Windies sign off on World Cup fiasco with victory

LEEDS, England, CMC – West Indies survived a small scare in a scratchy 23-run victory over minnows Afghanistan here yesterday, as they bade farewell to a disastrous World Cup campaign that yielded an abundance of frustration and a mere two wins.

Behind half-centuries from the young brigade of Shai Hope (77), Evin Lewis (58) and Nicholas Pooran (58), West Indies piled up 311 for six off their 50 overs after opting to bat first at Headingley.

The total should have assured them of a straightforward win against the World Cup debutants with eight chastening defeats but instead, West Indies were forced to sweat before finally overpowering the plucky Afghans for 288 all out off their 50 overs.

Eighteen-year-old Ikram Ali Khil stroked an entertaining 86 and Rahmat Shah struck 62, putting the Caribbean side under pressure in a 133-run, second wicket stand.

And even when seamer Carlos Brathwaite (4-63) knocked over Rahmat in the 27th over, Afghanistan still appeared on course to challenge their target thanks to a breezy 31 from Najibullah Zadran, in a 51-run, third wicket partnership with Ikram.

However, Brathwaite and seamer Kemar Roach (3-37) then sliced through the middle and lower order, quelling resistance from Asghar Afghan who struck 40 off 32 deliveries, as Afghanistan lost their last eight wickets for 99 runs.

They ended the tournament winless and at the bottom of the 10-team standings, with the Windies above them in ninth on five points.

With six defeats in their previous seven outings, West Indies desperately needed victory to salvage some dignity but started poorly when veteran opener Chris Gayle wafted at a wide ball from seamer Dawlat Zadran (273) and nicked a catch behind for seven in the sixth over with the score on 21.

Hope then anchored the first of two successive half-century stands when he put on 88 for the second wicket with Lewis, to lift the Windies past the 100-run mark without further loss.

The right-handed Hope faced 92 balls and struck six fours and a couple of sixes while the lefthanded Lewis recorded an identical boundary count in a 78-ball knock, before holing out to wide