I don’t know if Hayley Matthews is a fan of the popular beat combo ‘Linkin Park’ but if she was, she would have recognised the song which blasted through the PA at Hove shortly after the start of England’s innings: The Emptiness Machine. But fan or not, Matthews could probably empathise with the lyrics of singer Emily Armstrong:

Don’t know why I’m hoping – so f***ing naive
Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine

If Matthews and her team actually had any hopes after posting just 81, it took England less than 10 overs to splatter them, as Nat Sciver-Brunt kicked into gear with 55 off 30 balls; whilst the hero of Canterbury – Sophia Dunkley – was able to just chill out at the other end, with a cool all-but run-a-ball 24. Honestly, Dunkley could have popped down to Marrocco’s famous ice-cream parlour on the sea-front for a cornet during her innings and England would still have strolled to victory – West Indies are just that bad right now.

An England win was probably inevitable the moment Hayley Matthews was bowled by Em Arlott in the newbie’s second over. Arlott had been walloped for 4 by Matthews the ball before; but she stuck to her guns, put the ball on a decent length targeting the stumps, and got the reward. It was a very Em Arlott wicket – it wasn’t a Lauren Bell-esque Magic Delivery – but it was about keeping that consistency and that rhythm, and executing the plan.

Four balls later, Sophia Dunkley literally plucked Arlott’s second wicket out of thin air. The ball struck by Zaida James wasn’t going at a million miles an hour, but it was heading for the boundary and apparently well wide of Dunkley at mid on; but Dunkley (whose fielding is sometimes more memorable for the drops than the catches) leapt high to her left and somehow held on with her “wrong” hand.

Alott’s final wicket was less memorable – Stafanie Taylor pushing another good length delivery straight to Charlie Dean – but they all count in the scorebook, and Arlott finished with 3-14 and a Player of the Match “medal” (it is actually a dachshund plushy, courtesy of sponsors Vitality).

Having finished the powerplay 4 down, West Indies responded by shutting up shop. Shemaine Campbelle (26) and Shabika Gajnabi  (22) got through the early middle overs unscathed, but at a run-rate which wasn’t going to set any pulses racing. Issy Wong finally got her hands on the ball again, and delivered a couple of overs which were… fine – no great shakes, but nothing that really troubled Campbelle or Gajnabi too much, until Gajnabi repeated her dismissal from the first match, following a slower ball down the leg side and giving England some more catching practice.

Another collapse followed, with just one over in the last 8 going for more than 3 runs, as the West Indies focussed on getting through the 20 overs intact; but a total of just 81 obviously wasn’t going to be enough unless England had a real nightmare.

The first ball of England’s reply did hint at that – Danni Wyatt-Hodge bagging a platinum duck (maybe someone should sponsor a plushy for that too?) to continue her slightly unconvincing start to the season. But NSB came out determined to stamp her mark on the match; and although she was dropped right at the end of her innings, it was the kind of authoritative performance that definitely qualifies as “leading from the front”. There are a few worries around her captaincy, but the really Big Worry™ is that the burden of the role will result in a drop-off in form. This was the opposite. And that’s good news for Nat Sciver-Brunt; good news for Charlotte Edwards; and good news for England – their machine, at least, is anything but empty.