Australia started their World Cup campaign with a win over Ireland in Colombo, while England and the West Indies battled it out in Mumbai in an intriguing clash.
England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to field first against West Indies in a Group C clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After openers Shai Hope and Brandon King were back inside the first two overs, the West Indies batting line-up shared the load to take the team to 196/6 in 20 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer (23) and Roston Chase (34) gave the team some momentum with a 47-run stand in 28 balls, taking them to 55/3 in powerplay.
Though England kept taking wickets at regular intervals, West Indies fought back with some power hitting. After playing himself in, Sherfane Rutherford let loose, slamming five sixes and two fours for a timely half-century. He struck seven sixes and two fours during an unbeaten 76, and knit important parterships with Powell (51 for the fifth wicket) and Jason Holder (61 for the sixth wicket).
Holder then helped West Indies shift gears, hitting three towering sixes off Sam Curran in the 17th over. His 33 off just 17 balls helped West Indies grab 54 runs in the last four overs.
While Jofra Archer and Curran helped England make early inroads, Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 2/1. in his four overs. Jamie Overton also claimed two wickets for 33 runs.
Coming in to chase, Phil Salt got off to a blazing start and hit 24 runs off Holder's second over.
Previous game's hat-trick hero Romario Shepherd made an instant impact by dismissing Salt, Rutherford pouching a regulation catch. Jacob Bethell joined Jos Buttler on crease and continued his fine form with a flurry of boundaries. England registerd the second-highest powerplay score of his edition, 67 runs at the loss of one wicket.
Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie provided the dream start in the middle overs by dismissing Jos Buttler and Tom Banton respectively in consecutive overs.
Skipper Harry Brook came into the middle to support Bethell but Motie's brilliant spin erased any hopes of the pair striking another big partnership. Motie bowled out with the figures of 3/33.
Spin counterpart Chase joined along to pick his second by trapping Will Jacks plumb to leave England reeling at 134/6.
Although Sam Curran showed intent it was not enough as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Assisted with some outstanding fielding, including two run outs, West Indies clinched a strong win by 30 runs in Mumbai.
Australia register dominant win
Australia began their World Cup campaign with a dominant 67-run win over Ireland at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
After electing to bat first, Australia were made to work hard for 182/6 in 20 overs on a slow wicket. Four wicket hauls from Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa helped Australia restrict Ireland to 115.
Despite losing Travis Head early, Australia did well in powerplay, scoring 64 runs in the first six overs. The Aussies kept up the scoring rate, gathering 90 runs in 10 overs, but by then big hitters Cameron Green (21), Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis (37) were all back in the pavilion.
Matt Renshaw and Marcus Stoinis steadied the innings with a 61-run partnership. Even as the Irish spinners slowed the flow of runs, Australia kept the scoreboard ticking with some superb running between the wickets. It took Renshaw 29 balls before he hit is first boundary.
While the left-handed Renshaw scored 37, Stoinis top scored with 45 off 29 balls. Australia accelerated towards the end, through Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett, to push past the 180-mark.
Though Ireland had a decent outing with the ball, their fielding once again let them down, fluffing three chances against the former champions.
In response, the Irish chase never really got off the ground. While Ellis' incredible opening spell wrecked the top order, Zampa quashed the embers of Irish resistance.
Ellis began his World Cup with a slower one that beat Ross Adair's defences then had Curtis Campher caught at mid wicket. With 3/5 in his first two overs Eliis left Ireland reeling at 27/4. Adam Zampa made sure Australia remained in control of the match, as he claimed 4/23 in his four overs.
Lorcan Tucker (24) and George Dockrell (41) stitched a 46-run sixth-wicket partnership to limit the damage. But it was too little too late and the Irish challenge ended at 115, with captain Paul Stirling unable to bat again after he was retired hurt for 1.
