Windies see off Afghanistan for their second win

Chris Gayle removed Afghanistan top-scorer Ikram Alikhil with his tame off-breaks as the West Indies secured just their second win of a chastening World Cup campaign on Thursday.

The Caribbean side scored 311 for six in their 50 overs in Leeds and although the Afghans put up a brave fight, they ultimately went down by 23 runs.

Gayle, almost certainly playing in his final World Cup match at the age of 39, failed with the bat but struck with the ball, trapping Alikhil lbw for 86 in the 36th over to put a huge dent in Afghanistan's slim hopes of victory.

Despite the victory, two-time former champions West Indies remain second-bottom of the 10-team table and will slink home with just two wins from nine matches.

Afghanistan have flickered in spells during only their second World Cup — going close against India and Pakistan — but head home with a dispiriting nine defeats out of nine.

The West Indies, who smashed 111 runs of the last 10 overs, had captain Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran to thank for their acceleration after solid contributions from Evin Lewis (58), Shai Hope (77) and Shimron Hetmyer (39).

Gayle was caught behind after a slash against Dawlat Zadran for just seven and remains 10 runs short of Brian Lara's all-time West Indian record of 10,348 one-day international runs.

Pooran picked up where he left off against Sri Lanka, hitting 58 to add to his century in a losing cause earlier this week, Holder smashed a quickfire 45 while Carlos Brathwaite lashed 14 off four balls.

In reply, Alikhil put on 133 for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah (62) and there were notable contributions by Najibullah Zadran and Asghar Afghan but ultimately they did not have the batting firepower to get them over the line.

Paceman Kemar Roach was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-37 in his 10 overs.

West Indies began the tournament with a comprehensive seven-wicket win against Pakistan and many tipped them as dark horses for the title, with a power-packed batting line-up and fearsome pace attack.

But they have been error-prone and lacklustre, failing to turn their promising positions into concrete results.

Afghanistan will head home with more experience under the belts but with major questions over their batting strength and their lack of quality seam bowlers.

Even highly rated leg-spinner Rashid Khan ended the tournament with just six wickets after taking 1-52 on Thursday.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Dibyangshu Sarkar

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Afghanistan, Windies target victory to end their campaign on a high

Thursday’s encounter at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will see two bottom teams in the table take on each other as Afghanistan clash swords with West Indies in Leeds’ Headingley Stadium. Both sides have already been eliminated from the competition but nevertheless would be keen to end their competition on a high with a win in their final league game.

Afghanistan played out a few thrillers against India and Pakistan in the past couple of weeks, although they sadly ended on the wrong side of the result on both occasions. Heading into the game against the Windies, the Afghan side would be looking for a more clinical performance to get over the line. Their bowling unit, particularly the spin department, has been brilliant with the trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman successfully strangling the opposition’s scoring rate while picking a few wickets.

The batting unit though would be eyeing improvements as the likes of Asghar Afghan, Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi have been getting starts in their games but struggling to make the most of them. One of those three would have to get a big score in the next league game if Afghanistan are to get their first win.

West Indies too have been on the receiving end of a few close games, with their inability to finish games potentially costing their semi-finals hopes. The batting unit for the Caribbean team has been solid, with either of Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran or Shimron Hetmyer scoring consistently this World Cup. However, the more experienced players like Chris Gayle or Jason Holder would be looking to go out with a bang.

Windies’ Achilles heel though have been their bowling unit, as they have conceded in excess of 300 runs thrice in the tournament. Sheldon Cottrell has been the main wicket-taker for the side, but the rest of the players like Oshane Thomas and Kemar Roach have proved to be expensive. The pace battery would be looking to be economical in their final World Cup game.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Lindsey Parnaby

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Holder promises West Indies will 'look after' Nicholas Pooran

West Indies captain Jason Holder vowed to "look after" Nicholas Pooran after his maiden one-day international century so nearly led to a stunning World Cup win over Sri Lanka on Monday.

Sri Lanka posted an imposing 338 for six, a total built on Avishka Fernando's first hundred at this level, in a match between two sides whose hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals had already evaporated before a ball was bowled at Chester-le-Street.

But Pooran, well supported by Fabian Allen (51), got the West Indies close to a target of 339 -- which would have been a new World Cup record for a winning side batting second -- before they lost by 23 runs.

Defeat meant the West Indies have now lost seven matches in a row after starting the tournament with an impressive win over Pakistan.

But Holder took some comfort from 23-year-old left-hander Pooran's century.

"Nicholas played an outstanding innings, he knocked it around as easily as he possibly could," said Holder as he reflected on Pooran's 118 off 103 balls, including 11 fours and four sixes.

"What he has produced is what we expect him to produce, we want him to get better and improve," the all-rounder added. 

Read | Sri Lanka survive scare to beat West Indies in World Cup

"We selected him for a reason and gave him full backing to go and play the game he wants to play.

"Yes he will make mistakes as a young player but it is important for development to take place.

"We will look after Nicholas the best we possibly can, I expect big things. 

"He has got the talent, ability to change gears, he can improvise, has every shot in the locker and it is just a matter of him putting it together more often."

For the West Indies, the winners of the first two World Cups back in 1975 and 1979, it was yet another case of what might have been after they squandered chances to beat reigning champions Australia and then saw Carlos Brathwaite fall just short of what would have been a match-winning six against New Zealand.

"It is disappointing to come so close on a number of stages and not get that win," said Holder.

The West Indies end their involvement at this World Cup against Afghanistan, still searching for their first win of the tournament, on Thursday.

"We have shown some fight this entire campaign," said Holder.

"I'm proud of certain individuals who definitely put their hands up and put their hearts on the line."

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lindsey Parnaby

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Holder wants West Indies to dig deep against India

West Indies captain Jason Holder says he is proud of his players but wants them to put everything together in a "perfect" World Cup performance against India.

The two-time champions opened their campaign with a convincing victory against Pakistan but have not won since and, barring an unlikely sequence of results, will be heading home after the group phase.

Batsmen Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Carlos Brathwaite have shown glimpses of what they can offer but have failed to win games for the team.

Brathwaite hit his maiden one-day international century in West Indies' ultimately fruitless chase of a target of 292 against New Zealand on Saturday.

Holder urged his team to show fight on Thursday against Virat Kohli's unbeaten side, who look certain to reach the semi-finals.

"We've shown glimpses here and there of what we can produce. And as a side we just haven't brought it together collectively more often than not," Holder said at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

"And it's hurt us in games before. So tomorrow is another opportunity for us to bring it all together and play a perfect game."

The West Indies' World Cup hopes were hit by injuries to Evin Lewis and Andre Russell, who has been replaced by Sunil Ambris in the squad, but Holder said the batsmen should step up despite the problems.

"Injuries have definitely plagued us. But I've been proud of them so far. I think for them it's just a matter for them to grasp batting on the international circuit," said Holder.

"And I think Shai has done a reasonable job so far. Hety (Hetmyer) has shown glimpses of brilliance, as well as Nicholas. It's up to them to take it deeper. They've got to be the rock and soul for our team.

"And they've got to set up games and learn to close them out. And a guy who has done that over the tournament is (New Zealand captain) Kane Williamson."

West Indies are languishing in eighth spot in the 10-team table with just three points as the group stage nears its conclusion.

"In terms of the squad, I think everybody's upbeat for the occasion. Playing India is always a big game for West Indies, and we're looking forward to it," said Holder.

"First we need to finish the campaign as best as we can. And our objective is to win all three games."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / WindiesCricket

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Shakib keeps the all-rounder’s flag flying at the World Cup

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is a rare talent who could command a place in the Bangladesh team as either a batsman or a bowler in an age of increasing specialisation in cricket.

The 32-year-old has others for company at the World Cup, including West Indies captain Jason Holder and England's Ben Stokes.

But today's all-rounders do not have the same profile as they did during a golden era in the 1980s when England's Ian Botham, Pakistan's Imran Khan, Kapil Dev of India and New Zealander Richard Hadlee vied for top-dog status in the global game.

Shakib, the world's top-rated all-rounder in one-day internationals, inspired Bangladesh to a convincing win over Afghanistan with his five wickets and 51 runs on Monday, matching Yuvraj Singh's feat for India at the 2011 World Cup.

Shakib has scored 476 runs with two centuries and three fifties in six games in England and Wales and has also picked up 10 wickets.

Stokes and New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme have also caught the eye during the round-robin phase but Shakib, a left-arm spinner and left-handed batsman, has been the standout all-rounder.

Former West Indies paceman Ian Bishop said such players remained sought after.

"Everyone wants an Imran Khan (the current Pakistan prime minister who led his team to a 1992 World Cup triumph) or Shakib Al Hasan but they don't fall out of the trees," he said.

"Every team wants one of those (all-rounders). You don't go out and buy those. The core of the team is always built around the specialist but the all-rounder still has its place.

"If you look at New Zealand and Colin de Grandhomme chipping in. England have a number of guys who are specialist bowlers but they can also bat and that is what makes them such a strong unit."

India have unearthed Hardik Pandya as a genuine all-rounder to follow in Kapil's footsteps but he is yet to fire fully at the World Cup.

England star Stokes made his presence felt in a losing cause against Sri Lanka when he hit an unbeaten 82 and bowled five overs for just 16 runs.

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh believes all-rounders such as Pandya and Stokes justify their places as batsmen or bowlers.

"Hardik Pandya fits any batting position, the kind of technique he has got. He can bat at three, four, five, six or seven in different moulds at all times as the situation demands and is a proper bowler," Harbhajan said.

"If you have all-rounders like him or Ben Stokes, they will fit in any squad, Test or one-day. They are specialists in both departments. They are not bits-and-pieces players.

"Hardik or Stokes can play just as a batsman because they are good enough and can play just as bowlers."

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Saeed Khan

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Windies flatter to deceive once again

The West Indies started their 2019 ICC World Cup campaign in style, blowing Pakistan away to revive memories of their glory days of swashbuckling batting and fearsome fast bowling.

But, six games in, it is a familiar tale of what-ifs as the two-time champions contemplate another failed campaign dogged by their old foe — inconsistency.

Carlos Brathwaite on Saturday exemplified West Indies' fighting spirit and impressive reserves of talent, smashing a breathtaking century to take his side agonisingly close to victory against New Zealand at Old Trafford.

But instead of completing an unlikely and glorious win, Jason Holder's team lost by five runs, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the 50-over event.

It is a familiar scenario for West Indies sides and former paceman Ian Bishop believes the lack of time the team's core group spends together is one reason for their below-par showing in England and Wales.

"Obviously they are a talented team," Bishop told AFP. "They haven't been together for a long time, unlike teams like England, New Zealand and India, who have had a core group for a long time.

"This team hasn't had that for different reasons, whether it's injury or guys going to different leagues, which is understandable. So, I think that has hindered preparation."

West Indies cricket went through huge upheavals after the team cut short their tour of India in 2014 due to a payment dispute between the players and the board.

Dwayne Bravo was sacked as one-day international captain and Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy were sidelined.

AFP Photo/ Oli Scarff

The enormously talented and charismatic Chris Gayle subsequently became a "gun for hire", playing in leagues all around the world as coaches came and went.

Bishop said the changing support staff had not helped team-building -- Floyd Reifer was appointed interim head coach after the sacking of Richard Pybus in April.

A change in guard at Cricket West Indies saw Ricky Skerritt succeed controversial predecessor Dave Cameron as president in March.

"There have been changes in the selection panel and things like that -- change in coaches, so different philosophies have evolved over the last three or four years," said Bishop, who also called for a shake-up in Caribbean domestic cricket.

"It's not just these guys, -- West Indies cricket has struggled for a fair while now in different formats at different times. In Twenty20 they are kings of the world. Some credit needs to be given there."

The West Indies witnessed an upturn in fortunes on the pitch with a shock 2-1 Test series win over England and 2-2 ODI series draw earlier this year.

But the stark truth is that the former undisputed kings of world cricket under Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards have not won an ODI series since 2014.

Remind Holder, who has been captain since 2015, of West Indies' rich legacy and the pressure it might put on the present side and he smilingly says, "no pressure".

"We need to be a little bit more consistent in what we're doing," he said after the heartbreaking loss to New Zealand at Old Trafford. "But as I said before, we're really, really proud of the way the guys fought."

West Indies, world champions in 1975 and 1979, started the World Cup with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Pakistan only to lose steam, with defeats to Australia, England and Bangladesh.

But they can take heart from good individual batting performances from Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope and Brathwaite.

Pacemen Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell have also impressed with their pace and swing in English conditions and Bishop is more than happy with the talent on tap, saying many of the players are relatively inexperienced.

"So again it goes back to how much experience some of these guys have in this format. You look around, how much India have, how much England have had," he said.

"How much Australia have had with players such as Mitchell Starc, who is a World Cup winner. So it's an experience thing but domestically more needs to be done to support the players."

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Oli Scarff

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West Indies still in race for World Cup semis, insists Holder

Jason Holder on Friday claimed his struggling West Indies are still in the hunt to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals ahead of their game against unbeaten New Zealand in Manchester.

Holder will be without injured all-rounder Andre Russell on Saturday, but the West Indies skipper is adamant his team shouldn't be counted out yet.

West Indies started the tournament by beating Pakistan in their opener but soon lost momentum with defeats to Australia, England and Bangladesh.

Another loss would effectively end their last four hopes, but Holder says it is just a matter of bringing their best game to the table against the Black Caps, a side who they out-played in a pre-tournament warm up last month.

"I think we still have a possible chance to qualify for the semi-finals, but we've just got to take it game by game," Holder told reporters at Old Trafford.

"This encounter with New Zealand is very important. We all know what's at stake and we just have to come and bring our 'A' game. It's as simple as that."

On Russell's fitness, Holder said he is definitely out of the weekend clash, but the rest of the squad in available for selection.

"We've still got a few niggles within the group. We're trying to manage niggles the best we possibly can," said Holder.

"I think one guy who probably may be definitely out tomorrow is Russell. I don't think he's fit enough to go tomorrow. But everybody else should be good to go."

Russell, 31, has been struggling with a chronic knee injury for the last five years.

West Indies lost a close game to Australia on June 6 and then failed to defend 321 against Bangladesh early this week.

Holder said the team, which skipped practice on Friday but went through a bonding excercise, have tried to talk among themselves in a bid to get their act together.

"We've had a few frank discussions within the dressing room to find ways in which we can improve on. I think all teams would get themselves in that situation at some point," Holder said.

"But, yeah, we've had some pretty good discussions over the last couple of days. And tomorrow is just a day to deliver."

West Indies had posted 421 in their warm up against the Black Caps in Bristol and Holder said the performance was a testament of his team's abilities.

"It just shows what we can produce. It's a situation where we've just got to pull on those resources, remember the things that we did in that game," he said.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Saeed Khan

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Windies coach demands answers for dismal show

West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick has warned his side the time for excuses is over after defeat to Bangladesh left their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

The Caribbean team started their campaign in England and Wales in impressive style, beating Pakistan by seven wickets but have since lost to Australia, England and Bangladesh.

With games to come against fancied New Zealand and Virat Kohli's powerful India, the West Indies' chances of progressing to the semi-finals from the 10-team round-robin phase look bleak.

West Indies scored 321-8 in Taunton on Monday only to be undermined by an under-par bowling display as Bangladesh cruised home with seven wickets to spare.

Former Barbados player Estwick stressed the importance of the two-time world champions sticking together in the face of adversity. "We can stand here, saying 'if this' and 'if that' -- we didn't play well, we've lost the cricket game and that's that," he said.

"We've got to come back stronger. We've still got four games left in the tournament and we can't point fingers or apportion blame to anyone.

"We have to stick together, that's how good teams pull through. We've got to stop looking for excuses and start finding solutions."

Estwick paid tribute to Bangladesh, who kept their own World Cup hopes alive by taming the West Indies pace attack, while also promising his own side would come back with renewed vigour.

"Four years ago, everyone was saying how exciting and refreshing West Indies cricket looked," he said.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If we'd bowled spin against Bangladesh, everyone would have said that we should have stuck to our strengths.

"Four games down the road, it's the worst tactic in the world. Give Bangladesh credit. They played well and they're an improving side.

"They've played us now five times in the recent past and have beaten us every time. We just have to go away and put our heads together and find a solution. We're not down and out yet. We're going to fight and come back harder."

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Saeed Khan

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We fell 40-50 runs short, admits West Indies captain Jason Holder

West Indies captain Jason Holder has said that his team fell some 40-50 runs short during their seven-wicket loss to Bangladesh at Taunton on Monday.

Posting an impressive 322 on board on the back of Evin Lewis, Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer’s respective half-centuries, the West Indies bowling attack was well and truly expected to put the game to bed. As it seemed though, the Bangla Tigers were braced for the short pitch approach the Calypso Kings had in store.

Despite going 133/3, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Linton Das steadied the ship and went on to play the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in the World Cup. Speaking about his team’s total, Holder said,

“Think its a bit of both (batting and bowling). We were around 40-50 runs short, the wicket played well the entire day just that we didn't get enough runs,” Holder said during the post-match presentation.

Both Shakib and Das hammered the likes of Shannon Gabriel, Oshane Thomas and Chris Gayle to absolute perfection. The bowling trio ended their tenure with an economy of 9.18, 8.67 and 11.00 respectively.

“We could have been a lot more disciplined with the ball and we let ourselves down in the field as well. Would have been a little challenging in the first ten overs after losing the toss and being asked to bat. Having said that, we got through the first 10 overs reasonably well,” Holder added.

“We were in a situation where we just didn't get the momentum as we probably should in the middle-overs with the bat and we had too much to do in the back-end. As I said before if you score 320 here, you gotta fight really hard in the field to defend it.”

“We didn't get wickets, and also we let one or two chances slip. We tried to hit the top of the stumps but didn't do it consistently. There is no excuse, we should have been a lot more disciplined. We have got other games to play and from here on everything is virtually a final for us and we have to be more clinical.”

After five games, West Indies sit seventh on the log with a solitary win and three defeats in their kitty. They next face New Zealand at Old Trafford on June 22 in what can be termed as a must-win fixture.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Saeed Khan

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West Indies are World Cup underdogs against Bangladesh, says Holder

West Indies captain Jason Holder admits his spluttering side will be underdogs when they face Bangladesh in a crucial World Cup clash on Monday.

Beaten in two of their four group matches, Holder's team desperately need to secure their second win of the tournament as they chase a semi-final berth.

Level on three points after four games apiece, the West Indies and Bangladesh meet at Taunton hoping to deliver a potentially fatal blow to their rivals' chances of progression.

Recent history books makes for grim reading for the West Indies, with Bangladesh winning seven of their last nine meetings, including last month's Tri-Nation Series in Ireland.

Holder concedes the West Indies don't go into the match as favourites, but he is confident that will spur his players to upset the odds. "If you want to put us in the underdog category, fair enough," he told reporters on Sunday. "We've played them quite a bit in the past and they've got the better of us, but it's a different occasion and there's lots at stake, so we're all up for it.

"I don't think there are any easy teams in this World Cup. We're mid-table with five games left and the ball is in our court. We've got to play some consistent cricket going into the back half of the tournament. It's quite a good stage to pick up some momentum. It's a challenge against Bangladesh, so we just want to get over them and move forward."

The West Indies' potentially explosive batting line-up has yet to properly fire in this year's World Cup and Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza expects the Tigers to tame them in the west country.

The use of spinners Mehedy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan, both in wicket-taking form so far this World Cup, will be crucial to Bangladesh's game-plan at a ground with short boundaries.

"It's a very important match for us, especially losing a few points in the last three matches," Mashrafe said. "We've been quite successful against them with some off-spinners. And if you look at recently, Mehedy bowled really well against them. Also, he's bowling so well in this World Cup as well. Obviously the top five West Indies batsmen are left handers, and Mehedy bowled against them really well too. So, it's a positive sign. It's a small ground, too, so we have to think about it as well. West Indies have so much power to do it."

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Saeed Khan

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