It is hard to see what benefit there was for either side in this first warm-up match. England gave an efficient enough display in bowling out West Indies inside 30 overs but their efficiency was enhanced by such dismal devil-may-care batting from the opposition that even the famous barracker Yabba, whose statue is a lone figure in the front row of the Sydney Cricket Ground’s empty Victor Trumper stand, might have wondered if it was worth bothering to shout an insult.

Dismissed for 122, West Indies were unable to take wickets or even contain, and England eased themselves to a comfortable nine-wicket win, the whole match occupying less than 57 overs. If England have had a problem with their death bowling then they have solved it at a stroke by not actually letting an innings get that far.

“We don’t want to peak too early,” said the West Indies team manager, Richie Richardson, not totally in jest. He was never that understated with a bat in his hand. The liveliest thing his side had managed all afternoon was a game of football beforehand.

As far as England are concerned, the match may have served to muddy the waters. Neither Jimmy Anderson nor Stuart Broad were selected and the talk has been that the pair have been earmarked to open the bowling together in the second match against Pakistan, a new combination for the side, and at the expense of Chris Woakes.

It meant Woakes was able to continue his run with the new ball and it shows how the wheel of fortune can turn. The last time he bowled, against Australia in Perth a little more than a week ago, he was brutalised for eight runs an over. Here he found himself on an improbable hat-trick four balls through his first over (an achievement he missed only by a whisker) and he was able to finish the innings with five for 19, from 7.3 overs, figures that will please him only so far given the match.

England’s response was spirited without being extravagant. Ian Bell largely sat on his bat and watched during an opening partnership of 70, an alliance troubled only when his partner Moeen Ali, then on eight, sliced Jason Holder to backward point, only to be recalled on account of the West Indies captain overstepping. Moeen went on to make 46 from 43 balls before he mistimed a drive to extra cover. Bell, indulging in a nice serene net in making 35 from 68 balls, and James Taylor with a friskier 25 from 28 balls, saw England home. There will be more challenging times for them in the coming weeks.

For reasons best known to themselves, West Indies took a look down at a hard pitch tinged with green, aloft at overcast skies, ignored recent history that says that few sides win here batting first, and decided to do just that. It was a mistake immediately evident when Woakes’ opening delivery to Dwayne Smith rose sharply from short of a length to be taken above his head by Jos Buttler. His third ball, now to the left-handed Chris Gayle, did likewise, although this time it feathered a glove on the way through. Next ball, Darren Bravo got a more straightforward edge to his first ball, another rising delivery, and Woakes was on his way.

If these wickets were earned, then for much of the innings they were handed out wantonly, as batsmen, for the most part unable to knuckle down in what were difficult conditions, flung the bat with abandon. Smith was taken low down at second slip to give Woakes a third wicket, whereupon Marlon Samuels was bowled through the gate driving extravagantly and shamefully at Steven Finn, who bowled consistently enough but is 10% down on pace.

Denesh Ramdin was beaten and bowled by a decent delivery from Chris Jordan, and Jonathan Carter totally flummoxed by James Tredwell’s first delivery which floated gently straight on, with no obvious malice, to bowl him.

Throughout, Lendl Simmons was fighting a lone battle, watched from the media centre by his uncle Phil, the coach of the Ireland team who West Indies will be playing shortly. England have been troubled by Simmons before, with memories still fresh of his double hundred against them in St Kitts as they warmed up for their last Caribbean Test tour.

Here he was generally circumspect but still managed four boundaries, and a six from Tredwell, hit high into the top deck of the pavilion, above the dressing rooms. The boundaries, incidentally, had been pushed back as far as possible in response to the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson’s statement that a bigger playing area was needed. The ground looked a better challenge for it.

Simmons made 45 before he drilled a low catch off Woakes that Tredwell took well at extra cover. Finn and Woakes finished off the innings. Earlier, it was confirmed Buttler rather than Broad, who is still the T20 captain, has been the team’s vice-captain since the start of the Tri-Series in January. That really is a sign of England moving on.