England bowled out for 103 as West Indies take a 1-0 lead in Bridgetown

England kicked off their preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup in the worst possible fashion as West Indies beat Eoin Morgan’s second-string side by nine wickets.

Barely a week has passed since England were embarrassed after losing eight wickets for 42 runs in the final Ashes Test in Hobart, and despite the change of format, more batting woes would ensue, this time being skittled for 103 by Kieron Pollard’s men.

While the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins caused problems with their rip-roaring pace and the devious Australian pitches frequently asked questions in the game’s longest format, it was Jason Holder who, not for the first time at the Kensington Oval, inflicted the damage on England with figures of 4-7.

Jason Roy (6) was first to go, charging at and missing Sheldon Coterell’s in-swinging delivery having hit the previous ball over midwicket for six.

Having been preferred at the top of the order to Sussex’s Phil Salt, Tom Banton (4) would only last five deliveries before edging into the hands of Nicholas Pooran in a wide slip position off the bowling of Holder.

The former Windies skipper found himself as Moeen Ali picked out Fabian Allen at backwards-point for a golden duck, leaving England at 10-3 with roles reversed from the meeting between the two teams in Dubai last year.

Cotterill would strike again as James Vince clattered the ball straight to extra cover, bringing an end to his brief resistance and an innings that bizarrely began with seven dot balls, yet were followed up by scoring 14 from only five deliveries.

Both Sam Billings and Liam Dawson fell cheaply for two, with the former understandably rusty after completing the 10,000-mile journey from Hobart to join the England camp.

Morgan (17) somewhat prevented the flow of wickets but consumed 29 deliveries in an attempt to steady the ship prior to finding the hands of Pollard at cover leaving England firmly in danger of registering their lowest-ever score in T20I at 49-7.

Fortunately for the tourists, Barbados-born Chris Jordan (28) and Adil Rashid (22) posted 36 for the eighth wicket in order to avoid complete embarrassment, the former struck three sixes before he fell to Allen’s off-spin.

Holder claimed the final two wickets of Rashid and Saqib Mahmood (5), setting up a comfortable beginning to a new era of T20 cricket for the hosts.

Upon winning the toss, Pollard expressed his belief that batting under the lights would prove to be an easier option, and his opinion was justified as West Indies completed the chase with relative ease.

It would be unfair to claim that England bowled poorly, not one of their six-man attack finished with an economy rate of more than eight, though the task was a straightforward one for Brandon King (51) who posted his second international half-century inside only three games.

Rashid would provide his side with a glimmer of hope as he ripped an orthodox leg-spinner past the outside edge of Shai Hope, presenting Billings with a simple stumping.

King, alongside Nicholas Pooran (27), played sensibly to keep the strike rate slightly above 100 and will have encouraged supporters that Chris Gayle’s runs can be replaced following the end of his 21-year T20I career.

The second match of the series begins on Sunday evening at 20:00 GMT.

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