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England got a comfortable six-wicket win in the second One-day international (ODI) versus the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday to level the three-match series at one apiece ahead of Saturday's decider in Barbados.
The visitors bounced back from a four-wicket loss on Sunday in emphatic fashion, as they bundled out the hosts for just 202 before sauntering to the victory target with 17.1 overs to spare in the day/night contest.
After Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone took three wickets apiece to rip through the West Indies batting order, opener Will Jacks and English skipper Jos Buttler had a much-needed return to form as both batsmen scored fifties to help the visitors to the facile win.
Jacks led the chase with a polished knock of 73 off 72 balls, with six boundaries and four sixes. Jacks notched his second fifty in the ODI format and his rapid 50-run opening stand with Phil Salt 21 (15 balls) got England off to a rollicking start before the latter batsman was dismissed in the sixth over by Romario Shepherd (one for 27). Jacks steadied the English through a mini-slide, as left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (two for 34) struck twice in quick succession to get the scalps of Zak Crawley (three) and Ben Duckett (three).
Jacks' stay at the crease came to an end in the 20th over when he was trapped lbw by Sherfane Rutherford to leave England on 116 for four.
Any hopes the Caribbean team had of a miraculous comeback were quickly snuffed out, as Buttler (58 not out off 45 balls) joined Harry Brook (43 not out off 49 balls) to finish off the game with an unbeaten 90-run stand for the fifth wicket. Buttler got to his 26th ODI fifty in the 32nd over with an emphatic six off Oshane Thomas and also went past 5,000 ODI runs during his innings.
In the WI innings, captain Shai Hope top-scored with a run-a-ball 68 and was silky as ever, with Rutherford (63 off 80 balls) getting his maiden fifty in his second ODI. Hope and Rutherford put on a 129-run partnership for the fifth wicket after the Windies were reduced to 23 for four after seven overs following Curran's early burst.
Once Rutherford was dismissed by Livingstone (three for 39) in the 30th over, the hosts' middle and lower-order crumbled under the pressure as the final five wickets were taken for just 50 runs.
Livingstone struck in three consecutive overs, as the leg-spinner also accounted for the pair of Yannic Cariah (five) and the set Hope. Livingstone's fellow leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (two for 40) helped to wrap up the tail as he got the wickets of Romario Shepherd (19) and Gudakesh Motie (six). Seamer Gus Atkinson chipped in with figures of two for 28.
Earlier in the WI innings, Curran (three for 33) put a forgettable first ODI behind him as he tore through the home team in the first power play by taking the wickets of Keacy Carty and Shimron Hetmyer (both duck) and Brandon King (17). Curran conceded a whopping 98 runs in 9.5 overs in the first ODI, but his opening spell of seam and swing helped the English to an emphatic win in Antigua on Wednesday as he also bowled his way to the man-of-the-match award.
At the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, the teams will play the decisive third ODI in another day/night affair.

WEST INDIES

A Athanaze c wkp Buttler b Atkinson*4
B King c Crawley b Curran*17
K Carty c Crawley b Curran*0
*+S Hope b Livingstone*68
S Hetmyer lbw b Curran*0
S Rutherford c Salt b Livingstone*63
Y Cariah b Livingstone*5
R Shepherd c Crawley b Rehan Ahmed*19
A Joseph c & b Atkinson*14
G Motie c Curran b Rehan Ahmed*6
O Thomas not out*0
Extras (lb1, w3, nb2) 6
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Athanaze), 2-20 (Carty), 3-23 (King), 4-23 (Hetmyer), 5-152 (Rutherford), 6-160 (Cariah), 7-163 (Hope), 8-189 (Shepherd), 9-200 (Motie), 10-202 (Joseph)
Bowling: Curran 7-0-33-3 (nb1), Atkinson 6.4-0-28-2 (w1), Carse 6-0-34-0 (w2, nb1), Jacks 4-0-27-0, Rehan Ahmed 10-1-40-2, Livingstone 6-0-39-3

ENGLAND

P Salt b Shepherd*21
W Jacks lbw b Rutherford*73
Z Crawley b Motie*3
B Duckett c wkp Hope b Motie*3
H Brook not out*43
*+J Buttler not out*58
Extras (lb3, w2)*5
TOTAL (4 wkts, 32.5 overs)*206
Did not bat: L Livingstone, S Curran, B Carse, Rehan Ahmed, G Atkinson
Fall of wickets: 1-50 (Salt), 2-75 (Crawley), 3-85 (Duckett), 4-116 (Jacks)
Bowling: Joseph 5-0-48-0 (w1), Shepherd 6-0-27-1, Motie 7.5-0-34-2, Thomas 5-0-31-0, Rutherford 4-0-24-1 (w1), Cariah 5-0-39-0.
Result: England beat West Indies by six wickets.
Series: Three-match series level 1-1.
Player-of-the-Match: Sam Curran.
Toss: England.
Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Nitin Menon; TV – Chris Brown.
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