BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Off-spinner Roston Chase snatched a career-best haul, and Shai Hope belted a surprising career-best half-century, as West Indies ruthlessly pounded minnows United States by 9 wickets to claw their approach again into competition for the semi-finals of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup right here Friday evening.
Going through a must-win situation following an eight-wicket defeat to England of their opening recreation of the Tremendous Eights, West Indies dismantled america for 128 with one ball left of their innings, with Chase choosing up three for 19 from his 4 overs.
Medium-fast Andre Russell chipped in with three for 31, whereas speedster Alzarri Joseph recovered from a shaky begin to declare two for 31 because the co-hosts slumped from 51 for one within the seventh over, shedding their final 9 wickets for 77 runs.
Opener Andries Gous, with a 16-ball 29 and Nitish Kumar (20), threatened briefly, however as soon as they perished in successive overs, no different batter handed 20.
Hope, in solely his second recreation of the event, then dominated the run chase with a scintillating unbeaten 82 off 39 balls, a knock which propelled West Indies to their goal within the eleventh over.
In an exceptional show of power-hitting, the right-hander clobbered 4 fours and eight sixes – largely straight hits – whereas left-hander Nicholas Pooran joined in with a 12-ball unbeaten 27.
West Indies’ win not solely earned them a much-needed two factors, however its complete nature boosted their internet run charge to a gaggle excessive of 1.81 forward of Sunday’s all-important conflict with Group 2 leaders South Africa.
“Kensington brings particular reminiscences for us – it’s the Mecca of cricket within the Caribbean,” stated captain Rovman Powell.
“And to see we had a packed home, [it was] no higher alternative than [this] for the blokes to come back out and play some good cricket.”
Selecting to bowl first, West Indies struck within the second over when Russell obtained left-hander Steven Taylor (2) to squirt a low catch to Chase at backward level with three runs on the board.
United States counter-attacked brilliantly. Nonetheless, Gous blasted three fours and a six, and Kumar, a brace of fours, the pair posting 48 off 31 balls for the second wicket.
An ill-advised reverse sweep introduced Kumar’s downfall within the seventh over from left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, and as soon as Gous holed out to Hope at deep mid-wicket off Joseph, the USA misplaced their approach as Man-of-the-Match Chase crippled the center order.
“It was a troublesome evening for the boys,” stated USA captain Aaron Jones, who was raised in Barbados and performed first-class cricket for the nation.
“To be sincere, towards West Indies, we most likely needed to rating round 175, 180. We didn’t get that rating. We had been below par.”
Hope rapidly erased doubt over the outcome, dominating a 67-run opening stand with Johnson Charles (15) earlier than combining in a punishing unbroken second wicket stand of 63 with Pooran, who lashed 4 and three towering sixes.
The 30-year-old Hope reached his third T20I fifty off simply 26 balls when he cleared the ropes at lengthy off with left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh within the seventh over, which ended with Charles holing out within the deep.
However, West Indies stored up their unrelenting assault, Hope belting three consecutive sixes in off-spinner Milind Kumar’s solely over – the ninth of the innings – which leaked 22 runs earlier than combining with Pooran to actual 20 from the eleventh from left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar and finish the sport.
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