That was a pretty huge performance by England after losing the toss. A tasty pitch but some huge hitting.

“What we do know now is that West Indies didn’t bowl particularly well but there is very little margin for error for the bowlers.” says Alastair Cook “West Indies are so reliant on the spinners to do the holding role and we saw today how easy it was to hit through the line of it.”

“Bethell in particular I though was great – his ability to clear the ropes, he’s got the ability – its not just destructive power but intelligent power.”

“He was very smart with his innings,” agrees Jason Roy. “For a twenty year old to do that is very impressive.”

19th over: England 206-4 ( Bethell 59, Curran 16) Joseph’s first ball is a low full toss yee-hahed for six by Curran – he and Bethell are very similar looking at the crease – slight but full of flamboyance. Joseph polishes things off with a couple of yorkers.

18th over: England 194-4 ( Bethell 59, Curran 6) Left-armer McCoy returns in his spray-on trousers. He varies his pace cleverly and third-ball wide apart it is a miserly over until the final ball which Bethell sprays high and long for six over midwicket.

16th over: England 164-4 ( Bethell 32, Curran 4) Joseph returns. Bethell angles him, postcard through the letterbox, between the slips. But that’s the only boundary of the over – a relatively respectable nine from it.

14th over: England 142-3 ( Bethell 16, Livingstone 2) Chase, with a skip and a spring. A first four for the baby-faced Bethell who sends him through third man, and a second with the most delicate of flicks through fine leg.

13th over: England 131-3 ( Bethell 6, Livingstone 1) Can West Indies haul this back?

12th over: England 123-2 ( Buttler 32, Bethell 5) The shadows are now stretching horizontally over the pitch as the clock moves to five pm St Lucian time. Bethell sweeps but only behind his head, but the next ball Buttler spatulates for six then scoops the next for four.

11th over: England 110-2 ( Buttler 20, Bethell 4) Motie returns, and actually manages to maintain composed control over England. Just five from the over as the horns blare at the ground.

10th over: England 105-2 ( Buttler 18, Bethell 2) Bethell the next man in – one of the coming men and getting rave reviews for his fielding as well as his other skills.

9th over: England 101-1 (Salt 55, Buttler 16) Hosein again, with his Mr Whippy hair. Nearly gets his man as Salt flays and McCoy at long off dives with purpose, but not quite with the ball. Time for a seasoning of Buttler: he leans back deeply and drives Hosein up and over extra cover for four, and next ball punches him brutally over long-on for six. West Indies looking a bit forlorn here.

7th over: England 77-1 (Salt 45, Buttler 2 ) Carnage! Time for Motie to get the treatment. The ball belted way over long on and long off for two huge sixes – Salt on the money, Buttler content to hand him the glory.

I’ve just noticed that my email address is wrong on the link above. Will change but I’m on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com if you have something to say.

6th over: England 63-1 (Salt 32, Buttler 1 ) Hosein is switched back into action, and things go more calmly than the first over until the penultimat ball – which Salt griddle-pans for six over long off.

4th over: England 43-0 (Salt 23, Jacks 16) McCoy has switched ends, but still finds himself dispatched. Jacks eyes up a wide one and lofts him over extra-cover like a man who knows he is going to get extra gravy. England continue to gather runs with ease.

3rd over: England 33-0 (Salt 21, Jacks 8) McCoy is removed for now and replaced by Hosein – but Salt is in hungry mood and unfortunately Hosein isn’t yet on point. His second ball is a warm and welcoming pie which Salt sends through the covers for four, the next is dragged down and Salt tucks in with six. Jacks finishes the over by dancing down and pinging another six – to make it 18 from the over.

2nd over: England 15-0 (Salt 10, Jacks 1) The poker-faced Joseph at the other end, aiming very straight and leaking just three runs – one of them from a terrible bit of lackadaisical fielding. Not huge numbers of spectators in yet on a perfect November afternoon.

1st over: England 12-0 (Salt 8, Jacks 0) Obed McCoy, built like a mighty mountain, with the first over. Salt rockets his second ball through midwicket for four. An early fielding mishap as Rutherford, in a moment of madness, flings a dead ball above the wicket-keeper and it rolls merrily over the rope for four overthrows. Another delivery gets blasted straight back into the blue, blue, St Lucian sky for four more. In betweeen all that, McCoy beats Salt twice.

The players are out – let’s see what West Indies can do in the power play.

If you spot Jos Buttler, Jamie Overton and Marcus Trescothick in black armbands and wonder why, it is in memory of long-time Somerset supporter and fundraiser Mary Elworthy, who died yesterday aged 90. RIP Mary.

West Indies have one obvious failure to fix from the last match, where they crucially dropped Liam Livingstone three times. As Rovman Powell put it bluntly afterwards: “Guys have to take more catches.”

England, footloose and fancy free ( even if they didn’t exactly cruise past West Indies’ 145) may take the opportunity to make a few team tweaks.

And an interview with media-shy outgoing Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley:

While we wait, this was the Guardian’s editorial eye on the future of cricket:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/15/the-guardian-view-on-testing-times-crickets-traditions-are-being-clean-bowled-by-cash