How the Windies made it

CHRIS GAYLE dedicated the Windies qualification to the ICC Cricket World Cup finals to the fans who have stuck with the team in good and bad times.

The Windies scratched to a fiverun win (DLS) over Scotland at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

‘’To our fans, we made it, it’s been a long journey but finally we have done it,’’ said Gayle in a video message recorded in the team’s dressing room.

‘’We came, we saw, we conquered by whatever means necessary. Windies! Thanks for the support people. Well, it’s another Word Cup for me, I’m looking forward to it.

‘’I got to look after the body and make sure I’m ready for it. God willing, I will be there next year.’’

Captain Jason Holder said they have been through a lot.

“We’ve been through a lot the last couple of years,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy. We came into this competition as the No.1 ranked team and there was pressure on every single game. I’m just really, really pleased to get over the line.” But how did they make it? The Boss is in the building The first match of the Windies’ campaign saw Gayle once more on the stage that made his name. His presence in the tournament has been cheering for cricket fans, many of whom feared his international days were over, and this statement innings spoke of a player committed, focused, and ready to mix it. He was rarely as destructive again in the competition, but he made his point. This Windies team was united, and Gayle was back. The skipper wards off PNG threat The final analysis – a six-wicket win, eight overs remaining – belied the twitchiness of the run-chase. The Windies were tottering badly, 58/4 chasing 200, when the young skipper stepped up to play the most important innings of his career so far.

With Shai Hope anchored at the other end, Holder opened his huge shoulders, planting four sixes and belting nine fours. He would finish on 99, but the elusive century was of no concern: the skipper, overseeing one of the toughest jobs in world cricket, had ensured his team remained on track to get the job done. Keemo comes to the party With his first legal delivery in senior international cricket, Keemo Paul thundered through Javed Ahmadi’s defences to claim an lbw decision and a maiden wicket in ODI cricket. Bowling with pace and intelligence, he picked up two in the match and two more in the next, against Zimbabwe, his emergence confirming that the Caribbean talent pool remains as fertile as ever. Rovman the main man It was the chase of the tournament. The Windies would reel in Zimbabwe’s 289 with six deliveries of the match remaining thanks to hands from Marlon Samuels (86), Shai Hope (76) and Lewis (64), but it was the intervention of Rovman Powell with 10 runs from 11 balls needed and four wickets left that captured what this team is about.

When the Jamaican climbed into the left-armer Sean Williams, depositing him way over the ropes at long on, the game had all-but fallen to the Windies. Lewis keeps his cool Faced with a scoreboard reading 2/2 in the decider against Scotland and the loss of his mentor from the first ball of the match, the young left-hander Evin Lewis had to summon all his reserves of composure and nerve. Slowly at first, circumspectly moving through the gears, Lewis began to piece the innings back together in partnership with Marlon Samuels.

And then in the 16th over, Lewis loosened the shackles for the first time, pumping Alasdair Evans into the stands twice in the over to bring up the 50-run stand. Thereafter Lewis took control, compiling the highest innings of the match. It was enough, just, for the Windies.

Ashley Nurse – caught-and-bowled against Scotland’s Callum MacLeod

Windies off-spinner Ashley Nurse had bowled tidily but without much reward for his three tournament wickets. But his one-hand grab to get rid of Callum MacLeod off his own bowling was one of the standout pieces of fielding in the tournament.

A flat dart was punched solidly by MacLeod, who was horrified to see Nurse hurling his considerable bulk to the skimmer and clinging on onehanded as he sprawled in the turf of the non-striker’s end. The catch halted the partnership between MacLeod and Berrington and brought the Windies back into the contest. — ICC/Sports Reporter