In a match reduced to 30 overs per side due to heavy rain in the run-up to the game, Read smashed 27 off 15 balls before Darren Gough hit the winning runs to see England to their target of 157 with three balls to spare.

Chasing West Indies' total of 156 for five, England looked out of it as they slipped from 60 for two to 120 for seven.

But Read, dropped from the Test side ahead of the final match in Antigua, responded in style as he smashed three sixes and a four before Gough saw England home.

"I have been in a few of those situations before, " Read said. "I just thought if the ball was in the slot I'd give it a go, and thankfully it worked."

FINE INNINGS

England captain Michael Vaughan acknowledged that Read had saved his side's blushes.

"I'm being a bit harsh but we should have won that game well before we did," Vaughan said.

"We threw away some wickets in the middle order. Thankfully, Ready came in at the end and got us out of a hole."

"When he came to the wicket it needed someone to play a gem of an innings and he did that. But we have a lot to work on before the next match."

On a pitch that had been virtually under water 24 hours before, Vaughan won the toss and put West Indies into bat.

Gough, recalled to the side, showed few signs of rust with a tight opening spell and made the early breakthrough, bowling Chris Gayle for two with just seven runs on the board.

A slightly wayward Steve Harmison made way for Andrew Flintoff and he made immediate inroads.

With his second ball, Flintoff caught and bowled Ricardo Powell for 10 and then removed Ramnaresh Sarwan, standing in as captain for the injured Brian Lara, for a duck just two balls later to leave West Indies reeling on 25 for three.

CHANDERPAUL SHINES

Chanderpaul and Devon Smith added 39 for the fourth wicket before the latter was caught by Flintoff at short midwicket off Rikki Clarke for 16.

But while others struggled, Chanderpaul, recalled to the side after missing the final Test, hit 11 fours and two sixes, including 17 off Paul Collingwood's only over, before he was fifth man out for 84.

Flintoff and Gough both finished with figures of two for 22 from their six overs.

In reply, England made a terrible start when Vaughan was bowled by Mervyn Dillon for a third-ball duck.

With West Indies giving away too many extras, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss added 59 for the second wicket before Strauss was bowled by Dwayne Bravo for 29, giving the debutant his first West Indies wicket.

Flintoff was caught behind off Gayle for eight and when Trescothick was bowled by Bravo for 26, England needed 75 from the last 10 overs.

Paul Collingwood and Ian Blackwell took England past the 100 mark with some lofty blows but Collingwood then fell for 10 to a brilliant running catch by Dwayne Smith at deep midwicket.

Blackwell was bowled by Ravi Rampaul for 27 and Clarke was run out for one before Read's heroics lifted England to the verge of victory.

Although Read became Gayle's third victim from the first ball of the final over, a slog over cover from Gough was enough to put England 1-0 up in the seven-match series.

Scorecard:

West Indies Innings
C Gayle b Gough 2
S Chanderpaul c Clarke b Gough 84
R Powell c and b Flintoff 10
R Sarwan lbw b Flintoff 0
D Smith c Flintoff b Clarke 16
S Joseph not out 23
R Jacobs not out 2
Extras: (1b, 7lb, 10w, 1nb) 19
Total: (for five wickets in 30 overs) 156

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-25, 3-25, 4-64, 5-151.

Bowling: Darren Gough 6-0-22-2 (2w), Steve Harmison 6-0-34-0 (2w), James Kirtley 6-0-28-0 (1nb, 2w), Andrew Flintoff 6-2-22-2 (1w), Rikki Clarke 2-0-16-1 (1w), Marcus Trescothick 3-0-9-0 (2w), Paul Coillingwood 1-0-17-0.

England Innings
M Trescothick b Bravo 26
M Vaughan c Jacobs b Dillon 0
A Strauss b Bravo 29
A Flintoff c Jacobs b Gayle 8
P Collingwood c Smith b Gayle 10
I Blackwell b Rampaul 27
R Clarke run out (Jacobs/Gayle) 1
C Read b Gayle 27
D Gough not out 9
S Harmison not out 0
Extras: (4lb, 14w, 2nb) 20
Total: (for eight wickets in 29.3 overs) 157

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-60, 3-75, 4-75, 5-108, 6-119, 7-120, 8-154.

Bowling: Merv Dillon 6-0-35-1 (1nb, 2w), Corey Collymore 6-1-35-0 (5w), Dwayne Bravo 6-0-31-2 (3w), Ravi Rampaul 6-0-32-1 (1nb), Chris Gayle 5.3-0-20-3 (4w).