Salt was also full of praise for Bairstow. “Jonny came in and took the pressure off him and he took a smart, calculated risk,” he said. “Then I just carried on batting during that period and waited for the right moment to bat. When I saw Shepherd coming back to that end I just pulled the trigger.”
It was England’s best World Cup performance since lifting the T20 trophy two years ago and, although they didn’t have a high hurdle to clear, it was far better than any they put on in India.
They were dismal against other top-ranked teams in the 50-over World Cup, losing six of their eight matches to Test match nations, so this was always going to be the benchmark, not a bye against a second-tier team.
“A lot of guys say you learn when you lose, but I believe you learn when you win as well,” Butler said. “It’s important for us to reflect on what went well today and focus on what’s next.”
That will be against South Africa again on Friday, handing them a heavy defeat in the 50-over World Cup.
The bowlers, at least, will have taken some confidence from this performance as they thwarted a West Indies side that struggled to mount an attack. Rovman Powell hit four sixes but nothing else. Johnson Charles struggled for more than 38 off 34 and Brandon King limped off at an untimely moment.
Their fate was sealed in the 16th over. At 137 for two, having just taken 20 from Liam Livingstone in the previous over and with West Indies boasting a scoring rate of over 11 in the final four overs of the World Cup, Buttler called on his finest work: Archer.
The striker was Pooran, who had scored 32 off 26 balls in his smash of 98 against Afghanistan. He was only accurate with one of his six balls, a four through the covers. The sixth ball was the deciding blow, as Pooran flicked an 87 mph ball just outside the off side.