The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
By Michelangelo Jacobus
The West Indies got their 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign underway yesterday with a five-wicket win over minnows Papua New Guinea with an over to spare, albeit not without the usual bumpy ride that fans have grown accustomed to.
After winning the toss and inserting PNG to bat at the Providence National Stadium in Guyana, the West Indies bowlers did well early on and had PNG at 50/4 at the end of the 9th over.
Playing in front of a sparse crowd, Sese Bau and Charles Amin took their side out of trouble, with the former getting to 50 from 43 deliveries to steer his side to what would end up being a competitive 136/7 from their allotted 20 overs.
Of the six bowlers employed by Rovman Powell, only Roston Chase went wicketless but was miserly nonetheless. Andre Russell was the pick of the bowlers, snaring 2/19 (3 overs), while Alzarri Joseph sent down four overs, returning 2/34. Gudakesh Motie (1/24, 3 overs), Romario Shepherd (1/23, 3 overs), and Akeal Hosein (1/9, 3 overs) all chipped in with a wicket each.
In chase of 137 for victory, Roston Chase played his role as an anchor in the middle-order to perfection before accelerating when needed. Chase’s 42 not out (27 balls) proved pivotal to the West Indian victory, especially since at the end of the 16th over in their run chase, they had found themselves five wickets down with 40 needed from 24 balls.
The West Indies run-chase was one of a roller-coaster, as batsmen found the going tough. Before Chase and Andre Russell guided them safely home, Alei Nao found immediate success in the second over, trapping Johnson Charles lbw for a first ball duck and could have added the prized scalp of Nicholas Pooran three balls later in the same fashion.
However, while the on-field umpire gave it not out, replays and ball tracking showed that had Nao chosen to review the decision, it would have been out as the ball was going to hit the stumps.
After a brief shower of rain interrupted play, opener Brandon King kept dealing in boundaries to take a chunk out of the total with his 34 off 29 balls. However, he too departed, caught by Lega Siaka off the bowling of Captain Assad Vala.
Pooran, making the most of his second life, also laboured at the crease, making an uncharacteristic run-a-ball 27 before he was caught by Tony Ura off John Kariko.
Skipper Rovman Powell (15) and homeboy Sherfane Rutherford (2) were both caught behind by wicketkeeper Kiplin Doriga off the bowling of Chad Soper and Vala, respectively.
Despite the loss of key wickets, Chase held his own before unleashing in the 18th and 19th overs, carving out four fours and two sixes en route to victory. Russell smashed a single six in his 15 not out, accompanying Chase to the end.
Speaking to the media after his man-of-the-match performance, Chase noted, “I’m very pleased. Starting the tournament with a win is always good. I needed to take it home for the team, and I did it.”
Outside of the on-field action, some patrons were dissatisfied with the organisers’ decision to move the concession zones from their customary position under the various stands to a general area in the stadium’s compound.
Speaking to this publication, quite a few people found it inconvenient to be walking back and forth from their seats to get refreshments. While the red and green stands hardly had patrons, the grass mound and orange stand had a decent crowd of supporters. Again, some fans opined that maybe the early 10:30 a.m. start time and the quality of opposition that the West Indies were facing impacted the crowd turnout.
Up next for the West Indies is Uganda on Saturday (June 8). Tonight at 8:30pm, Afghanistan will take on Uganda at the Providence National Stadium.
