Trinbago Knight Riders defeated St. Lucia Zouks by five wickets with nine balls to spare to advance to second qualifier when the Caribbean Premier League T20 continued last night in St. Kitts.
Zouks got up to 164-8 after they were inserted at Warner Park before Knight Riders led by an unbeaten 49 from Brendon Mc Cullum responded with 165-5 in 18.3 overs. Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles added 62 for the opening stand to lay the platform for a decent total before Charles who hit three fours and two sixes in scoring 31 off 22 balls was removed by Kevon Cooper who also sent back Shane Watson for four. Mike Hussey was then run out without scoring while David Miller was caught at the wicket off Nikita Miller for 13 as St. Lucia Zouks slipped to 86-4 in 12 overs. Fletcher slammed three fours and one six before he was bowled by the impressive Ronsford Beaton for 41 off 43 balls.
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Selection Panel of the West Indies Cricket Board announced today, a 14-member West Indies squad for the third Seagram’s Royal Stag Cup Test against India – powered by Karbonn Smart Phones – at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.
SQUAD
Jason Holder (Captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (Vice Captain), Devendra Bishoo
Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo
There is a lot to be said of Roston Chase. He's languid at the crease. He plays late and close to his body. He wasn't perturbed by a tough situation. And his timing stood out. Two days short of 50 years since it was last done for West Indies and six days after the 80th birthday of the man who did it, Chase achieved the double of a century and a a five-for in the same Test. In the process he helped pull off an improbable draw: batting for survival, West Indies had lost four wickets in 15.5 overs on day four, but on the final day they gave up only two.
On a wet day four, along with 82.1 overs, it appeared West Indies' fight had gone missing too. Their openers fell early, and in ungainly fashion. One senior player fell for a duck and another was a sitting duck against a short ball. It had become a walk in the park for India. This morning, however, they were stuck in the mud. The first 25 balls cost 40 runs. The fast bowlers were hit through the line and over the top. The spinners were hit against the turn. Chase had finally made it a contest. At tea, he had the favourites sweating. An hour and a half later, he made Virat Kohli concede and take the draw. The first draw at Sabina Park since 1998.
Whycliffe Dave Cameron, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, says he expects the selectors to pick the best team “based on eligibility” for the upcoming two-match Twenty20 (T20) International series versus India in Florida, United States.
It was confirmed yesterday that reigning world champions West Indies and 2016 semi-finalists India are scheduled to play on August 27 and 28 at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.
West Indies, who are the only team to twice lift the World T20 title, are a powerhouse in the game’s shortest format.
But while they generally field their biggest stars in the shortest format, due to varying reasons — including numerous public disputes with the board – a lot of those players have not represented the Test team in recent times.
Only 15.5 overs were bowled during the morning session that lasted three and a half hours, but there was still enough time to find heroes in Jamaica. Mohammad Shami struck twice late in the session to leave the home side reeling, while Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra took one wicket each. But the true heroes were the groundsmen.
Tropical wave Earl had finally arrived at Jamaica, and true to its name, wave after wave of rain hit Sabina Park on Tuesday (August 2). The were enough stoppages in the session's play to warrant the West Indies media manager to sit back in the press box and play Bob Marley songs aloud. 'Every little thing is gonna be alright,' he promised. We hoped.
But the heroes, were the ground staff. They were called into action multiple times in the morning and just after noon. They had to battle really strong winds, and sudden bursts of sharp rain to ensure they kept the pitch covered and dry enough to straight away resume play when rain stopped.
