CARDIFF, United Kingdom, June 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Keacy Carty hit his third hundred in four innings as the West Indies fought to keep the one-day international series with England alive.

     Carty top-scored with 103 in a total of 308 all out after the West Indies were sent in to bat in Cardiff on Sunday.

     It was a much improved display from the West Indies, dismissed for 162 in a crushing 238-run defeat at Edgbaston on Thursday in the first of a three-match contest.

     England, by contrast, were not as sharp with the ball in hand or in the field as they had been in Birmingham, with Carty missed on one and 41 in two of four dropped catches in the innings.

     But England did fight back after the tourists threatened a truly huge total at 205-2, with veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid taking 4-63 and paceman Saqib Mahmood two wickets in two balls on his way to 3-37 as the West Indies were dismissed with 14 balls remaining. 

     Carty and Brandon King (59) shared a second-wicket stand of 141 in 24 overs following the loss of teenage opener Jewel Andrew for a duck before West Indies captain Shai Hope, last man out, made 78.

     England made a breakthrough soon after captain Harry Brook won the toss on a green-tinged pitch, with the 18-year-old Andrew spooning a rising Brydon Carse delivery to short point.

     But Ben Duckett then dropped two slip catches, both off the unfortunate Carse, to reprieve Carty and King, then on 11. 

     Carty, fresh from two ODI hundreds against Ireland just before this series, was also dropped on 41 by Mahmood at short backward square leg off left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell.

     But a productive partnership was finally broken when King drove Rashid to long-off.

     Carty completed his fourth career ODI hundred when he late cut Bethell for a 13th four in 102 balls faced.

     But he was out soon afterwards when stumped by Jos Buttler off part-time spinner Will Jacks.

     And 205-3 became 212-4 when Rashid had Shimron Hetmyer lbw with a well-flighted ball that spun back into the left-hander.

     Hope bolstered the total with a 53-ball fifty, reaching the landmark in style when he drove paceman Matthew Potts, in for the injured Jamie Overton, over long-on for six. 

     Mahmood then had the big-hitting Matthew Forde (one) well caught by the back-pedalling Brook at mid-off before Roston Chase edged behind next ball to leave the West Indies 268-7 in the 45th over. 

     Hope was then missed on 73 when Joe Root put down a simple chance at long-on off Rashid, only for the former captain to make no mistake next ball as Motie holed out for a breezy 18 featuring four fours. 

     New batsman Alzarri Joseph took West Indies to 300 with a first-ball six off Rashid, who bowled him two balls later before Hope holed out off Mahmood to end the innings.