West Indies, Ireland win to open up Group B
Campher hits unbeaten 72
HOBART, Australia, Oct 19, (AP): Two-time champions West Indies and Ireland rebounded from their opening losses at the Twenty20 World Cup with emphatic victories on Wednesday to open up Group B.
Curtis Campher belted an unbeaten 72 from 32 deliveries to lead Ireland to a six-wicket win over Scotland.
Later in the night game, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph picked up 4-16 and led West Indies to a 31-run win over Zimbabwe, which were bowled out for 122 with 10 balls to spare.
That leaves all four teams in Group B with two points each from two matches. The winners of West Indies vs. Ireland and Zimbabwe vs. Scotland on Friday will advance to the Super 12.
Scotland upset two-time champions West Indies in the group opener on Monday and were in control of their second game as Ireland struggled at 61-4 in the 10th over chasing 177 to win.
That’s where Campher and George Dockrell dug in, combining in an unbroken 119-run fifth-wicket stand
CRICKET
that turned the game around at Bellerive Oval.
Ireland steadily eroded the target to the point where the equation was 12 runs needed from the last 12 balls. Campher ensured the victory, and posted Ireland’s highest-ever individual score at the T20 World Cup, with three straight boundaries to lift the total to 180-4 and finish off the 19th over. Dockrell finished unbeaten on 39 from 27 balls.
Campher said his aim when Ireland lost two wicket within five deliveries in the ninth and 10th overs was just to back himself.
Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie said his team were motivated after getting close too many times but not quite getting the result.
After losing George Munsey in the second over, Scotland’s batting was solid.
Michael Jones posted 86 from 55 deliveries with six boundaries and four sixes, including one onto the stadium roof.
He shared a 59-run stand with Matthew Cross (29) and 77 with skipper Richie Berrington (37) to set the foundations for Scotland’s total of 176-5.
Off-spinner Sikandar Raza picked up 3-19 and strangled the West Indies in the middle overs before it reached 153-7 after electing to bat first.
Opening batter Johnson Charles top-scored with 45 off 36 balls before West Indies lost wickets in cluster and slipped to 101-6 in 14 overs.
West Indies was going along nicely at 90-2 before it lost four wickets within two overs. Captain Nicholas Pooran gave a tame return catch to Sean Williams and three balls later Charles was run out. Raza then had Shamarh Brooks leg before wicket for zero before Jason Holder also perished by offering a simple catch back to Raza.
Zimbabwe’s aggression led to their downfall as its batters continued to look for big hits before getting dismissed for 122 in 18.2 overs.
Joseph picked up two wickets inside the batting powerplay through his relentless pace before clean bowling the threatening Luke Jongwe (29) in his return spell.
Holder also finished with impressive figures of 3-12 as he claimed the last wicket of Tendai
Chatara.
India’s warmup game against New
Zealand and Bangladesh’s warmup game against South Africa didn’t get started at the Gabba because of persistent rain, one of three practice games in Brisbane that were either curtailed or abandoned.
Mohammad Nabi scored an unbeaten 51 in Afghanistan’s 154-6 against Pakistan. The second innings lasted 2.2 overs, with Pakistan on 19 without loss, before the match was stopped because of rain.
India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet Sunday in the Super 12 round in front of a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Defending champions Australia and New Zealand meet in a grand final rematch on Saturday to open the second phase of the tournament.