Batsman Johnson Charles delighted in a second ODI century in as many weeks, after the West Indies trumped Zimbabwe by 156 runs in their series opener at St George's.

Charles, who scored a maiden ton against Australia in Melbourne earlier this month, romped to a career-best 130 in a total of 337 for four on Friday. His impressive vigil included a dozen boundaries and all of four sixes.

The left-handed Darren Bravo also reached three figures, with three wickets from spinner Sunil Narine and two apiece for seamers Andre Russell and spinner Dwayne Bravo ultimately resigning Zimbabwe to an insufficient 181 for nine.

"I batted well, felt really good here, first century at home. Especially after the Australian tour, it feels really good. We gave a good platform as openers, which was very vital for our mammoth total. Looking forward to do the same in the remaining two games," enthused Charles, who was named Man of the Match.

"I have increased my range of strokes and I now realise I have more scoring options - I look to work the ball into the gaps and pick off runs, not just blast everything out of the ground. This is a special knock for me."

Defeated skipper Brendan Taylor demanded a swift turnaround come Sunday and Tuesday's second and third ODIs at the same venue. Batsmen one through four managed a mere 30 runs between them, instead struggling against the in-form Narine.

"We were outplayed completely, they were really professional in their business. Our preparation has been good, were are looking forward to the remaining two ODIs, hopefully we can turn it around," lamented Taylor.

"We gave too many boundary balls, the fielding was bad as well. Narine in a side when you are chasing, that's a tough ask. The top order has to do better in the next game."