Rain ruins Afghans chance of major ODI scalp
WEST INDIES V AFGHANISTAN ROUND-UP
THE three-match series between the West Indies and Afghanistan ended in a 1-1 tie after torrential rain in St Lucia washed out the deciding match.
In the opener, Afghanistan’s Javed Ahmadi top-scored with 82, and his side went on to defend 212 thanks to a stunning display from 18-year-old Rashid Khan.
The promising legspinner made the most of a sluggish surface to finish with 7-18 – the fourth best haul in ODI history – to help the minnows beat West Indies and claim their first ever win in this format over a Full Member other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.
The 63-run defeat made clear just how much West Indies are struggling at the moment, and highlighted the real possibility of them missing out on the 2019 World Cup, but they managed to bounce back in the second match and level the series – albeit in unconvincing fashion.
With the help of some impressive fast bowling,West Indies exposed Afghanistan’s frailties facing the short ball as they slumped to 135 all out, but still didn’t find it easy to secure what looked like a routine victory.
Khan caused more problems with some brilliant deliveries, and at one point looked to have the better of the West Indies batsmen, but Shai Hope was eventually able to hold together a shaky chase and secure a fourwicket victory with an unbeaten 48.
West Indies captain Jason Holder said after the victory: “There are still a few areas to improve on.We need to be more selective with the strokeplay, though.
“One thing we spoke about from the last game is to be more aggressive and make them uncomfortable.We have to find better ways to play them (Rashid and Nabi). I don’t think they are unplayable.”
Heading into the final match, the series was finely poised, but the terrible weather throughout the day and night prevented what promised to be an intriguing encounter.
Ahead of the match,West Indies coach Stuart Law was frank in his assessment of the squad, and admitted he fears his side face a struggle to automatically qualify for the World Cup. Failure to secure a win in this series makes those fears even greater.