20 fifty for England at just 21 years old.
Earlier, the West Indies had posted a challenging total of 183-9, recovering from a perilous 18-3 and 117-8.
They added 65 runs in the final 5.2 overs, thanks to a fiery 33 off 14 balls from number 10 Gukadesh Motie, who also took a stunning catch to dismiss Buttler.
Despite England’s strong start with Saqib Mahmood taking 4-34 and Adil Rashid 3-32, the West Indies managed to recover and set a competitive target.
The second T20 of the five-match series will be played on Sunday at the same venue, with England awaiting updates on Reece Topley’s fitness.
Topley was forced to leave the field after injuring his knee midway through his third over, adding to the list of injuries that have marred his career.
