CWC 2019 Match 42 – Hope – Roach guide Windies to a thrilling win over Afghanistan

In an unimportant match of the world cup 2019 played between West Indies and Afghanistan who were playing for honor after being knocked out of the world cup, West Indies won the contest by 23 runs against a gritty Afghanistan team who gave a tight fight in a superb chase. Chasing 312 runs to win, Afghanistan lost the match by just 23 runs. West Indies would have had their heart in the mouth when Afghanistan was giving a chase at their big total with a ‘never give up’ attitude. After losing their opener Gulbadin Naib early in the match, Rahmat Shah (62 runs) and the 18 year old Ikram Alikhil (86 runs) put on 133 runs for the 2^nd wicket in quick time. Had Ikram scored his hundred he would have become the youngest player to achieve that feat, but he missed out narrowly. But what an innings he played!

Even as Asghar Afghan (40 runs) and Sayed Shirzad tried some heroics, they couldn’t take their team home because Afghanistan kept losing wickets around them. Kemar Roach with 3/37 was the most impressive bowler for West Indies while Carlos Brathwaite with 4 for 63 was the leading wicket taker.

Universal Boss, Chris Gayle had played his last world cup match. Though he did not flourish with the bat, he took a wicket and ended his career as far as world cup matches is concerned. On the verge of his retirement in the next few months, what a campaigner this big man from the Windies has been for cricket! He is a brand. Take a bow champion Gayle!

Earlier Shai Hope (77 runs), Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran (58 runs per head) and a terminal onslaught by Jason Holder (45 runs in 34 balls) made sure that West Indies reached a healthy total. In between the Afghanistan bowlers bowled tight spells and denied Windies from scoring free. But the Windies came back to post 300+ total on board which was looking unlikely at the midway of the match.

It is sad that the Afghanistan team will go home losing all their world cup matches, but they had their moments. They would have won 2-3 matches if they would have played to a different plan. But they will learn with time!

West Indies, too had a mixed bag of fluctuating fortunes. They were not a bad team; they lost few tight and close matches which they would have won. They will take few lessons home, and of course..this win, in their last match!

Until we catch up for more action from the next match, it is goodbye from me folks!

Keep watching the world cup matches and have fun!!

CWC 2019 Match 23 – Shakib-Liton make a cake-walk run chase of mammoth total as Bangladesh cruise to a comfortable win against Windies

When Bangladesh won the match against West Indies with 8.3 overs to spare, I said ‘wow’! Everyone would have. They were chasing 322 runs to win and with the comfortable ease they did it was awesome!

Veteran superstar Shakib Al Hasan showed what a cricketer he is when he remained not out on a beautifully crafted 99 ball 124 as he led Bangladesh to an emphatic win over West Indies. Along with Liton Das, Shakib put 189 undefeated runs for the fourth wicket as Bangladesh pulled a 7 wicket win over the Windies. Liton Das was little short of fortune as he missed what would have been a superb ton by just 6 runs. His 69 ball 94 was a feast for Bangladesh fans, for cricket fans too and it was his innings which fetched Bangladesh a big win with many overs to spare. He added fire to the start given by Shakib. For West Indies, there was only one chance to bounce back in the match when Bangladesh was 133 for 3 in 19 overs. If they would have bowled tightly, with discipline and took couple of quick wickets, they would have put pressure and brakes on the scoring rate, but that was not to be.

West Indies would consider themselves unlucky because they were defending 321 runs. Bangladesh made it look like 121. There was lack of intent in the Windies bowling. It looked that they gave up the match in their minds once Shakib and Liton started shifting gears.

Earlier, after losing Chris Gayle for naught, West Indies recovered from the early hiccups as Evin Lewis (70 runs) and Shai Hope (96 runs) put on 116 runs for the second wicket. Shimron Hetmyer (26 ball 50) and Jason Holder (15 ball 33) were looking on fire as they blasted the Bangladesh bowlers all around the park. But West Indies lost the plot in the last 10 overs. The hard hitters played senseless cricket as they tried fancy shots even when the wickets were tumbling around them. What could have easily been a 370-380 finished with 321 on board. They were definitely 60 runs short. The end result showed that Bangladesh would have even chased down 380 easily.

Bangladesh came back in the last 10 overs and choked the run flow. Shakib Al Hasan had shined with the ball too. He had dismissed 2 batsmen from the opposition camp including those of Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran. Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin took 3 wickets each.

Bangladesh are meaning menace and giving tough time for all the teams with progression of the tournament towards the business end and we know how good they are on their day! With 2 wins and 2 defeats from their 5 matches, they are looking good. 2-3 more wins; they would have surprised some big teams and would have paved their way towards semifinal berth. They may be silent hunters. Watch out for them!

Things are not looking good for West Indies. After a good start in the world cup campaign, they have lost their route and intent. They are looking predictable and beatable. With just 1 win from 5 matches, they are at risk of being knocked out of the contention for final four. They cannot afford to lose their next 4 matches and hope for rain-free matches.

Until we catch up with more action from the next match, it is goodbye folks!

Enjoy your world cup matches…hope you are doing it!

CWC 2019 Match 10 – Coulter-Nailed Windies lose to Aussies by a thin margin

When you would have reduced your opposition to 79/5 in 16 overs and when you feel that the match and couple of points are in your kitty, how would you feel when someone whom you have never expected to bat, goes out of sorts and enables his team to add another 200 to that total and in the end make sure that you are defeated? Angry or frustrated? I feel both and many more feelings would erupt to the surface.

This is not about possibilities. This is the real story of West Indies who were disappointedly beaten by the Australian team by 15 runs after West Indies had dominated the first 16 overs of the match.

West Indies won the toss and elected to field first, at Trent Bridge. They would have been proud of their decision when they sent half the Aussie team back to the pavilion with just 79 runs on board, their new ball fast bowlers creating havoc and panic in the Aussie camp. It never looked like Australia would play the full length of the match and would be bundled out for a petty score. All batting resources of Australian batting line up including Warner, Finch, Khawaja, Maxwell and Stoinis were dismissed by Windies.  Only one person was holding ground amidst all the disaster, Steve Smith! A 68 run partnership between Smith and Alex Carey pumped hopes in the Aussie camp. That was a small rehabilitation act.

Nile Nails the Windies with his storming 92 – Little did the Windies know that the tsunami was about to come their way even after dismissing Carey. Then that happened, just like the final half hour in a thriller or a horror movie which puts you on the edge of your seat. In came Nathan Coulter-Nile to join Smith. He took the counterattack on to the Windies bowling attack and smacked 92 runs in just 60 balls, falling sigh of just 8 runs of what would have been one of the best hundreds you would ever watch in a world cup match. But he had done his job, which was more than expected. Even after Smith was dismissed for a responsible knock of 73 runs, having added over hundred runs for the 7^th wicket with Nile, the latter continued his onslaught and kept hitting big boundaries at will. He made sure that Australia scored 288 runs and posted a demonic total for West Indies to chase. Australia could not play out their entire quota of 50 overs. They were bundled out in 49 overs. But the score board was looking scary for West Indies. They would curse themselves for not having made of the advantage they had got in the first 16 overs and they would not have an easy chase for sure. Coulter Nile had scored the best ever personal score by a number 8 batsman, ever in the history of the world cup game and what a time it was for him to rise to the occasion!

It was not a bad chase by the West Indies batsmen to be precise. Though they had a disappointing start, West Indies recovered in the middle, added useful partnerships and kept themselves in the contention of winning the game. One of the set batsmen should have applied himself to get a big individual score with the other hard hitting batsmen fastening up the things around if the West Indies had to win this contest. Shai Hope, Nicolas Pooran and Jason Holder with 68, 40 and 51 runs respectively were the top contributors for Windies. The lower end batsmen too made handy contributions but that was never enough.

Once Jason Holder who was looking gritty and fancying the chances to take the match till the wire and if possible win the match for his team, was dismissed, Australian bowlers took command of the situation and made sure that they did not leak those vital runs which were meant for their win. With 5/46, Mitchell Starc was lethal and was instrumental in destroying the West Indies batting. He was the go-to bowler for his captain. Australia would be happy to get this win after they were down and out right at the beginning of the match. West Indies would have exactly the opposite emotions since the match always belonged to them.

Coulter Nile was the real hero of the match but the person who stood as a saint and created a hope of making a match out of nothing for the Aussie team was Smith. Carey’s contribution in the rebuilding process too is worth praising.

Until we catch up the action from the next match, goodbye folks!!

Keep watching the world cup cricket and enjoy!!

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Match 46: QF4: New Zealand march into semi-finals as Guptill smashes double-hundred, WI fall short by 143 runs..

Date: 21.03.2015

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand

New Zealand enter semi-finals beating West Indies by 143 runs in the 4^th and last quarter-finals. After posting 393 runs on board, NZ bowlers bundled the West Indies for 250 runs in 30.3 overs. Martin Guptill raised from a slow and steady start and headed to score a demolishing double ton as NZ took control of the match in the first session itself. WI had to make a record chase in their turn and getting anywhere near to that mammoth total was an uphill task. Martin Guptill became the first Kiwi player and the 2^nd batsman to register a double hundred in the Cricket World Cup. Undefeated on 237, Guptill also became the highest run-getter in the World Cup history.

Highlights of the Match:

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first.

NZ made a slow and steady start after losing the dangerous opener and Captain Brendon McCullum early in the match. Kane Williamson (33 runs) and Martin Guptill consolidated the stand for Kiwis by putting a 62 run partnership for the 2^nd wicket.

Guptill changes gears

After the departure of Williamson, Ross Taylor joined Martin Guptill who was close-in for his 50. Guptill decided to press the accelerator and elevate the run-rate for New Zealand. He mastered the Windies bowling at one end and smashed the ball to all corners. Taylor played the 2^nd fiddle (42 runs) and rotated the strike letting his dominant partner do the punishing act. The duo put on 143 runs in 135 balls for the 3^rd wicket which was the foundation for a mammoth total. Guptill got 99 runs out of those 143. In the proceedings Guptill had reached his hundred. The big one was yet to come his way.

Guptill reaches double-ton, a class apart…

There was no one to stop Guptill as it looked that the day is made for him. West Indies bowlers were silent spectators and could not do much than bowling their quota of overs and hope Guptill doesn’t take over them in the demolition act. But Guptill had no sentiments as he was given a liberal licence to kill and thrill.

West Indies could only witness the magnificent onslaught by Guptill as he went on to smash a big double hundred. As if the double century was not enough, Guptill came to a more tormenting mood past his 200 and was heading for more. He was a terminator on mission and was unstoppable.

Guptill put on 46 runs in 29 balls for the 4^th wicket with Corey Anderson (15 runs), 55 runs in 19 balls for the 5^th wicket with Grant Elliott (27 runs, 11 balls), 32 runs in 13 balls for the 6^th wicket with Luke Ronchi (9 runs) and an unbroken 28 run partnership in 8 balls for the 7^th wicket with Daniel Vettori (8 runs, 2 balls) to take New Zealand total to 393 for 6.

Martin Guptill remained undefeated on a World Record Double Century in the World Cup history with 237 runs to his credit. He scored these runs in 163 balls with 24 hits to the fence. He also smashed 6 brutal sixes in the proceedings.

The mammoth total was looking difficult to achieve right from the beginning.

Boult destruction for Windies

Trent Boult bowled an exceptional spell and was instrumental in the destruction of West Indies batting line-up, especially the top order. The rest was formality. Boult started his campaign by dismissing Charles in the 2^nd over of the match followed by the wicket of Lendl Simmons in the 6^th over reducing WI to 27 for 2 at that stage.

Chris Gayle who was playing like a champion at one end and Marlon Samuels looked good to repeat their world record stand as they put on 53 runs in 22 balls for the 3^rd wicket. Boult returned with fury to bag the wickets of Samules (27 runs) and Dinesh Ramdin in the space of 5 balls in the 10^th over of the session. West Indies were suddenly 80 for 4 at the 10^th over mark. The run rate was good but WI had lost too many wickets at this juncture.

Mini-Gayle Storm

Everyone was expecting the Gayle-Storm to play spoil-sport in NZ camp if WI had to win or go closer to victory. The Gayle Storm did come but lasted for a small period. Before Chris Gayle was dismissed by Milne in the 17^th over, Gayle made a brilliant 61 (33 balls, 2×4, 8×6) and lit the field with crackers and fire-works.

West Indies surrender and exit…

Jason Holder (42 runs, 26 balls), Jonathan Carter (32 runs) and Darren Sammy (27 runs) chipped in with useful runs but they were never going to be enough. West Indies were finally bowled out for 250 runs in 30.3 overs. At that stage it would have been a match winning total had West Indies lost 2 or 3 wickets. The chase was good but there was no intention or planning from West Indies perspective.

New Zealand won the match by 143 runs and progressed into the semi-finals. This team is playing like champions and didn’t they deserve a place in the semis? The Kiwis continue their un-beaten record so far and a couple of wins with the same attitude will see a new winner of World Cup title in the record books.

West Indies never looked too promising in the World Cup format except that world record partnership between Gayle and Samuels and a superb double-century by Gayle, which was one of its kind in the CWC history until mastered by Martin Guptill in this match. West Indies should go back to the drawing table and create a promising team for future.

Martin Guptill was exceptional in the match and it looked like the match was between him and the West Indies. His double century was a master class and would be remembered for long. His innings was a mix of mass and class, caution and aggression and was really a treat to watch. The whole WI team made 13 runs more than this man before they were bundled out. He was rightly adjudged the Player of the Match.

Wishing Good Luck to team NZ in their future journey toward a maiden WC title…..

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Match 41: Jason Holder leads West Indies into the Quarter Finals with his 4 wicket haul against UAE

Date: 15.03.2015

Venue: McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand

West Indies had to win their last league against UAE to make it to the Quarter Finals and they accomplished with ease. Captain Jason Holder lead the Windies from the front as he laid the platform to destroy UAE with his 4 wicket haul. UAE make an exit from the World Cup with an unimpressive performance throughout the tournament.

Highlights of the Match:

West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Holder Hunts down UAE:

Within no time, 3 of the UAE batsmen were back in the pavilion as they were trapped by Jason Holder. Jason Holder dismissed Berenger in the 4^th over and came back to dismiss Chandran and Ali in space of 2 balls in the 6^th over of the match to reduce UAE to 17 for 3 in 5.3 overs. UAE never recovered from here.

UAE Collapse:

This platform was used to perfection by the other West Indies bowlers also. Jerome Taylor quickly dismissed k Khan and S Anwar in consecutive overs. UAE were struggling at 26 for 5 at this point in 8.2 overs. When Jason Holder got the wicket of Swapnil Patil in the 13.5^th over, UAE were 46 for 6 with their top 6 batsmen getting out for single digit figures.

Andre Russell (8-3-20-2) and Marlon Samuels (10-4-25-1) provided superb supported and made run scoring difficult for UAE batsmen.

Javed-Nasir give resistance:

Amjad Javed (56 runs) and Nasir Aziz (60 runs) put on 103 runs for the 7^th wicket and frustrated West Indies bowlers. Their partnership helped UAE reach a respectable total of 175. UAE were bundled out in 47.4 overs.

Planned Chase by West Indies:

Dwayne Smith (15 runs) and Johnson Charles (55 runs, 40 balls, 9×4, 2×6) gave a brisk start for the West Indies.

Jonathan Carter (50 runs, 58 balls) and Dinesh Ramdin (33 runs) put on an unbeaten 58 runs partnership for the 5^th wicket and took the Windies past the winning line. West Indies won the match in 30.3 overs with 6 wickets remaining

Jason Holder was rightly adjudged the Player of the Match for his match winning spell…

West Indies enter the Quarter-Finals with this win. After the initial hiccups, the team grouped up well and are playing like a good unit. They would be a tough team to play in the QF. They will be playing one of the toughest and strongest team of the CWC 2015, New Zealand in the QF and this would be a cracker of the match. NZ has not lost a match in the league stage and has a clean record. One win for the WI and they would be upsetting one of the hosts. Would NZ pierce the Caribbean test? It would be interesting to wait and watch….

For UAE, it would be a sad and silent exit but they should work on the strategies if they have to compete with tougher and bigger sides. They would take these bitter memories and some positives from the World Cup. Given the chance and frequent exposures might make a good team of UAE….

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Match 28: Shami-Dhoni pioneer a thrilling win for India against West-Indies

Date: 06.03.2015

Venue: W.A.C.A Ground, Perth, Australia

West Indies had almost ruffled the winning habit of India in this World Cup had a responsible partnership between Captain Cool MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin for the 7^th wicket not come for the rescue of Team India. India had messed up chasing a modest total of 183 runs to win and were almost in trouble after losing 6 wickets with 49 runs to win. Earlier India were given a platform to win their 4^th match in a row by a superb bowling display by Mohammed Shami led Indian bowling attack.

Highlights of the Match:

West Indies did not have a good start after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Indian bowlers were in fury and chocked West Indies from getting free runs. The attack was planned from both ends and was executed to perfection first by Indian quickies and later supported by the spin department. After 9.1 overs WI were struggling at 35 for 4. Indian fielding was sloppy as they dropped a few crucial catches but compensated to hold on to a few good ones not allowing West Indies to make good use of the dropped opportunities.

Shami-Sharp and accurate with the ball:

Mohammed Shami led the bowling attack for India as he picked 3 wickets giving away just 35 runs in his 8 over spell. He gave the most needed start for India by dismissing Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle at the beginning and came back to pick the vital wicket of Darren Sammy. He was well assisted by Umesh Yadav (2 for 42), Ravindra Jadeja (2 for 27), Ashwin (1 for 38) and Mohit Sharma (1 for 35) at the other end.

Holder holds on for WI:

Even as the wickets started falling at one end, Jason Holder held on to one end to extend the West Indies batting reign for more time than expected by India. He put on 39 runs for 8^th wicket with Darren Sammy (21 runs) and 51 runs with Jerome Taylor for the 9^th wicket extending the West Indies total from 85 for 7 to 182. Holder frustrated the Indian bowlers and made India chase 35-40 runs more. Holder was the last batsman to get out. He made 57 runs in 64 balls giving WI a decent total to defend.

Taylor shock for India:

Jerome Taylor gave a good start for West Indies as he dismissed both the Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma even before they troubled the scorers. India chasing a small total took to a cautious start but West Indies took on their nerves and made the total look big enough to chase down. India were struggling at 20 for 2 in 7 overs.

Virat Kohli (33 runs) and Ajinkya Rahane (14 runs) stabilised things for India by putting a 43 run partnership for the 3^rd wicket but West Indies bowlers came up with aggressive spells and dismissed both of them in quick successions to reduce India to 78 for 4 in 17.5 overs. The quick dismissals of Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja put India in a situation of Panic with the score board reading 134 for 6.

Dhoni-Ashwin guide India to victory:

India needed someone to bat with senses with MS Dhoni to see India through with a win. With MSD himself in not great touch with the bat and the Indian tail left over, West Indies would have fancied a win but that was not to be. MSD played a sensible knock reading the pitch and playing conditions. He got a good support at the other end by Ravichandran Ashwin (16 runs, 32 balls). MS Dhoni finished unbeaten on a match winning 45 in 56 balls with 3 fours and a six. It was an uncharacteristic innings from MSD but with the perspective of the match it would be considered as a superb innings from the Indian Captain. India won the match with almost 11 overs remaining. It was not a convincing win but India will take this win as it helped tehm to stay at the top of the points tally in Group B.

It was a “So near yet so far” situation for West Indies but it would have been the same scenario for team India as well. Fortune favours the brave and India held on to the nerves when it mattered the most.

West Indies too would have loved to win the match after the bowlers created a chance from nowhere. This win would have guaranteed a semi-final berth for the islanders. But they have to wait for their part of fortune and calculations to work in their favour.

India on the other hand should go to the drawing tables and work on their batting. They cannot take wins for granted nor can expect the top 3-4 batsmen to come to the party each and every time. The middle and lower order will be tested and they have to deliver with the bat too.

For all the right reasons, Shami was adjudged the Player of the Match for his beautiful spell with the ball which laid the foundation for India to grab yet another win….

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Match 19: Devil deVilliers haunts Windies as South Africa triumph by 257 runs

Date: 27.02.2015

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney, Australia

AB de Villiers re-writes many chapters in history books of ODI and CWC as South Africa humiliate West Indies by a mammoth 257 run win. In one of the best and rare demolition acts one gets to see in limited overs cricket, AB de Villiers displayed in-human form to belt the West Indies bowlers to all corners of SCG to register a 400+ total on board, too much in the asking for Windies to give a chase or even to think about it. South African bowlers led by Imran Tahir’s 5 wicket haul bid the rest of destruction to snatch a 257 run win from the hands of West Indies. En-way to success, de Villiers smashed the fastest 150 in ODI history.

Highlights of the Game:

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first

The decision suddenly looked wrong as runs were hard to come their way due to some good bowling and fielding from West Indies. It looked like SA are carrying their humiliation under the hands of Indians into this game and on the other hand WI are carrying the previous wins under their belt. The early dismissal of Quinton de Kock put SA on backfoot.

The revival:

South Africa were only 30+ on board after 10 overs and had lost a wicket. Hashim Amla (65 runs, 88 balls) and Faf du Plessis (62 runs, 70 balls) who were playing in the shell suddenly opened up and started targeting the odd balls and bad ones too. Suddenly the devil in the pitch looked to disappear. The duo put on 127 runs in 142 balls for the 2^nd wicket and set the foundation for South Africa on which the rest of the batsmen in queue could magnify the score.

Gayle’s double:

When everything was going the SA way, Chris Gayle turned the match in favour of his team when he dismissed both the set batsmen in space of 2 balls. At the 29.4 over level SA were 146 for 3. They needed someone to anchor the final 20 overs and take the table to a respectable and defendable total.

2^nd foundation by Rilee and de Villiers

Rilee Rossouw came in as a surprise package and played like dynamite. He made his captain AB de Villiers relax and concentrate on his game by switching on the gears. His high voltage innings comprised of 6 fours and a six. He made 61 runs in 39 balls and put on a stabilizing partnership of 134 runs in 75 balls for the 4^th wicket. Now South Africa were looking dangerous. At one stage they looked like scoring somewhere around 275 – 280 runs and suddenly 350 runs were on cards. AB de Villiers was not to be left behind and did not prefer to play the 2^nd fiddle. The smashing of Rilee made a strong impact on AB and he too opened up to belt the WI bowlers to all ends of the park.

Demolition from Ruthless ‘DEVIL’liers:

AB de Villiers was on rampage and made a series of records to lead SA to a mammoth total of 408, the 2^nd highest in CWC history. De Villiers hitting was an alien attack on Windies which they had never expected. The whole West Indian contingent were spectators and on the receiving end. except them the whole world was enjoying one of the best batting performances in the shorter format. AB de Villiers played a gem of an innings seen once in a life time. He let his bat do the talking and silenced all his critics by hitting the fastest 150 in the history of the World Cup and ODI. He missed out on smashing the record for the fastest hundred by 2 balls when he achieved the feat in 52 balls. ABD finished unbeaten on 162 runs just made in 66 balls, the 66 over hundred coming in just 14 balls.

West Indies would consider themselves lucky that ABD did not open for SA or else they would have given the opportunity of seeing the world’s first 300 from this batting genius. We would just have missed the fastest 200!!!!!

ABD smashed 17 fours and 8 sixes in his brutal knock which not only subdued the WI bowlers but also humiliated them. He made a big win sure for SA by putting on 134 runs for the 4^th wicket in 75 balls followed by a 48 run partnership (27 balls) with David Miller and a 80 run partnership in just 20 balls for the 6^th wicket with Behardien with himself scoring 68 runs of the partnership in just 15 balls.

South Africa finished with 408 for 5 in their 50 overs and gave a heart-thumping target to West Indies. The WI now had to produce a world record if they had to chase this down or they would plan to get as many runs as possible and lose with a small margin to keep their net run rate intact.

West Indies face Abbott destruction:

The mammoth total played on the mind of the West Indies batsmen as they came to chase. To make the matters worse Kyle Abbott cleaned up the timber of the World Record creator Chris Gayle in the 2^nd over to send him home with almost nothing on board. In his next over he dismissed Marlon Samuels reducing West Indies to 116 for 2. Both the batsmen who were involved in the World Record Partnership against Zimbabwe a couple of days ago were back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. The scenario for a South Africa win was set by Abbott.

Tahir Trouble:

Imran Tahir produced a superb 2 wicket over in the 12^th over of WI chase. He dismissed Dwayne Smith and Lendl Simmons in the first and last ball of the over to put SA in drivers seat. In the previous over Morne Morkel had sent Carter home. Thus WI dug their grave by losing 3 wickets in a space of 7 balls for 1 run. SA were sensing a win….a big win…!!!!

Imran Tahir was not to stop here. He dismissed Darren Sammy & Andre Russell in the 18^th over in space of 4 balls and returned in the 26^th over to dismiss Dinesh Ramdin to register a 5 wicket haul and put his team on the verge of victory.

West Indies lose by big margin:

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel finished off the final rites by dismissing Jason Holder and Sulaiman Benn to end the West Indies chase at 151 in 33.1 overs. West Indies lost the match by 257 runs. It is not bad to give 400 runs in ODI format when players like ABD are going a demons way but it was criminal to see the attitude with which WI gave a chase and lost the match with a big margin. The West Indies batsmen showed zero character and nil application. It was hurting to see the same Windies team which created the World Record in their previous outing to lose in a record way. West Indies would have lost by 300 runs had it not been for a small resistance at the end by Jason Holder (56 runs, 48 balls). It was important for Windies to hold ground and bat for 50 overs and get as close as possible to the SA total. That would help them in maintaining the NRR. The WI batsmen had no clue whatsoever so as to what was happening and before they could realise Imran Tahir and party bundled them out.

For South Africa, it would be a superb win in terms of margin and it has also done some addition to their NRR. This would relieve them from the Indian humiliation and would help them to believe in themselves and win a few more matches in a convincing way.

Captain ABD led SA from the front and has given them another chance to bounce back in the CWC and prove their existence. AB de Villiers was adjudged the Player of the Match for all the right and great things he did in the match…..

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Match 15: Gayle knocks first double-ton in CWC history as West Indies crush Zimbabwe by 73 runs, Gayle-Samules record best partnership for any wicket in ODI and CWC history

Date: 24.02.2015

Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia

When a man called Chris Gayle plays…only he plays and the rest keep watching. It had become a rarity since the past 1 ½ years that Gayle has batted out any opposition. Gayle was looking like an easy fish and was susceptible to any Tom Dick and Harry bowler. The batsman who was once feared the most was looking to be living under the mercy of WI cricket board. Gayle did not carry good form in this world cup but it took one innings for this big man to re-write the record books.

Chris Gayle not only found form but also knocked down the first ever World Cup Double ton in history. Along with another partner – Marlon Samuels who too did not come into the World Cup with a great form Gayle recorded the highest runs for any wicket in ODI’s and World Cup’s. The duo put on 372 runs for the 2^nd wickets, the same number of runs that WI scored in the match.

Highlights of the Match:

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first.

Tinashe Panyangara gave the first break for Zimbabwe when he dismissed Smith for naught in the very 2^nd ball of the day. Zimbabwe rejoiced and celebrated. Little did they know that it would be their last laugh?

Arrival of GAYLE STORM…..

Chris Gayle….well this big man came to the party and created many records en-way to his Double Ton, the first of its sorts in a CWC match. After losing the first wicket, Gayle and Samuels played with caution and slowly accumulated runs. They too did not know that their partnership would only end in the last ball of the innings and would finish with a World Cup and ODI record for highest runs put for any wicket. Gayle opened up after his century and went on to make a famous 200. Gayle was dismissed in the last ball of the innings for a superb 215 in 147 balls. His innings included 16 massive sixes and 10 fours. Gayle’s 200 was the first in the World Cup and a first by a Non-Indian (Indians had all the 4 double hundreds to their credit before this). His 200 was the fastest ever (138 balls). His 16 sixes was a record levelled with the number of sixes hit by Rohit Sharma and AB de Villiers and the highest ever in a WC match.

World Record Partnership:

Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels put 372 runs for the 2^nd wicket. This is a record for the highest partnership for any wicket in ODI’s and also in Cricket World Cup. Marlon Samuels played 2^nd fiddle alongside Gayle but his superb innings was not too much masked. With a superb 133 in 156 balls (11×4, 3×6) would make Samuels an unsung hero in the history for his contribution. The partnership will remain in the record books right at the top unless erased by some-other better partnership.

West Indies made 372 for 2, with Gayle getting dismissed in the last ball of the innings.

Zimbabwe Chase:

The massive total would anyhow be an uphill and impossible task for Zimbabwe team. The target was revised to 362 runs to be achieved in 48 overs (D/L method) due to rain disturbance.

Even after losing early wickets, Zimbabwe managed to score 289 runs before being all out in 44.3 overs. Useful contributions came from the blades of Sean Williams (76 runs), Craig Ervine (52 runs) and Brendan Taylor (37 runs) but the total was too much in the asking for Zimbabwe batsmen. But it should be said that Zimbabwe did not surrender cheaply to WI bowlers.

Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder picked 3 wickets each. Chris Gayle was a star with the ball too. He picked 2 wickets and contributed with the ball too. The day belonged to Gayle. It was pleasant to see him do some catching and dancing in the middle.

West Indies looked a renewed team after their win over Pakistan. They have learnt quick lessons from their loss to Ireland. These lessons would take them to new peaks of success if they keep playing the way they did today.

Chris Gayle was rightly adjudged the Player of the Match…for his double ton, 2 wickets and all those records he created en-way….What an entertainer!!!!!!!!!!!