Gayle's made a career-best 153 and took 2-21 in a superb display

Rain put Zimbabwe out of their misery early as West Indies strolled to a 51-run win on Duckworth-Lewis rules in the first one-dayer.

Play was stopped after 34.5 overs of Zimbabwe's forlorn run-chase, with the hosts 173-3 and still 175 runs short of the visitors' mammoth 347-6.

Chris Gayle and Brian Lara earlier blazed centuries to propel West Indies to their second-highest score in 478 one-day internationals.

Gayle hit a career-best 153 not out off 160 balls and Lara an uncompromising 113 off 82 deliveries. The pair's 176-run stand for the second wicket came off just 25 overs.

The Windies' total fell just 13 runs short of the country's all-time best, 360-4 scored against Sri Lanka in a 1987 World Cup match in Karachi.

It was Lara's 18th one-day century, moving him one ahead of Desmond Haynes as West Indies' leading scorer of centuries in one-day cricket.

It's so nice to be playing in good form Brian Lara

The visitors, who won the toss, raced to 77 at the end of the 17th over before opener Wavell Hinds was caught behind off Andy Blignaut for 28.

But the second wicket picked up where the first had left off, with Sean Ervine and Blignaut coming in for some terrible punishment.

Ervine's seven overs conceded 75 runs, while Blignaut, who bowled the only maiden over, went for more than seven runs per over.

Lara's first 50 runs came off 54 balls, but from there on he stepped up the pace, overtaking Gayle with a flurry of sixes and fours.

The West Indies skipper used just 23 balls for his next 50 runs, accelerating to triple figures from just 77 balls faced.

When he was run out by Craig Wishart in the 43rd over, West Indies were 253-2 and Lara had clubbed 14 boundaries and three sixes.

We still have a good chance of squaring the series tomorrow. We must think and act more positively and with the will to win Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak

Ramnaresh Sarwan (run out), Shiv Chanderpaul (lbw to Ervine) and Marlon Samuels (bowled by Stuart Matsikenyeri) then all fell for single-figure scores.

But Gayle kept his foot on the gas, hitting 19 fours and two sixes for his sixth one-day ton. He bettered his previous best, scored against Kenya in 2001, by one run.

Zimbabwe's task was clearly a huge one, and they were a spent force when they slipped from 40-0 to 40-2 in successive Gayle deliveries.

Trevor Gripper (16) and Mark Vermeulen (nought) both fell to cap a magnificent all-round display for Gayle, who finished with figures of 2-21 off 10 overs.

Wishart was unbeaten on 72, and he put on 110 runs for the third wicket with debutant opener Vusimuzi Sibanda, who made 58.

Sibanda was removed by Vasbert Drakes at the end of the 32nd over, leaving time for a few lusty Wishart blows before the rain came.

The second of five matches takes place at the same venue on the following day.

Zimbabwe: H Streak (capt), V Sibanda, T Gripper, M Vermeulen, C Wishart, S Matsikenyeri, S Ervine, T Taibu, A Blignaut, R Price, G Brent.

West Indies: B Lara (capt), R Sarwan, C Gayle, W Hinds, S Chanderpaul, M Samuels, C Baugh, M Dillon, V Drakes, R Rampaul, J Taylor.