Alex Hales became England’s second-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, but the Notts Outlaws opener was to be outgunned by Chris Gayle in a comfortable victory for the West Indies.
Hales’ tally of 1,182 puts him behind only Eoin Morgan’s 1,360 in terms of runs for their country in the shortest format.
And the England captain showed no sign of slowing, as he starred with an unbeaten 27, off 14 balls, helping post a competitive total 182-6.
The bludgeoning brute force of Gayle, who smashed 100 off just 48 balls, with support from the unflappable Marlon Samuels, spearheaded a successful chase for the 2012 winners, who won by six wickets with 11 balls to spare.
David Willey had got England’s defence of the total off to the perfect start, when Johnson Charles fended a swinging delivery to midwicket in the first over.
However, the vastly experienced Gayle and Samuels duo, with a combined age of 71 and 85 T20 international appearances between them, were unflustered and ready to have the decisive say.
Time-after-time Samuels’ languid swings of the bat carried the ball marginally wide of the fielder and scything away to the boundary.
The right-hander was seemingly in total command having blitzed 37 off 27 balls, but he chose not to acclimatise to Adil Rashid’s leg-spin prior to unleashing a big shot, and was caught by Willey at long-on.
Gayle had been largely starved of the strike until then. But the 36-year-old re-announced himself as the innings danger-man, and put Rashid firmly in his place, with back-to-back straight sixes in the ninth.
Denesh Ramdin’s uncomfortable stay at the crease came to an end on 12, as an attempted slog sweep off Moeen Ali nestled into the hands of Rashid at short fine leg.
But it hardly seemed to matter as two more maximums off Stokes made Gayle the leading six-hitter in T20 internationals, overtaking Brendon McCullum.
The Somerset bound opener’s half-century arrived in 27 balls with three fours and five sixes, and was celebrated with a further straight maximum off Ali.
He lost another partner at 113-4 in the 13th over as Reece Topley’s full toss accounted for Dwayne Bravo, caught on the leg side fence by Hales for two.
But wickets at the other end did nothing to quell the big-hitting left-hander’s scoring, and three successive sixes off Ali meant that – at 146-4 with six overs to go – the result of the match had become a mere formality.
Two more huge leg-side maximums off Willey took Gayle to 96. The century, his second in T20 World Cups, arrived in 47 balls with five fours and 11 sixes.
Victory for the Windies was rubber-stamped when Andre Russell, who finished unbeaten on 16, squirted a single down to deep fine leg.
It was a low key ending, but did nothing to diminish the explosive entertainment that had gone before.
Darren Sammy had earlier won the toss and decided that the West Indies would field on a pitch with more than a tinge of green.
The former Notts Outlaws all-rounder marshalled his troops with energy and relish as the 2012 winners hampered England’s aggressive intentions for much of the innings.
Jason Roy’s 15 came at a run-a-ball prior to flicking Russell into the hands of Samuel Badree at midwicket.
Hales, meanwhile, gave the innings impetus with three back-to-back boundaries off the West Indies leg-spinner prior to being yorked by the left-arm darts of Sulieman Benn.
Joe Root was, by then, looking in imperious form, refusing to let the quest for rapid runs affect his sense of style in posting 48 off 36 deliveries.
Morgan – together with Jos Buttler, who bunted three huge sixes on his way to 30 off 20 balls – added late impetus for England.
Ben Stokes chipped in with 15 off seven balls, and Moeen Ali squeezed the first of the two deliveries he faced for six, as England reached the halfway point seemingly in a strong position.
Was it not for the supreme talent, brute strength and vast experience of Gayle, it may have been enough.
As it is, England’s tournament hopes are hanging by a thread.
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