Phil Salt continued his superb T20 form against the West Indies with a 103 not out from 54 balls as England drew first blood in the five-match series in Barbados.

Salt followed up consecutive hundreds in Trinidad last December and a match-winning 87 not out against the Windies in the T20 World Cup in St Lucia in June to anchor England’s successful chase of 183.

On the island where he spent six years of his childhood, Salt hit nine fours and six sixes and made an unbroken 107 in 61 balls with Bajan born and bred Jacob Bethell to seal an eight-wicket victory.

But Jos Buttler made a golden duck on his return after four months out as England worry about the injury of unlucky Reece Topley, who hurt his right knee when he fell in his delivery stride before a rain break, which resulted in large amounts of sand being spread over one area of ​​the outfield.

Saqib Mahmood claimed four for 34, including a trio of wickets that left the Windies on 18 for three, but the hosts refused to take a step back and several cameos took them to 182 for nine, bolstered by their taken 64 in the final 5.2 overs despite being eight runs ahead as England could not finish them off.

But while Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie all reached 30, none of them could play a decisive hand like Salt and Bethell, who finished unbeaten on 58 from 36 balls.

Salt showed his range with a battle of 74 from 108 balls on the same ground earlier this week as England lost the ODI series decider, but the opener was at its belligerent best from the start here .

He muscled Akeal Hosein for a consecutive six, then whipped Shamar Joseph for the same result, before taking four consecutive fours from the seamer, as Salt dominated a 73-run stand with Will Jacks, who missed a sweep from Motie and was castled.

Buttler, batting at three for only the second time in 115 T20 international matches, then flicked his first ball off Romario Shepherd towards Motie, who took a phenomenal leaping catch in the deep.

England briefly took their foot off the accelerator, but Bethell took England beyond three figures with a couple of elegant fours off Romario Shepherd before Salt upped the ante with sixes off Russell and Shepherd, who saw Sherfane Rutherford drop the batter on the boundary when he was on 86.

That was the only chance he offered, however, with Salt conjuring up his third T20 century off just 53 balls with his ninth four before passing the baton to Bethell to take England home with 19 balls to spare.

Mahmood had already caused carnage in the Windies top order after England, who gave a T20 debut to Dan Mousley and rested Jofra Archer, won the toss as Buttler returned from a nagging injury at the calf.

Brandon King got up but committed a coverage error against Mahmood, who was two for two when Evin Lewis banged his pads in the deep and Shimron Hetmyer nicked, deceived by a hint of away movement.

While other teams might have consolidated, Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell scored 41 off 17 balls in the first over and that was not the only indicator that the Windies would continue to swing.

Topley’s awkward fall before a half-hour rain delay left England with a bowler’s light although they continued to chip away at opposition batters, with the ever-reliable Rashid taking three wickets.

But any notion that the Windies had been overpowered at 117 for eight was banished when Motie smoked his first two balls for six, slightly spoiling Rashid’s figures, before carving Curran for successive fours.

Mahmood took the pace to frustrate and then trap Motie in a terrific penultimate over giving away fours, but Romario Shepherd belted Windies’ 12th and 13th sixes to end the innings in style.

Report from the Press Association