West Indies 196 for 6 (Rutherford 76*, Chase 34; Rashid 2-16) beat England 166 all out (Curran 43*, Bethell 33; Motie 3-33) by 30 runs
A half-century from Sherfane Rutherford and a surprisingly electric display of spin bowling earned the West Indies a 30-run win over England in their ICC T20 World Cup Group C clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
They found themselves in early trouble after being sent to bat when Captain Shai Hope lashed at a short, wide one from fellow Barbadian Jofra Archer and was caught at cover for a 3-ball duck. Brandon King (1) then fell two balls later, taken in the deep off Sam Curran, leaving West Indies 8 for 2 in the 2nd over.
Roston Chase and the in-form Shimron Hetmyer countered with a 47-run third-wicket partnership. Chase, who was brought into the side as a replacement for Matthew Forde, got going with three consecutive fours off the off-spin of Will Jacks in the 4th before Hetmyer finished the over with a maximum.
Hetmyer’s 12-ball 23 ended when he was undone by the extra bounce of Jamie Overton, which gave England the upper hand at the end of the powerplay, with the West Indies 55 for 3.
While Chase (34) fell lbw to an Adil Rashid (2/16) googly in the 10th, Sherfane Rutherford opted for a measured start, scoring 10 from his first 13 deliveries. His first attacking shots were back-to-back sixes off Jacks in the 12th.
The veteran all-rounder believes communication and planning have laid the platform for a successful World Cup
When data analysts head to a player auction, they are certain of the areas that need to be filled. After selecting who they deem appropriate players, directives are given, informing each of their roles for the upcoming season. Role clarity—it’s all the rage in T20 cricket these days. And it’s precisely what West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder thinks will push them deep into the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
The West Indies were far from perfect despite a 35-run win over Scotland in their opening game in Kolkata, India, on Saturday. However, to win on a less-than-perfect day is a win, according to Holder, who is alert to the significance of peaking in a tournament. “We all know we can improve in each department as we go on,” he said.
An improvement that hinges on there being multiple I’s in this team—on individual brilliance across phases and disciplines. “I think for us, role clarity and role execution are very important.” Holder said.
It’s a sentiment long stressed by Head Coach Daren Sammy and one backed by skipper Shai Hope. The Windies captain has expressed delight at the early success of Shimron Hetmyer’s promotion up the order to give the team a “fast start”.
West Indies ride Hetmyer’s good form, Shepherd’s hat-trick to victory against Scotland
West Indies 182 for 5 (Hetmyer 64, King 35; Currie 2-23) beat Scotland 147 all out (Berrington 42, Bruce 35; Shepherd 5-20) by 35 runs
Shimron Hetmyer did not arrive in India with the West Indies team earlier this week after he was left stranded with visa issues in South Africa following their T20 International series. The left-hander, however, turned up in time to deliver a player-of-the-match performance, which got the Caribbean side off to a winning start at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
“That part is irrelevant; he was here,” Captain Shai Hope beamed in the post-match presser. Hetmyer beat Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest fifty (22 balls) by a West Indian at the World Cup on his way to a 36-ball 64. West Indies’ new No.3 strode to the crease with his side in a scuffle at 54 for 1 in the ninth. In his knocks of 75 and 48 in that position against South Africa, the Guyanese struck at 192.2.
“Hetty, again he's been in some tremendous form; he's been consistent. We asked him to go out in the number three position and show a bit more responsibility, and he's taken it [on], as you can see,” Hope continued.
“We know how good of a player he is, and I don't think we were maximizing his true potential all the way down [the order]. So we just asked him to do the job. I'm glad that he accepted the challenge, and it's great to see him playing the way Hetty normally plays. Hopefully he can continue throughout the tournament and give us that nice start that we asked for.”
Afghanistan 182 for 6 (Ibrahim 51, Gurbaz 43; Chase 1-18) beat West Indies 159 for 7 (Forde 52*, Powell 32; Mujeeb 2-19) by 23 runs
The West Indies suffered a 23-run loss to Afghanistan in their only warm-up contest ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday at the BCCI Centre of Excellence 1 in Bengaluru, India, after a flurry of quick wickets stifled Shai Hope’s side’s chase of 183.
Afghanistan’s target was built on the foundations set by Ibrahim Zadran (51) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (43), who both maintained strike rates above 150 during their 90-run opening stand.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s 15-ball 35 provided the innings with impetus towards the end as three of Afghanistan’s batters retired out.
West Indies’ innings stuttered in response as they fell to 54 for five in the eighth over and 82 for seven in the 14th courtesy of an all-round effort from Afghanistan’s bowling attack.
Matthew Forde’s blistering unbeaten 52 only served to save his side from a heavy defeat, as the Caribbean side was defeated nonetheless.
The West Indies bowl off their World Cup campaign against Scotland at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Cricket West Indies on Monday confirmed that it has “resolved legal matters” with former West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich. Dowrich filed a loss-of-earnings lawsuit in the High Court of Barbados in January 2024, seeking close to US$172,000 in damages. The terms of the settlement agreement will remain confidential.
The suit stemmed “from Dowrich’s early return from the New Zealand tour of 2020,” his then ineligibility for selection, and the subsequent non-renewal of his central playing contract.
Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring confirms that the 34-year-old was recently added to West Indies’ wicket-keeping coaching staff.
"CWI is pleased that an agreement has been reached and welcomes Shane to be part of its coaching structure as he moves into further professional development," Dehring said.
