England's new blood impresses with Will Jacks starring with spin... but it's not enough to deny West

Will Jacks produced a stunning spell of match-turning off spin but a recurrence of their death bowling issues sealed defeat in England’s first one-day series since the disastrous World Cup defence.

Surrey all-rounder Jacks, continuing to make a mockery of the decision not to hand him a central contract, defied the dew at the end of a stop-start, day-nighter to take his figures to three for 13, by dismissing Keacy Carty for an even 50, and West Indies had slipped from 78 for one to 135 for six.

At that juncture, it appeared that a team who had been ambushed at the start of the match by West Indies debutant fast bowler Matthew Forde might enjoy its end.

Jacks had taken just one wicket in his previous six one-day but he instigated a fightback from the tourists in the reduced-overs contest after Rehan Ahmed prised out in-form West Indies captain Shai Hope cheaply, by inducing mishits from the left-handers Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford.

However, England’s ascendancy did not last as once again they struggled to stem the flow of runs at the end of an innings.

Will Jacks produced a stunning spell of match-turning off spin against the West Indies

But the West Indies were able to rally as they inflicted a first ODI defeat on England since the disastrous World Cup defence

The Windies needed 34 from 24 deliveries when Gus Atkinson was thrown the ball. So profligate was he that they only required 10 of them.

Atkinson’s over began with two full tosses smacked over the leg-side boundary by Romario Shepherd, cost 24 in total and powered the home team towards a four-wicket win and 2-1 scoreline.

Shepherd, who finished unbeaten on 41, had also plundered Sam Curran’s bowling in particular to orchestrate a late heist in the opening match in Antigua.

However, with only five players to have participated at the World Cup involved here, England have exposed a younger group to a format they will not play again until September.

‘You can’t get experience if you don’t give people experience to play and and be in those situations. You know it’s always going to be tough death bowling here and how wet it is and short boundary with the wind. But that’s where you give people the exposure to it,’ Buttler said.

‘The series is the start of a new journey for this team – it’s a very young side barring myself in terms of experience in number of caps, so guys will have taken a lot from this and learned a lot.

There’s been some good performances throughout the way. We are obviously disappointed to lose but the guys will be better for this one.’

Ben Duckett, with an accomplished 71, held things together after England began disastrously, losing half their wickets inside 10 overs.

England captain Jos Buttler exposed a younger group of players to a format they will not play again until September

England spin bowler Rehan Ahmed prised out in-form West Indies captain Shai Hope cheaply

Play got under way two hours late due to rain and the 43-over-a-side contest was then reduced to one of 40 apiece courtesy of the first of two evening showers.

When the second delayed the start of West Indies chase by half an hour, it altered the target to 188 off 34.

Prior to this contest, Jos Buttler had won nine tosses in a row, and would no doubt have sacrificed one of those to have guaranteed bowling first on a pitch that had spent plenty of time sweating under covers in the build-up.

This time he called incorrectly, though, subjecting England’s new-look top order to debutant fast bowler Matthew Forde’s fine opening spell on a surface that offered irregular bounce.

Forde gave the hosts the perfect start when he struck with his sixth and 10th deliveries in international cricket – Phil Salt drove on the up to mid-off, where Alzarri Joseph scooped up a low catch diving forward, while Zak Crawley was left helpless offering no shot to one which trampolined off a length and lobbed off a glove to second slip.

And when Forde produced a snorter to find the outside edge of Will Jacks’ bat, England were 45 for three.

Matthew Forde’s fine opening spell on a surface that offered irregular bounce unhinged England’s batters

Gus Atkinson’s late bowling left West Indies requiring just 10 runs to win the match

In the opening two matches, they battened down the hatches after losing wickets in clusters, but they rather gifted West Indies the initiative here with the departure of Harry Brook and Jos Buttler in the same Joseph over.

First, Brook gambled on a drop and run, and succumbed to a direct hit from the bowler in his follow through. Then, Buttler was bumped out first ball.

From a position of 49 for five, Duckett – who had developed early momentum to his innings by taking three boundaries off a Romario Shepherd over – combined in a stand of 88 with Liam Livingstone.

But it needed something even more substantial and when the sixth-wicket pair fell in quick succession to the returning Shepherd, either side of a drinks break, it felt like England were light with 206 for nine on the board.

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