Russell made a stunning comeback after two years, leading West Indies to an easy victory at Kensington Oval. With three wickets for 19 runs in four overs, the 35-year-old played a crucial role in bowling out England for 171. Despite a mid-innings wobble, Russell, along with captain Rovman Powell, secured the win with a quick 29 not out. Russell’s exceptional innings of 14 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes, sealed the victory with a sublime shot over backward point. West Indies hit a total of 14 sixes in the match, including two impressive shots from opener Kyle Mayers.

“Life is so funny,” man-of-the-match Russell said.

“Since when I got selected for the West Indies team I’ve been dreaming for two weeks now — and I was dreaming of being man of the match.”

Jos Buttler, the England captain, regretted his team’s missed opportunity to capitalize on a solid beginning to their innings, highlighted by a 77-run opening partnership.

“From the position we were in, we were looking for a score of 200,” said Buttler, who scored 39 while fellow opener Phil Salt put on a stylish 40 off 20 balls.

“We want to keep pushing the boundaries and trying to be as positive as we can.

“But it’s about finding ways to keep scoring in that manner, getting those extra 20, 25 runs in an unfashionable way.”

The next match in the series is in Grenada on Thursday.

Summary of scores:

England: 171 all out in 19.3 overs (P. Salt 40, J. Buttler 39, L. Livingstone 27; A. Russell 3-19, A. Joseph 3-54)

West Indies 172-6: (K. Mayers 35, S. Hope 36, R. Powell 31 not out, A. Russell 29 not out; R. Ahmed 3-39, A. Rashid 2-25)

Outcome: West Indies win by four wickets

Series Standing: West Indies lead the five-match series 1-0.