Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell help England post imposing total in St Lucia

Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell each made half-centuries as England piled up 218 for five as they sought to move into a 4-0 lead in their T20 series against the West Indies.

With England having already claimed a series win, there was an end-of-term feeling to the first of two dead rubbers but a sparse crowd was treated to an exhibition of big-hitting with 16 sixes in total.

The innings was top and tailed respectively by Salt’s 55 off 35 balls and 62 not out off 32 deliveries from Bethell, while Will Jacks (25 off 12), Jos Buttler (38 off 23) and Sam Curran (24 off 13) made belligerent cameos.

Salt has struggled against left-arm spin in this series but belted four sixes and 33 runs in 14 balls off Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie after Buttler lost the toss for the first time in the series.

The side that has called correctly has gone on to win the match in all six instances in this tour but if the trend is to continue, the Windies require their highest successful T20 chase on home soil.

Their previous best of 191 against India in Jamaica was seven years ago and they might have felt they could have restricted England to less than that when Liam Livingstone holed out to leave them on 155 for four after 15 overs.

But on what appeared an easy-paced pitch, Bethell belted three successive sixes off Roston Chase to bring up a 22-ball fifty as he and Curran put on 63 in the last 30 deliveries as England recorded the joint highest T20 total in St Lucia.

England handed a T20 debut to John Turner, who replaced Jofra Archer in the only change to the side that claimed a series-clinching victory on Thursday at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.