A revamped England side suffered a disheartening loss in the opening match of their Caribbean tour, as the West Indies clinched an eight-wicket victory in Antigua. A subpar batting performance sealed England's fate, as they lost their final six wickets for just 44 runs, being all out for 209. In the field, England's effort was commendable, but their execution left much to be desired. Jofra Archer and debutant John Turner posed threats with the new ball, yet West Indies opener Evin Lewis dazzled with an innings of 94 off 69 deliveries, hitting eight sixes to steer the hosts to their revised target of 157 runs.

England fielded four debutants in their lineup, with Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, and Turner all making their ODI debuts. In his inaugural act as captain, Liam Livingstone lost a crucial toss. Under muggy, overcast conditions with the looming threat of rain, Shai Hope opted to bowl. The first 10 overs set the tone for the match, with both Phil Salt and Will Jacks struggling to find their usual rhythm on a sticky wicket. Salt was the first to depart, caught by Alzarri Joseph at mid-off.

Despite repeated attempts, Jacks, Cox, Jacob Bethell, and Livingstone all fell in similar fashion, miscuing their shots to fielders within the 30-yard circle. Livingstone, however, looked fluent for his 48, and he and Sam Curran added 72 runs for the fifth wicket. But after Livingstone was dismissed by Gudakesh Motie, who took four for 41, England's collapse ensued. Motie struck twice in two balls to remove Mousley and Overton, who was dismissed for a golden duck on debut.

"I don't think we adapted to the conditions as well as we could have," Livingstone reflected. "When Sam and I were batting, we were on track for 240-250, which would have been a challenging total if the conditions hadn't changed. We need to get up to speed quickly. We've had a few weeks off, and we need to find our rhythm in 50-over cricket as soon as possible. The debutants will have learned a lot from this experience and hopefully will improve from it."

This result is a recurring theme for England in the Caribbean. This marks their fifth visit in three years, and they have lost all four previous series. England's batting woes weren't entirely their own fault. Motie, a left-arm spinner, is quietly establishing himself as a top-tier bowler. Across 17 ODIs, he has taken 30 wickets at an average of 18.8 and an economy rate of 3.96, with 11 of those matches against India, Australia, and England. Jayden Seales also stood out, taking two for 22 with the new ball.

Lewis's innings was the final blow to England's hopes. The Trinidadian opener, who had been absent for three years, returned with a bang, scoring 102 not out from 60 balls in Sri Lanka and following it up with this stellar performance against England. Livingstone and Adil Rashid managed to dismiss Brandon King and Lewis, preventing a 10-wicket defeat, but it was a humbling day for England's new era of white-ball cricket.

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