Napier, Mar 15: Skipper Jason Holder led from the front with a four-wicket haul as West Indies defeated UAE by six wickets in their crucial final round-robin Pool B match to keep their hopes alive in the ICC cricket World Cup, here today.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Holder (4/27) got useful support from fellow fast medium bowler Jerome Taylor, who returned figures of 3/36, to help West Indies bundle out their opponents for a paltry 175 in 47.4 overs at the McLean Park.
Lower-order batsmen Nasir Aziz (60) and Amjad Javed (56) emerged as the main contributors for the side batting first after the top and middle-order failed miserably.
In reply, the West Indies chased down the target in 30.3 overs.
West Indies, who now have three victories and as many defeats from six games, needed to win this match to stay alive in the competition. Their prospects also hinges on the outcome of the day’s another contest between Pakistan and Ireland. It is likely to boil down to net run rate to decide the third and fourth places from the group.
UAE are already out of the tournament, having lost all their six matches.
After being bowled out so cheaply, it was always going to be a difficult task for the UAE bowlers, even in the absence of the big-hitting opener Chris Gayle in the opposition line-up.
Johnson Charles made a brisk 55 off 40 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes, getting the chase off to a quick start. West Indies, though, lost Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels cheaply.
After Charles’ dismissal, Jonathan Carter (50 not out) guided the team home in the company of Denesh Ramdin, who contributed an unbeaten 33 off 50 balls with the help of two fours.
During his 58-ball knock, Carter found the fence five times.
Earlier, Holder led the way with his inspired bowling and Taylor was also impressive.
UAE would have been out for much less then what they eventually managed, had it not been for the seventh-wicket century partnership between Aziz and Javed.
Reeling at 26 for five, the duo got together when UAE lost their sixth wicket in the form of Swapnil Patil, making it 46 for six in the 14th over.
Mixing caution with aggression, the two added 107 runs for the seventh wicket to not only steady the ship but also give their innings a semblance of respectability.
For the West Indies, their bowlers needed to bowl out the opposition to as low a total as possible, and they did just that.
Their dominance was evident from the fact that none of the UAE batsmen, barring Aziz and Javed, could get going after being invited to bat.
Mohammad Naveed (14) was the only other player to get to double digit, as the top-order batting put up a pathetic show in the face of some disciplined bowling form the West Indies pacers.
Andre Russell picked up 2/20, while there was one wicket for Marlon Sameuls, who bowled economically to concede 25 runs from his 10 overs. PTI
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