Clinical Windies blow away World XI

Thu, May 31, '18

This was not the usual T20I. For starters, a World XI was playing Windies - the reigning WT20 champions. Two, a commentator stood on field while action unfolded, chatting up players between deliveries and scattering for safety when the ball came towards him. Three, a runner was allowed. Finally, and most importantly, the funds received went towards a great cause, towards rebuilding the five cricket grounds in the Caribbean that were damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.

The result? A game that was played in high spirits and with the knowledge that something significantly good was coming out of it. No, the result! Oh. Windies blew away the ICC World XI side by 72 runs, buoyed by fine knocks from Evin Lewis, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin, and superb spells from Samuel Badree and Andre Russell.

The ropes at Lord's were brought in by quite a bit. The expectations were well set. The organiser hoped for a high-scoring, adrenaline-rushing T20I that not only leave the viewers asking for more, but also rake in the money.
Windies, like the seasoned T20I team it is, held its end of the bargain. Asked to bat first by Shahid Afridi, who led the side in the absence of the injured Eoin Morgan, they smashed 199/4. Evin Lewis teed off early with a sizzling half century, and despite Chris Gayle's early struggles, Windies enjoyed a strong start.