BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Marlon Samuels provided a support act to openers Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle to help West Indies to a 27-run win over England to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 International series at Kensington Oval yesterday.Samuels played an unbeaten 69 as West Indies reached 170 for three and then restricted England to 143 for nine.

The West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first with a challenging start from Smith and Gayle. Smith was off the mark with the first ball, hitting Stuart Broad for six and West Indies piling 19 runs off the first over.
When Smith was bowled by Ravi Bopara for 27 in the sixth over, West Indies were already 57 runs rich and a showpiece of batting display by Gayle and Samuels.
Gayle scored a quick-fire 43 off 35 balls including five fours and two sixes before he was leg-before-wicket to James Tredwell.
A 54-run partnership from 38 balls between Marlon Samuels and Andre Russell took West Indies to 170 after Lendl Simmons was dismissed for three.
Samuels’ half-century came up off 28 balls and he was unbeaten on 69 with Russell on 24, setting England a challenging 171 for victory.
Bopara (2-23) and James Tredwell (1-16) were the successful bowlers for England.
The visitors never seriously threatened the Windies’ total and were reeling on 55 for 5 midway their innings.
Only Tim Bresnan and Ravi Bopara made useful scores to England’s total of 143 for 9. Bopara made 42 and Bresnan was unbeaten on 47 as Samuel Badree and Samuels closed in on the victory.
Badree finished with 3-17 and Samuels 2-21 for the man-of-the-match award.
Sunil Narine bowled only two overs (1-8) as he was troubled by a knee injury.
West Indies take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series and will look to take an unassailable lead in the second match tomorrow at the same venue.

WEST INDIES innings 170 for 3 (20 overs)
Dwayne Smith b Bopara 27
Chris Gayle lbw b Tredwell 43
Marlon Samuels not out 69
Lendl Simmons c Lumb b Bopara 3
Andre Russell not out 24
Extras: (lb-3, nb-1) 4
Total: (3 wkts; 20 overs) 170
Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-87, 3-112.
Bowling: Stuart Broad 2-0-26-0 (1nb), Jade Dernbach 4-0-36-0, Tom Bresnan 4-0-36-0, Ben Stokes 2-030-0, Ravi Bopara 4-023-2, James Tredwell 4-0-16-1
ENGLAND innings 143 for 9 (20 overs)
Michael Lumb c Rampaul b Badree 18
Alex Hales stp. Ramdin b Badree 3
Luke Wright stp. Ramdin b Badree 0
Eoin Morgan c sub. (Charles) b Samuels 19
Jos Buttler c sub (Charles) b Narine 0
Ravi Bopara c & b Bravo 42
Ben Stokes stp. Ramdin b Samuels 4
Tim Bresnan not out 47
Stuart Broad run-out (Ramdin) 5
James Tredwell run-out (Russell) 1
Jade Dernbach not out 1
Extras: (b-1, lb-2) 3
Total: (9 wkts; 20.0 overs) 143
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-13, 3-36, 4-40, 5-55, 6-73, 7-101, 8-123, 9-133.
Bowling: Samuel Badree 4-0-17-3, Ravi Rampaul 3-0-31-0, Sunil Narine 2-0-8-1, Dwayne Bravo 4-0-30-1, Marlon Samuels 4-0-21-2, Darren Sammy 1-0-12-0, Andre Russell 2-0-21-0.