The West Indies cricket team scored its first victory in an international game since June last year to level the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe at the Guyana National Stadium yesterday.
- Captain Chris Gayle receives the winnier’s cheque from GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie. (Orlando Charles photo)
Captain Chris Gayle and Man-of-the match Narsingh Deonarine, orchestrated the Caribbean side’s win and exacted revenge for their humiliating two-run defeat in the first ODI.
Gayle played a captain’s knock of 88 before he was brilliantly stumped by Tatenda Taibu but it was Deonarine’s mature knock of 65 not out that took the West Indies over the threshold as the team recorded 208-6 from 47.5 overs replying to Zimbabwe’s 206 all out in 49.5 overs.
The only other West Indian batsman to reach double figures was Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 10 while Darren Sammy was unbeaten on nine.
Earlier, the West Indies restricted the Africans, who won the toss for the second straight game, to 206 from 49.5 overs with Elton Chigumbura contributing and even half century; Brendon Taylor 47 and Taibu 31.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Nikita Miller led the way in the wickets column with career-best figures of 4-43 from nine overs.
He got great support from pacer Kemar Roach who took 3-37 from 9.5 overs.
When the Caribbean side began their reply, Gayle and his team was cognizant of the significance of yesterday’s match.
The team needed to snap their unflattering 14-game losing streak with a convincing win.
Gayle started purposefully by dispatching the second ball of the innings of Prosper Utseya for six over long off but as the saying goes “Old habits die hard.”
The characteristic domino effect of when one wicket falls for the WI a series of dismissals follows soon occurred. Opener Adrian Barath was dropped in the fourth over at midwicket off left arm spinner Ray Price before Gayle drove Utseya through cover then hit him for an overhead six as Barath became an onlooker.
Gayle lost Barath (7), David Bernard (1), Chanderpaul (10) and Adrian Fletcher (0), who scored his sixth international duck.
When Deonarine joined Gayle, he started positively and was scoring at an even faster rate than the normally explosive opener. Deonarine lit up the stadium with his aggressive stroke play and positive running between the wickets.
Gayle soon began to turn the strike over for Deonarine who kept the Zimbabwe fielders busy.
He used his feet well to the spinners whom he got most of his boundaries off chipping down to Price to hit the spinner straight back over his head for six.
Suddenly, Gayle got back to his boundary hitting ways when he reverse swept Graeme Cremer.
Gayle edged closer to three figures but he was denied that landmark when he chipped down the wicket and was stumped by Taibu.
Deonarine then regained control of the innings along with Kieron Pollard who effortlessly hit a six off Price over long on before holing out to long on. Sammy and Deonarine then carried West Indies to victory with comfort.
Price and Cremer picked up two wickets apiece while Taylor and Gregory Lamb got one apiece.
In the Zimbabwe innings, Brendan Taylor and the nifty Taibu’s alliance was formed after the second wicket that of Hamilton Masakadza (14) fell with the score on 34.
He was caught at third-man by Nikita Miller as he attempted to go over the ropes off the bowling of Roach.
The running between the wickets highlighted that partnership but Taylor’s four boundaries were all caressed gracefully through the cover and midwicket regions. Taibu also showed his class with his wristy stroke play but 59 runs into their partnership Taylor was trapped lbw to Chris Gayle for 47 when the score was 93.
With his departure in the 21st over left arm orthodox spinner Miller struck twice in quick succession when he had Stuart Matsikenyeri caught by Gayle at short cover for two and then Taibu caught at short fine leg by Shivnarine Chanderpaul after he swept and got a top edge; he faced 46 balls for his 31 which included two fours.
With half of the side gone for 107, right handed Gregory Lamb and Elton Chigumbura settled down to some rehabilitation work. They worked the ball around and picked up the odd boundary until the power play started in the 43rd over.
In the first over Chigumbura hit beanpole left arm spinner Sulieman Benn for back-to-back boundaries through backward square and then through the long region. The batting power play yielded 28 runs and the West Indies picked up the wickets of Lamb (28) and Chigumbura one ball after he reached his 50 from 67 balls.
SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE (maximum 50 overs)
H. Masakadza c Miller b Roach 14
V. Sibanda run out (Roach) 5
B. Taylor lbw b *Gayle 47
+T. Taibu c Chanderpaul b Miller 31
S. Matsikenyeri c Gayle b Miller 2
G. Lamb c and b Miller 23
E. Chigumbura c Deonarine b Roach 50
G. Cremer b Miller 17
*P. Utseya not out 6
R. Price b Roach 0
C. Mpofu run out (*Gayle/+Fletcher) 0
Extras (b1, lb5, w5) 11
TOTAL (all out, 49.5 overs) 206
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Sibanda, 0.5 overs); 2-34 (H. Masakadza, 6.5); 3-93 (Taylor, 20.6); 4-100 (Matsikenyeri, 23.6); 5-107 (+Taibu, 25.4); 6-180 (Lamb, 44.3); 7-183 (Chigumbura, 45.1); 8-205 (Cremer, 44.6); 9-206 (Price, 49.3)
Bowling: Roach 9.5-0-37-3; Bernard 4-1-22-0 (w1); Benn 9-1-37-0; Sammy 5-0-17-0; *Gayle 10-0-25-1 (w1); Miller 9-0-43-4 (w2); Pollard 3-0-19-0 (w1)
WEST INDIES (target: 207 from 50 overs)
*C. Gayle st Taibu b Cremer 88
A. Barath lbw b Price 7
D. Bernard st Taibu b Price 1
S. Chanderpaul lbw b Lamb 10
+A. Fletcher b Cremer 0
N. Deonarine not out 65
K. Pollard c Sibanda b Taylor 7
D. Sammy not out 9
Extras (lb4, w16, nb1) 21
TOTAL (6 wkts, 47.5 overs) 208
N. Miller, S. Benn, K. Roach did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Barath, 7.3 overs); 2-47 (Bernard, 9.4); 3-82 (Chanderpaul, 22.5); 4-85 +Fletcher, 25.3); 5-168 (*Gayle, 41.5); 6-187 (Pollard, 44.3)
Bowling: *Utseya 10-0-53-0; Price 8.5-0-31-2 (w3); Mpofu 4-1-30-0 (w4); Lamb 10-2-23-1 (w6); Cremer 10-0-44-2 (w1); Matsikenyeri 2-0-8-0 (w2); Chigumbura 2-0-9-0 (nb1); Taylor 1-0-6-1
Result: West Indies won by four wickets
Series: Five-match series level 1-1
Toss: Zimbabwe
Man-of-the-Match: Narsingh Deonarine (West Indies)
Umpires: C. Duncan, S. Taufel
TV umpire: N. Malcolm
Matchreferee: R. Mahanama
Reserve umpire: D. Somwaru
