England stand-in captain Moeen Ali was quick to praise his side despite falling behind 2-1 in the T20 series to West Indies in Barbados.
A blistering 107 off 53 balls by Rovman Powell, which included 10 sixes, put the hosts in the ascendancy as they set England 224 to win from 20 overs.
A makeshift England side, with five changes from the team who had won the previous game, were given a good platform by Tom Banton’s 73 off 39 and Phil Salt’s knock of 57 but still fell 20 runs short.
Among the changes were debuts for Harry Brook and George Garton.
England’s skipper, who took over the role from the injured Eoin Morgan, said afterwards: “We were done a little bit with Morgs going down and playing three debutants but they played really well.
“A fantastic partnership took the game away from us but I’m proud of the way the boys batted. We’ve got guys putting their hands up – Bants was outstanding, which is great for his confidence going forward.”
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard, meanwhile, called on his side to replicate that performance when the two sides meet again on Saturday.
