West Indies' poor form continued as they slipped to a two-run defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe in the first one-day international in Guyana.
Vusi Sibanda fell just short of a century as Zimbabwe compiled a testing 254 for five having won the Twenty20 International between the sides on Sunday.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul did his best to pull off a rescue act with 70 which took West Indies close after they fell behind the rate, but it was not enough.
Sibanda was the backbone of the Zimbabwe innings with a knock of 95 off 162 deliveries, but his oddly pedestrian stay meant it was left to those around him to provide the impetus.
First Hamilton Masakadza scored 41 in an opening stand of 67, smashing consecutive boundaries off Kieron Pollard, before being adjudged lbw, perhaps harshly, to Nikita Miller.
Then Tatenda Taibu took over, plundering 56 off 54.
He managed just 12 from his first 25 balls, before taking a shine to Miller, claiming three consecutive boundary fours in an over worth 18.
The pair shared a second-wicket stand of exactly 100 before Taibu was eventually trapped lbw by Pollard.
Brendan Taylor followed, run out for one, bringing Elton Chigumbura to the crease.
He immediately threw his bat at the ball, picking up a brutal flat six off Sulieman Benn, and was nicely succeeding in upping the rate - Zimbabwe had scored 29 off three overs - when rain brought a temporary halt to proceedings.
The short stoppage seemed to unsettle Chigumbura (27 off 22), who skied one straight down the throat of Andre Fletcher upon resumption.
Sibanda finally started to show he too was capable of the big shots, with a clipped six off Pollard followed by an immediate four.
His hopes of a century were dashed in the penultimate over, though, as Kemar Roach produced a stunning delivery which both shattered Sibanda's bat and removed his off bail.
The West Indies innings began in similar fashion to that of their opponents, with Chris Gayle the aggressor and Adrian Barath the lynchpin.
Gayle took a liking to Prosper Utseya, smashing him for a six and a four in one over, before cracking Masakadza for another maximum.
Gayle reverse swept Graeme Cremer for four to bring up his 50, but fell lbw to Greg Lamb shortly after.
Barath fell the ball after reaching his half century, getting over-ambitious and chopping a shortish Chigumbura delivery onto his stumps with the score on 126.
Fletcher, Narsingh Deonarine and Pollard came and went quickly, leaving Chanderpaul to shoulder the burden again for West Indies.
He reached 50 with a mistimed sweep, but the run rate rose steadily until he drove Chigumbura for six off a no ball then scrambled back for two off the free hit.
He hit eight more off three balls in the 48th over, but then smashed a Masakadza delivery to Chigumbura at long off.
That appeared to be the chase over, but Miller creamed Masakadza for six off the first ball of the last over, then sliced a four to third man.
Masakadza hit back, though, with wickets off the fourth and fifth balls of the over to seal a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
