West Indies 108 for 2 (Biza 35, Ndhlovu 25; Jahzara Claxton 3-14) beat Zimbabwe 106 for 7 (Brathwaite 57, Grimmond 23*; Christine Mutasa 1-15) by 8 wickets
Eboni Brathwaite’s 23-ball 57 helped the West Indies chase 107 in 55 deliveries to claim an eight-wicket win in their second Women’s T20I against Zimbabwe on Monday. The result also gives the Caribbean side a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Brathwaite hit six maximums, two of which came in Nomvelo Sibanda’s 16-run opening over, setting the tone for the visitors' chase. The fall of Jahzara Claxton (4) in the third did not deter Brathwaite, who took Nyasha Gwanzura for three consecutive maximums to begin the fourth, followed by a boundary.
The 17-year-old brought up her maiden T20I fifty in 20 deliveries, the fastest by a West Indian woman. When Brathwaite departed with the penultimate delivery of the powerplay, the West Indies required 38 runs from 84 balls.
Hope led from the front with 162 not out, his 21st ODI hundred
West Indies 352 for 5 (Hope 162*, Jangoo 67; Naman 1-33) beat India 351 for 7 (Rahul 129*, Rohit 92, Seales 3-62) by 5 wickets
West Indies captain Shai Hope says he was confident at the halfway stage of the third One-Day International against India on Saturday, knowing the required 352 meant his team would need to complete their highest successful chase in the format to win.
“Honestly, in India you always feel you can chase any score down,” Hope began. “The conditions tend to get a little bit better for batting. It's a lot wetter; dew comes into play, and the ball tends to come off of the bat a lot nicer. We always had faith in our batters to get the job done.”
After being on the end of consecutive crushing defeats, Hope hit a masterful unbeaten 162, helping the Caribbean side to better their previous record chase—328 against Ireland in 2019—by a significant margin. They did so without the availability of Jewell Andrew and Vitel Lawes.
Andrew was taken to the hospital for an X-ray after sustaining a blow to his finger while taking the catch which dismissed Naman Dhir. Lawes was forced off the field after bowling just five overs.
Following Cricket West Indies’ announcement that contracted players will lose 25% of their annual retainer contracts, CEO Chris Dehring reiterated that every operational cost of the organisation is being evaluated.
In CWI’s stakeholder address, issued on their YouTube channel on September 24, where the changes were first disclosed, Dehring hinted at potential salary reductions for their staff in a “strive to improve operating efficiency."
“Every expense line item of Cricket West Indies operations is also being actively reviewed and reduced,” Dehring said at the time. He expounded on the complication days later in an interview with Cricinfo.
“Obviously, concerning the staff, we have labour laws, contracts, etc., given that they're unionised. So we have to go through certain processes, including consultations with the union in Antigua, which we have had. But there is no expense line item untouched.
Chris Dehring alongside The Hon. Gaston Browne and Dr. Kishore Shallow
India coach Gautam Gambhir says, 'This is not cricket.'
West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul voiced concerns regarding the playing conditions at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium after India overhauled his side’s 405 to complete the second-highest run-chase in One-Day Internationals in Guwahati on Wednesday.
In his post-match comments, Rampaul credited the hosts, saying it “was a good batting performance by the Indian team… on a very good batting-friendly pitch.” He was also quick to admit his bowlers “weren't consistent enough.”
The former Windies seamer was, however, adamant that “400 runs, chased down in 43 overs, is not right.”
“Flat pitches are everywhere now, but this is flat and more like a batting track because they allow nothing for the spinners, nothing for the fast bowlers,” Rampaul said. “Obviously, who scores more runs wins the game, and it's tough for bowlers coming into these conditions.”
India complete second-highest run-chase in ODI history
India 406 for 2 (Gill 223*, Rohit 101; Joseph 1-52) beat West Indies 405 for 7 (Jangoo 114, Hope 104, Campbell 101; Kuldeep 2-65) by 8 wickets
On a day they produced three centurions and scored 405—their highest ODI total—the West Indies were outclassed by India, suffering an 8-wicket defeat which gives the hosts a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The Barsapara Stadium produced 811 runs and five hundreds on the night, but it was a monster unbeaten double from Indian captain Shubman Gill (223*), along with the century from partner Rohit Sharma, with whom he shared in a match-winning 255-run opening stand, that guided India to victory.
Outside of the three-over period between the second and sixth, where opening bowlers Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph conceded 13 runs in 23 balls, there was no hiccup in the Indian chase.
Shai Hope threw the ball to Vitel Lawes in the 18th over with the score 169 for no loss. The hosts took two overs to assess the young wrist-spinner before applying the same treatment.
Both opportunities Windies missed resulted in Rohit’s survival. A Keemo Paul bouncer flew off Rohit’s bat but fell just short of a diving Lawes at backward point with the score on 79 in the 10th. Then, in a more straightforward chance, Rohit was dropped by Keacy Carty off Lawes with the score on 204.
