It's official! The Harry Brook Era has begun with a BANG! Under Brook's renewed leadership, England have finally managed to put an end to their dismal seven-match losing streak by thrashing West Indies left, right, and center. During the first ODI of the three-match ODI series, England pounded the visitors mercilessly and in the process, registered their biggest win in ODI cricket, by a margin of 238 runs. And by doing so, they surpassed their previous best record of the biggest wins of 232 runs, which they achieved against the Dutchmen back in 2022. 

See also: Namibia set to face South Africa for the first time in international cricket

England batters displayed flashes of brilliance in the first innings, posting a colossal 400 for the loss of eight wickets. Surprisingly, no batsman made it to three figures in this game. Jacob Bethell slammed a quickfire 82 off 53 balls, whereas Ben Duckett set the tone early by scoring a well-controlled 60. Joe Root and Harry Brook were the other two English batters who made handy contributions of 58 and 57, respectively, to take England to the 400-run mark.

The West Indies' response was very brittle as the entire batting lineup succumbed under intense scoreboard pressure. They were bowled out for a shocking 162. Despite a spirited final-wicket partnership between Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales, England's disciplined bowling and sharp fielding crippled the visitors on all fronts.

Saqib Mahmood led the attack with 3 wickets for 32 runs, while Jamie Overton, despite a finger injury, claimed 3 wickets. Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse also contributed with key wickets.

A rundown of some notable records

1. England's 400-8 is the highest score achieved by the team without a single batsman registering a century.
2. Harry Brook's tally of five catches is now the most number of catches held by any fielder in an ODI innings, surpassing Woakes' tally of four.
3. England's first-innings score of 400-8 is also their second-highest score at Edgbaston. 
4. The 238-run victory is the biggest win for England in ODI cricket in terms of run margin.
5. This is also their biggest ODI win against the West Indies.
6. Overall, this is the fifth biggest win in terms of run margin ever recorded in ODI cricket. The biggest being India's 317-run victory against Sri Lanka in 2023.
7. Bethell slammed his career-best ODI score of 82 (53)

It's safe to say that a new era has begun for England Cricket, and hopefully it is the start of something really incredible. While the miseries of the 2023 ODI WC and the CT 2025 may have been washed away after the historic win, Brook and his men can't afford to lower their guard. They will need to be result-oriented and will have to work consistently enough to get themselves battle-ready for the upcoming ODI World Cup.