Lewis cuts loose as West Indies beat England by 8 wickets in the rain-affected 1st ODI

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — Evin Lewis hit four times as many sixes as the entire England team in a commanding innings of 94 which led the West Indies to an eight-wicket win Thursday in the rain-affected first one-day international.

First-time captain Liam Livingstone hit two sixes in a top score of 48 in his team's under-par total of 209. That was England's best performance as it was bowled out in 45.1 overs on a tricky pitch on which only Lewis flourished.

The left-handed Lewis hit eight sixes in his innings of only 69 balls but was out 13 runs before the West Indies reached their Duckworth-Lewis System revised total of 157 to lead the three-match ODI series.

No overs were lost when rain extended the interval between innings but the West Indies innings was reduced by 15 overs after a lengthy rain break after the 15th over.

They already were in command, thanks to Lewis. He had reached his half century from 46 balls before the rain came and the West Indies were 81-0, 48 runs ahead of the Duckworth Lewis calculation though they had to face 20 overs for the result to count.

Lewis returned to the West Indies ODI lineup for the first time in almost three years during their recent tour to Sri Lanka, scoring an unbeaten 102 in the third one-day international in Pallekele. That was his last innings before Thursday and he narrowly missed back-to-back centuries.

Lewis was the only batter to command tricky conditions at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium. During the England innings, deliveries from both the seamers and spinners tended to grip and hold up, making expansive stroke play difficult.

Brandon King made 30 in a 118-run opening partnership with Lewis and Keacy Carty was 19 not out when the West Indies won with 9.1 overs remaining.

Livingstone's 48 and Sam Curran's 37 in a 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket provided the backbone of England's innings. Both batters were undone by left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who took 4-41.

England may have struggled because it was coming off a test series against Pakistan while the West Indies have been playing white-ball cricket in Sri Lanka.

England named four players on debut — Jamie Overton, Jordan Cox, John Turner and Dan Mousley — though Overton and Cox previously had played Twenty20 internationals and Overton had played one test.

Livingstone hit the first six of the England innings in the 32nd over, signaling the difficulty that England had getting the ball to the boundary.

Phil Salt had made 18 and England was 38 in the ninth over when he swung hard at a ball from Jayden Seales which held up after bouncing and he mis-timed his shot to Alzarri Joseph, who took an outstanding running catch in the deep.

Will Jacks was on 19 when he tried to crack a full delivery from Seales into the leg side. Again the ball gripped and took the leading edge of Jacks' bat flying to Motie, who ran around behind the bowler to take the catch.

Cox was looking settled on 17 when he tried to hit hard down the ground and the ball, which stood up sharply, took a top edge and flew to third man.

Livingstone's disciplined innings of 48 from 49 balls ended when he pushed too far forward at a ball from Motie which held up and straightened and which he patted back to the bowler.

The teams are scheduled to play the second ODI Saturday and the third next Wednesday ahead of a five-match Twenty20 series.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's captain Liam Livingstone plays a shot against West Indies during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Sam Curran plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match against West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Matthew Forde celebrates dismissing England's Sam Curran during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Jamie Overton, right, and Sam Curran look at the scoreboard during the first ODI cricket match against West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer, left, celebrates with Matthew Forde talking the catch to dismiss England's Sam Curran during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Jamie Overton is dismissed LBW by West Indies' Gudakesh Motie during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Dan Mousley avoids a delivery from West Indies' Jayden Seales during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Jacob Bethell reacts after his dismissal, caught by West Indies' Brandon King, during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Liam Livingstone reacts after delivering as West Indies' Keacy Carty and Evin Lewis run during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Brandon King plays a shot from a delivery of England's captain Liam Livingstone during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Roston Chase fields next to England's Sam Curran during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Evin Lewis hits a six from a delivery of England's Adil Rashid during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Sam Curran safely makes his ground as West Indies' bowler Roston Chase jumps during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Keacy Carty takes the catch to dismiss England's Jordan Cox during the first ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

DENVER (AP) — Brent Burns took a wayward stick to the face while playing for San Jose in October 2013 that ended up costing him teeth and time on the ice.

Since his return — Nov. 21, 2013, to be precise — he's been a permanent fixture in every lineup. Burns, now 41 years old and with the Colorado Avalanche, is set to play in his 1,000th straight regular-season game Saturday at Dallas.

The bearded blueliner has skated through the bumps and bruises that come with delivering checks and deflecting slap shots. So much so that Avalanche coach Jared Bednar can’t wait to one day sit down with Burns and discuss all the ailments that may have kept many a player sidelined for days, weeks and maybe even months.

“He plays through them like it’s not a big deal,” said Bednar, whose team currently owns the NHL's top seed with eight games remaining, including the pivotal contest with the Stars (six points back). “(The streak) is an incredible accomplishment. It’s hard to believe.”

For Burns, it's a streak that's involved plenty of good fortune along the way.

“You've got pucks flying around your head that you don’t see, skates popping up, guys falling on the ice,” Burns said Friday after practice. "There are so many little things that happen 100 times a game. Or you look at your visor after a game, it’s all marked up. It’s a tough game.

"It’s special to think back about some of the games that I went through that I probably shouldn’t have been (in), but I think that’s what makes it special, too. ... A lot of luck — probably why I hate talking about it.”

Burns, who turned 41 on March 9, joined the Avalanche on a one-year deal this season to chase the only thing missing from his resume — a Stanley Cup title.

He's become another leader/mentor on the Avalanche. He still chips in goals, too, on a high-scoring team that boasts Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas. Burns has 11 tallies this season, joining Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom as the only defensemen in league history to notch double-digit goals at 40 or older.

But Burns' specialty remains putting his 6-foot-5, 228-pound frame to good use on opponents who venture into his territory. That’s what makes his streak so remarkable — all the punishment he dishes out and takes. He’s closing in on the all-time ironman streak held by forward Phil Kessel, who played in 1,064 consecutive regular-season games from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023.

“What Phil did was incredible,” Burns said. “He’s such a cool character to have that (record), too."

It’s a streak Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog fully appreciates. Landeskog missed three full regular seasons after helping the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup title because of a lingering knee injury.

“He comes to the rink with a great attitude," Landeskog explained. "He wants to be here. He’s excited to come to work.”

Burns also arrives to the rink lugging around his military-style backpack that’s stuffed with everything necessary to keep him on skates. There’s a cloud of mystery surrounding the precise contents of the heavy pack, though. Whatever it may contain — rumors of recovery gear to his own coffee setup — there's no denying it's become a healing elixir. Burns is in his 22nd NHL season and about to play in his 1,572nd career contest Saturday. The 2016-17 Norris Trophy winner is still averaging nearly 19 minutes a game and has 83 blocked shots this season.

The streak certainly impresses goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

“In my position alone, you’ll do something one game and your hip locks up a little bit,” Wedgewood said. “It’s like, ‘Thank God, I’m not playing the next one. It feels like crap right now.’

“That happens 15 times a year, just on me, let alone taking body checks and slap shots. Playing as much as he does now at that age, keeping that body fresh and everything? He probably wouldn’t be the one to tell you, but he’s probably played through thousands of different nuances.”

Burns made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2003, with Minnesota after being a first-round pick by the Wild. He spent seven seasons with Minnesota, 11 in San Jose and three more in Carolina before joining Colorado.

His lone appearance in the Stanley Cup final was in 2016 with the Sharks, where they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Burns has played in 135 career playoff contests.

His current games streak started Nov. 21, 2013 — he played right wing that season — when he returned from his injury and promptly scored a goal. In his 999th straight game Wednesday against Vancouver, he delivered a goal and an assist to become the fifth different defensemen to notch a 30-point season while in their 40s.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Makar said of the streak before suffering an upper-body injury Monday against Calgary that will keep him out a few games. “For him to be able to go out there every night and make an impact, and not just float around and do the minimum, is pretty spectacular, especially at his age.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) passes the puck against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, left, drives past Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) smiles at his teammates at the end of the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)