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Alastair Cook's fluent innings put England on course © Getty Images
Alastair Cook and Ian Bell ignited their one-day opening partnership with a 122-run stand to put England comfortably on track to wrap up the series. Both players crossed fifties with considerable ease and although Darren Sammy found a way through for West Indies the visitors needed a rush of wickets to get back into the match.
There were few alarms on an excellent batting surface and England's performance put West Indies' total, which had always felt quite a few short, firmly in perspective. The bowling attack offered barely any concerns for them with only Ravi Rampaul's opening spell providing anything like a challenge. The recalled Tino Best was quick but erratic as he conceded 31 in four overs, while Sunil Narine still could not trouble England as he has other opposition, and it went completely against the run of play when Bell spooned Sammy to cover.
England were soon out of the blocks as Cook and Bell each collected an early boundary in Best's first over and Bell, as he did in the opening match, pushed the rate up further as 14 came off the eighth over also bowled by Best. Earlier in the day the crowd witnessed Chris Gayle's thunderous power and now they were shown what timing and placement can achieve.
Bell drove elegantly off the back foot through the off side while Cook picked off his favourite cut shot while also driving through cover and past mid-off - a sign that his game is in good work working order. Narine was introduced straight after the first set of fielding restrictions but England were already well ahead of the rate and only needed to milk him. Not that they spurned boundary opportunities, though, with Cook collecting consecutive fours with cut and then a powerful slog sweep. The captain's one-day repertoire is rapidly expanding.
Cook's half-century came off 51 balls and Bell's followed shortly afterwards from 60 deliveries as he continued his resurgent return to the one-day team following the hundred he made in the opening match of the series. Bell, though, could not close in on back-to-back hundreds as he pushed firmly at a Sammy delivery which he indicated stopped in the surface.
50 overs West Indies 238 for 9 (Dwayne Bravo 77, Gayle 53) v England
Chris Gayle launched England's bowlers into the stands but West Indies struggled after he fell © Getty Images
England gave themselves an excellent chance of wrapping up the one-day series by restricting West Indies to 238 for 9 at The Oval, although the visitors kept themselves in the game after Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard combined for a 100-run fifth-wicket stand. Chris Gayle earlier marked his return to international cricket with a rapid half-century, which included a period of five sixes in 11 deliveries, before England hit back with four wickets for 16.
The visitors were threatening to completely lose their way when the in-form Marlon Samuels pulled lazily to deep midwicket but Bravo, with a display of class strokeplay, and Pollard, with a little more brute strength, played sensibly to at least ensure the total passed 200, as West Indies faded again at the end. Pollard was given a life on 28 when Craig Kieswetter missed a stumping chance, the ball before the batting Powerplay was taken, and the fielding restrictions brought 47 runs - only for the final five overs of the innings to bring just 19.
Darren Sammy contributed a useful 21 but England continued to chip away to ensure West Indies did not have enough wickets left for a full-blown onslaught to end the innings. Bravo fell to the first ball of the penultimate over - Ravi Bopara holding his nerve under a steepling chance - as James Anderson picked up important late wickets. West Indies' total was considerably below the 262-run average of the previous 10 ODIs on this ground.
The match was being played against a sombre backdrop, following the death on Monday of Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, and there was a minute's silence before play started while both teams wore black armbands. Last night Stuart Broad tweeted about the England's desire to secure victory in Maynard's memory and his figures of 2 for 43 played a key part in keeping West Indies under wraps.
Gayle lifted the mood somewhat with some explosive strokeplay, as he cut loose following a careful start where the first five overs brought eight runs. It was the introduction of Tim Bresnan that sparked Gayle as he clubbed three consecutive sixes, including a massive blow on to the roof of the stand over deep midwicket. A further straight six followed off Anderson and Gayle's fifty came off 41 balls.
Alastair Cook was then rewarded for some smart captaincy, having introduced Graeme Swann ahead of Broad. Swann's first over cost three then, with the third ball of his second, he won an lbw decision from Tony Hill who ruled the ball had struck pad fractionally before the inside edge. Gayle reviewed the decision immediately and third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, had a long look before ruling that there was not sufficient evidence to overturn the decision, much to Gayle's frustration as he lingered at the crease.
Despite Gayle's innings the scoring rate had not escaped from England, largely because they had kept Lendl Simmons very quiet at the other end. It was a painful innings from Simmons who struggled for timing as he laboured for 50 deliveries before chancing a single to mid-off where he was beaten by a direct hit from Cook.
Either side of that West Indies had lost two of their in-form batsmen. Dwayne Smith, who opened in the first match in Gayle's absence and this time was at No. 3 in place of the injured Darren Bravo, flashed at a wide delivery in Broad's first over. Given the loss of quick wickets it was crucial Samuels steadied the innings but four balls after Simmons' run out he lazily picked out deep midwicket with a top-edged pull.
As wickets fell there was a period of seven overs without a boundary but slowly both Bravo and Pollard started to earn rewards for their restraint. Bravo welcomed Bresnan's second spell with a six over long-off, although he was almost spectacularly caught by Eoin Morgan at long-off from a leading edge against Swann. Morgan sprinted in to reach the catch but could not hold on as he hit the ground.
Pollard took Swann over deep midwicket three balls before being given his reprieve by Kieswetter and the first over of the batting Powerplay from Finn cost 15, as he struggled with his line, while Broad also conceded 12. The quick bowlers favoured the short-ball route and the tactic eventually paid off when Pollard fell for the trap that had been clearly signposted and pulled into the deep.
Bravo's fifty came off 61 balls and with the loss of Pollard the onus was on him to bat through the remainder of the innings. Swann's figures were dented with 12 off his last over included a final-ball six by Sammy but he picked out backward point against Finn when his team needed another few overs of their captain.