Senior NAT Discussion

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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:36 pm

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 1- Division 1 Summaries
West Indies vs India
The fifth fixture of the tour for the West Indian party were the Indians, and the two sides, both with just 1 win in the first 4 games, were looking to avoid relegation. On a slow deck and under windy weather, West Indies were asked to bowl first. And it all went downhill from there. A 144-run opening stand left the West Indies attack playing catchup to the Indian batters, as the toothless attack was simply never able to stop India. By the time Patrick McAuley broke the opening stand, and Jason Hislop sent the other opener, centurion Ghanshyam Moni packing, India were already 171 after 35 overs. The final 15 overs saw a slight resurgence from the West Indian attack as Jason Hislop went onto grab his second 5-fer to bowl India out for 236.

An above par total was on the board, as West Indies had struggled to chase totals 30 runs under the previous few days, and the tired lads really needed an inspiring knock to boost them. Instead, the lads struggled to get runs. The two medium pace buddies for India started things off decently, leaking barely 27 in the first six overs. India went onto introduce spin early in the powerplay and Zakirhusain Ghemawat got rid of Len Thomas. Right after the powerplay, he also sent Vivalyn Hector packing. The struggles never ended for West Indies, as they were stuttering at 101/5 at drinks, with all three Indian spinners sending a West Indian southpaw each back to the stands. After drinks, Colin Eugene and Troy Joseph showed some light of a comeback, but Colin Eugene couldn't get away seam as well he did with spin, and was Akhilendra Gahlot's first victim.

Patrick McAuley also got to double-digits before falling to India's poster boy Akhil Banerjee. At 175/7, West Indies needed 62 runs off 57 balls, and all the onus was on captain Troy Joseph. The game was almost certainly lost, but Joseph attempted a valiant effort before he, and the rest of the tail soon after, fell to the Indian finger-spinner duo. West Indies were handed a loss by 36 runs and a demotion to Division 2.

Other Results in Division 2
Kenya beat New Zealand by 3 wickets.
Sri Lanka beat England by 45 runs.

Consequences of the Tour
West Indies finished as the wooden spoon holders for Division 1 and head back to Division 2 for the second One-Day tour of the season. Kenya, who have stomped Division 1 for a total of 3 seasons, also see a demotion after India beat them out on net run rate. On the other hand, the South Africans, who were stuck in Division 3 for two seasons, have finally promoted to Division 2 and will face West Indies in the next set of One-Day affairs. Australia have promoted back to Division 2 after a demotion in the previous tour, whereas Zimbabwe and Netherlands have stuck to Division 2 and will also be involved in NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2.

Highlights of the Tour
A very poor tour with 4 losses, that also saw West Indies play 4 consecutive games on slow decks had a few scattered personal performances that are worth noting. Audrey Anthony hit his second half-century and a personal best of 95 in the opening game against England, whilst Vivalyn Hector showed his brute force against the Kiwis in Game 2. Game 3 saw the two keepers Alfonso Van Spooge and Henry Harragin strike a comfortable partnership after a few early wickets. Game 4 had debutant Reynold Nero play a Headingley-esque knock to get West Indies their only win, also dragging the Kenyans alongside to the demotion pit. The lack of any support from the other lads in all of these knocks meant most of them were in a losing cause. From the bowlers, Carl Beresford got a four wicket haul in the opening game. Satish Phillips totalled eight wickets in the tour, helped by two 4-fers and Jason Hislop was the highest wicket taker for the tour with 10 scalps and a fifer to his name.

Whilst the tour didn't go as we would have hoped, the West Indian management hopes for better results in the next set of matches, as we have a Twenty-20 Tour coming up in a couple weeks. The West Indian management, as always, is grateful to all managers for recruiting and training West Indians, and dealing with the fact that we pick them for tours. Until then, follow the West Indies U20 side in their Division 1 tour here.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:06 pm

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Squad Announcement
The Twenty-20 Tour of Season 48 begins July 26, with the West Indian troupe heading to Pakistan, as the Pakistani curators have been asked to design a batter's nightmare, given that sticky, uneven and crumbling decks are set to be laid out. The Aussies, the Americans, the Canadians, the most-recent OD Division 1 champions, the Sri Lankans and hosts Pakistan will take part in the 5-day tour alongside the West Indies. After a demotion from Division 1 last season, the World Twenty-20 at the end of the season gave West Indies fans more hope from the squad heading into this Division 2 tour. Results here would determine the World Twenty-20 qualification a couple of seasons later immensely, and the squad does head with some extra pressure knowing that. The 18-man touring squad is as follows:

Aaron Munilall Golden Hacks CC Right-arm Fast Medium/ Right-hand Bat

Alfonso Van Spooge The Sultans of Spooge Left-hand Keeper Bat

Archie O'Connor Antiguan Golden Cats Left-arm Fast

Audrey Anthony Nepali Gaints Left-hand Bat

Carl Beresford John Peters Espionage PLC Left-arm Fast

Colin Eugene Caribbean Pirates Right-hand Bat

Henry Harragin BgUINNES RAMs Right-hand Keeper Bat

Hubern King Mohito's Mohican XI Left-hand Bat

Jason Hislop Space Wolves Left-arm Wrist Spin

Len Thomas Caribbean Pirates Right-hand Bat

Melford Griffith Crni Zmajevi Cricket Club Right-hand Bat

Patrick McAuley Rangas United Left-arm Finger Spin/ Right-hand Bat

Peter Griffin Caribbean Pirates Right-arm Finger Spin

Reynold Nero Queens Park Cricket Club Left-hand Bat

Sugrim Hughes Queens Park Cricket Club Right-arm Fast

Thornton Ishmael Mewtwo Strikes Back Right-arm Fast

Troy Joseph Maiden Over CC Right-arm Finger Spin/ Right-hand Bat

Vivalyn Hector Al Khobar Falcons Right-hand Bat

The first fixture for the tour would be against Australia and begins 0500 FTP Time.

July 26- West Indies vs Australia Sticky

July 27- West Indies vs Sri Lanka Crumbling

July 28- West Indies vs Pakistan Crumbling

July 29- West Indies vs United States of America Sticky

July 30- West Indies vs Canada Uneven

Yet again, the West Indian management thanks the managers for loaning their players for the week, and hopes for a good tour.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Mon Jul 26, 2021 10:11 am

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Australia
West Indies started things off in the Twenty-20 tour against the Australians. This was the first time West Indies and Australia were facing each other in a Twenty-20 International after that fateful Sunday night, when Richard Hibbert carried the West Indians to a Twenty-20 World Cup Title in Season 46. West Indians won the toss, and skipper Troy Joseph put the Aussies into bat on a sticky deck. The burning hot weather was absolutely detrimental to the West Indies opening attack, as the two quicks Thornton Ishmael and Carl Beresford returned with a wicketless powerplay. Troy Joseph was the first one to break the Aussie lineup getting rid of Brandon Primmer in the ninth over and he followed it with another wicket in the 12th. A couple of quiet overs from Beresford and Ishmael ended their wicketless, yet economical spells, and triggered a wicket spree. Aaron Munilall got Kostya Tszyu out in the 14th, followed Jason Hislop sending Sharrod Hay packing, and Munilall getting rid of Sicily in the 16th. Mike Hore played a decent blitz at the end, as his 22*(13) saw Australia getting 136 on the board.

The West Indian chase did not begin well, with Troy Joseph being cleaned by a Jhye Richardson jaffa to start with. Vivalyn Hector and Audrey Anthony did a decent job and kept the runs flowing. But Anthony's wicket slowed things down, and the requisite run rate's increasing pressure got to young lad Hubern King. Hector lost his composure and played an unnecessary shot to throw his wicket away as well. West Indies were 83/4 after 14, needing 54 off 6 with Colin Eugene and Melford Griffith at strike. Two fantastic overs for West Indies brought the equation to 35 off 4. And then, just as the West Indian fans were beginning to be more hopeful, Richard Busse kicked West Indies out of the game.

Melford Griffith and Alfonso Van Spooge faltered to Busse, and the equation turned to 29 off 3, with just 4 wickets in hand. Leonardo da Vinci continued this fall of wickets, grabbing Eugene and Beresford, in a 3-run over. West Indies needed 26 off 2, and Aaron Munilall and Jason Hislop ran eight runs off the next five balls, before their running became a tad too ambitious and saw Munilall be run out. Thornton Ishmael's wild slog was dropped once, but his luck ran out almost immidiately as he was taken out via a direct hit next ball, for the Aussies to beat West Indies by 14 runs in a dramatic finish.

Other Results in Division 2
Pakistan beat Canada by 48 runs.
Sri Lanka beat United States of America by 18 runs.

Fixture on July 27: Sri Lanka
West Indies face Sri Lanka next, as the hot weather in Pakistan continues to play spoilsport for assistant quirkilyalive who planned on tasting some delicacies there. The pitch will be crumbling, much like his dreams of enjoying some absolutely delicious food. Sri Lanka, who pulled victory out of nowhere as United States of America seemed set for a simple chase, will look to continue their good form this season against the West Indies.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:12 am

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Sri Lanka
After the Sri Lankans opted to bat on a crumbling deck, Sugrim Hughes and Archie O'Connor got West Indies a fine start, getting rid of both the openers in consecutive overs. Aside from a couple of boundaries struck as Sugrim Hughes looked to find some swing on the horrid, hot day, the powerplay was a moderate success for West Indies, reducing Sri Lanka to 37/2. Troy Joseph and Peter Griffin got a wicket each in the next two overs, as the Sri Lankan innings fell to 45/4. The two kept putting pressure on the Sri Lankan batters, reducing them to 72/7 by Over 14. Sri Lanka made a comeback with some hitting from Oshi Oshini and Vasudeva Dhanayake pushing their total to 106, despite wickets in the final 3 overs. Peter Griffin ended with the figures of 4-0-15-4 as the finger spinner impressed the fans with a fantastic showing.

The chase started off well for West Indies, as despite Troy Joseph's dismissal, Len Thomas and Hubern King kept knocking the ball around to get runs. Nine overs in, West Indies were 48/1, needing 59 runs off 66 balls. Two overs later, West Indies were 51/4, as the world was turned upside down, and they now needed to score at more than run-a-ball with 56 requisite off 54 balls. Henry Harragin struck three solid boundaries, regaining a bit of the momentum for the West Indians, but Melford Griffith and Reynold Nero also throwing their wickets away did not help the cause. The chase had come down to 35 off 6 overs, before swinging back away to 34 off 5. Henry Harragin and Patrick McAuley struggled to get some quick runs, as the equation got worse, going to 25 runs from 3 overs. Over 18 saw Maithripala Ajireen grab a couple wickets, whilst Oshi Oshini's Over 19 saw a couple run outs for West Indies to falter in another chase, get cleaned up for 90, and lose by 16 runs.

Other Results in Division 2
Canada beat United States of America by 3 wickets.
Australia beat Pakistan by 56 runs.

Fixture on July 27: Pakistan
Another crumbling pitch, on yet another scorching, hot day will see West Indies face hosts Pakistan in tomorrow's fixture.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:36 am

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Pakistan
West Indies were pitted against Pakistan in Round 3 of the tour. Winning the toss, West Indies put Pakistan into bat. Pakistan started off splendidly with a 58 run opening partnership, until Patrick McAuley got rid of Jahangir Badshah who had hit 5 boundaries in his 43 run knock. Patrick McAuley continued this performance as he grabbed 2 wickets in his third and a fourth wicket in his final over, which also had Melford Griffith hitting a perfect direct hit to run Qamar Gul out. Pakistan were put under pressure at 85/5 after 14 overs, but unfortunately, Jameel Saleem and Ehsanullah Naved made sure Pakistan got a top notch finish to the innings, as despite the both of them falling in consecutive overs at the end, did enough damage to carry Pakistan to 141 in their 20.

The chase did not start well as Qamar Gul almost exacted his revenge, when he ran out Reynold Nero, whilst actually looking to run Melford Griffith out. Melford Griffith and Vivalyn Hector played very well to stage a comeback, scoring a 56 run stand off 48 balls carrying West Indies to 73/2 in 10 overs, needing 69 more to win. Hector's dismissal did slow down the scoring but Audrey Anthony and Melford Griffith carefully blocked out the spinners before Anthony was gone to the pace of Hasnain Ismail. Needing 53 off the final six overs, Alfonso Van Spooge played a fantastic 27 runs off 20 balls blitz whilst Griffith managed to get his first fifty in the format. A couple of boundaries bludgeoned by Len Thomas in the final over confirmed West Indies' first victory in the tourney.

Other Results in Division 2
Sri Lanka beat Canada by 5 wickets.
Australia beat United States of America by 2 wickets.

Fixture on July 29: United States of America
A bowler-favourite sticky track and a forecast of clouds making a special appearance for the night is expected as West Indies look to continue their momentum against United States of America, the side they demoted alongside from Division 1 the previous season.

Scenarios
Another win for Australia or Sri Lanka will see them promote to Division 1. Australia and Sri Lanka play each other in Round 5, implying one of the two will surely head to Division 1. Pakistan, Canada and West Indies, all with one win each, have an outside chance of promoting, if they win their next two fixtures to get to 12 points, and are able to pip out the other sides on six points. Pakistan, West Indies, Canada and United States of America are also battling their chances of demotion at the same time. Round 4 promises to make the scenarios much clearer, and also show us if the Aussies or Lankans get their first loss of the tourney to allow a chance to promotion for the other sides.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:30 am

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs United States of America
Round 4 of the Division 2 Tour had West Indies facing United States of America, and the two struggling sides locked horns on a sticky pitch, as the weather got much more pleasant that the first half of the tour with some clouds in the sky. West Indies were asked to bat first and were subjected to Brian Coleman's raw pace. He was ably supported by the witty and economical Joshua Brennan who casually kept slipping overs in. West Indies struggled in the powerplay, with Nero edging a Coleman special, and Brennan bowling more economically than ever, even creating a tough chance to get Vivalyn Hector out who was unfortunately dropped. Another bowler with a lot of raw pace, Marshall Ortiz got rid of Hector right after the powerplay, reducing West Indies to 24/2. Henry Harragin and Audrey Anthony batted carefully and cautiously, only targeting the bad balls with good shots, like Marshawn Lynch's full toss being thwacked for a six over covers by Anthony. The end of that partnership gave America a good shot at creeping back in, and they crept into the game and made it their own in three overs, getting rid of three class batsmen in Anthony, Len Thomas and Colin Eugene, the latter two for ducks. Harragin, the top scorer for West Indies stumbled and gave Everett Harrison an easy catch after getting 21 off 36 balls. Troy Joseph sticking around for a few runs and Archie O'Connor slogging a couple boundaries allowed West Indies to get to 86 in their twenty over quota. Whilst a low score on paper, one under triple digits, using the conditions well was key for West Indies to attempt to pull off a heist and win this game.

Sugrim Hughes leaked 3 runs off the first over to Ulysses de la Cruz II, amongst the most celebrated American batters. From the other end, Thornton Ishmael bowled a lethal bouncer aimed at de la Cruz II's nose and all the batter could do was play an absolutely nothing shot to save his face. The ball popped up off the edge and fell into Jason Hislop's bucket hands, and USA were 3/1. Archie O'Connor and Sugrim Hughes got two more wickets in the powerplay, and USA were stuttering at 17/3 after six. Craig Hanson began to muster runs after the powerplay, whilst Everett Harrison supported him with quick running, even if he was struggling to middle the ball with the bat. Jason Hislop ended Harrison's struggle, as he was gone for a caught-behind. Troy Joseph got rid of Baker Mayfield, the scorecard read 47/5, and USA needed 40 off 8 overs.

This was followed by the partnership that was the heart of the game, as Craig Hansen and Marshawn Lynch managed 34 runs off 38 balls, and this brisk rate meant they reduced the equation 16 from the last three overs. Troy Joseph had the ball. 4 runs from the first three balls were ran by the two batters, Hansen and Lynch. Ball 4, Joseph pitched a ball right in the slot, and the ambitious Hansen attempted a sweep, but failed to judge the turn on the ball as it hit his back leg and he was adjudged leg-before and sent to the pavilion after a fantastic 42(54). Adam Nixon entirely failed to read the classic off spinner and played for the straighter one to gift Joseph his third wicket for the day. The situation was 12 from 2 overs, and Lynch could do nothing more than flick Hislop for a single. 11 from 11 balls and Marshall Ortiz, the new bat, slams Hislop for a boundary over mid-on's head. Hislop, a pretty vengeful person, bowled a ball that would feature alongside Shane Warne's classic Mike Gatting delivery, as Ortiz let go of a ball pitched outside leg, only to have it viciously turn and grab the top of off stump to clean Ortiz up. It was 7 runs off 9 balls, and USA had two wickets left. Three dots from Hislop to Brian Coleman, as Marshawn Lynch kept strike for the final over. USA needed seven to win, and it was Thornton Ishmael who was against them.

Ishmael starts off with a bouncer, just like he did for the first over, but Marshawn Lynch had an easy time getting away with a simpleton pull, and getting three runs off the ball. USA now needed 4 off 5 balls, and it was Brian Coleman on the strike. A slower ball from Ishmael followed and he managed to induce an air shot off of Coleman's bat, but it fell safely on the ground, and Coleman ran a couple runs. It was 2 off 4 balls now. Brian Coleman could do nothing but defend an absolutely fantastic yorker aimed for the middle stump. 2 runs off 3 balls. A wide yorker that was barely inside the line. Brian Coleman could barely reach the ball, but his attempted drive almost got him in trouble. The mishit went straight to Sugrim Hughes at cover who was, unfortunately, unable to collect a forward-diving catch. The equation was 2 from 2 balls and just as it appeared Marshawn Lynch would regret giving Coleman the strike, as those two dots seemed to be able to allow Ishmael to pull the heist off, Coleman casually stroked one to midwicket and handed Marshawn Lynch the strike. Lynch had scored 19 runs off an equal number of balls thus far. He needed to score one more off the final ball against Thornton Ishmael to make sure USA still have a shot at surviving Division 2. Ishmael bowled an absolutely fantastic inswinging yorker, a very quick one at that, but Lynch, he knew all he had to do was get bat on ball and run, run as if he was running for his life. And that was exactly what he did, he ran, he got USA a single, he scored 20 runs off 20 balls in his innings, and he made sure USA lived to see another day. He handed West Indies their third loss of the tourney as well in this heroic moment, unfortunately.

Other Results in Division 2
Australia beat Canada by 36 runs.
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 1 run.

Fixture on July 30: Canada
An uneven deck, a lot of expected humidity on the ground, and survival to fight for. West Indies end the tourney by facing the Canadians, and both sides have all to fight for, they have survival to fight for. The winner survives Division 2 whilst the losing side slides to Division 3 for Season 49's Twenty-20 Tour.

Scenarios
An absolute domination by Australia and Sri Lanka in the tour has guaranteed both the sides a promotion and they face each other in Round 5 to decide who gets an extra two points for the World Twenty-20 qualification roster.

But the interesting stuff happens here, Pakistan, United States of America, Canada and West Indies are all tied at 4 points after 4 rounds. The losing side between Pakistan and USA and between Canada and West Indies slides down to Division 2. In case a tie occurs, Pakistan and West Indies have the lead over the two sides from the continent of North America to knock them into Division 3.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:12 pm

West Indies NAT Twenty-20 Tour- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Canada
The final game of the tour had West Indies trying to row as hard as they could to save their sinking boat. It was a relegation affair, and it was the Canadians on the other end. Archie O'Connor led the lads for the day, and he opted to field first on the fateful humid day(today), and on an absolutely cracked and unpaved track that saw the ball jump scare batters with skiddy bouncers on a balls pitching up at good length(it was an uneven deck). Moshe Landry, Aaron Munilall's roommate in their club setup and Ismail Menk opened for the Canadians, and it was Sugrim Hughes they had to face ball one.

Hughes bowled a classic away-swinger, as Landry's edge carried the ball towards point. Archie O'Connor couldn't have asked for a worse start to his first game captaining this tour, second in his national career, as he misfielded the ball and guided it for a four. Sugrim Hughes wasn't one to give up, as the very next ball, he let out a delivery that swung into Moshe Landry and an inside edge off his bat led to some disturbance in the three sticks and two bails setup he was supposed to guard. Wicket one for West Indies, and Canada were 4/1 in two balls. Hughes continued his spell, and in his second over, he bowled a toe-crushing delivery that Ismail Menk's defence system failed to respond towards. It was two wickets for 14 runs, as both the Canadian openers were sent packing. Carl Beresford got the third wicket in the powerplay, a veteran of this game at this stage of his career, Beresford aimed for the cracks on the deck, as the ball spit up from good length onto the batter's mistimed pull's top edge and into the hands of Melford Griffith at square leg. At the end of six overs, Canada were 29/3.

The next four overs were an absolutely heated battle as the Canadian batters were trying to get runs off of whatever they could. At the halfway stage of the first innings, West Indies had pinned Canada to 42/3. Cue, both teams letting go of this bottled pressure after four overs of an absolute class display between the bat and the ball. Carl Beresford got rid of Zack McDermott, but had to pay the price for his greed as skipper Chaim Hughes smacked him for a six and a four and Canada leaped their way to 59 runs after 11 overs. Sugrim Hughes got his third wicket in his final over, by breaking his namesake's defences, as Chaim Hughes was bowled to an absolute ripper from Sugrim Hughes. The fall of the fifth wicket pushed the Canadian batters to look to smack more runs before a, what was seeming inevitable against the high-on momentum West Indian quicks, an all out. They went all after the bowlers, and their risks paid off slightly, but they lost 4 wickets in the process, three for O'Connor, one for Ishmael, and they would have been all out had Alfonso Van Spooge not slipped up. 87/9 was what they managed thus far, and next was Archie O'Connor's second mishap in the field for the day, as he dropped the final Canadian wicket. The young lad was visibly kicking himself as the Canadians managed nine more runs before Aaron Munilall bowled a stump-breaking ball to get rid of Mathew Molina, who had played an impressive 22(21) to get Canada to a decent total.

West Indies had to chase 97, and West Indies knew better than everybody else that this chase wasn't as simple as it looked. During the last two tours, West Indies have made sides like England and America, yesterday, struggle to chase 80-odd runs, and they knew they had to approach the chase right. Left-arm quick Shannon Hess started things off in the second innings. It took two balls for Vivalyn Hector to understand how the pitch was playing out before he smacked a boundary towards third man. This was Hector's home ground for his club and he knew which side's ropes were the shortest, and his first boundary, unsurprisingly, was on shortest side of the stadium. A mammoth six from Hubern King in the following over started the West Indies bandwagon on the right track. 2 boundaries for Vivalyn Hector, a boundary and a drop for King helped West Indies race to fifty runs at a run rate above six. A 52 run opening stand before Aidyn Broussard got rid of Hector. Hubern King's spirits didn't dampen the next over, as he managed another four, before Moshe Landry's eleventh over. West Indies were 60/1 after ten and Landry bowled an over to turn the tides, to bring Canada back into the game, an over that was a treat to watch, even from the opposition's dugout. A double-wicket maiden to get rid of the two southpaws, King and Anthony, and Landry wasn't done there, as he continued his spell to get rid of Melford Griffith and Alfonso Van Spooge in the next over, leaking just a single off the final ball. Landry just rolled West Indies over with a 2-over spell of absolute god level, getting 4 bats out, leaking just a measly single off the 12th and final ball.

West Indies were 73/5 after 13, needing 24 from seven overs, as the two new batters, Len Thomas and Aaron Munilall were going to be subjected to some witty swingers from Mathew Molina's four-over spell at the death. Five singles off the first two overs, West Indies needed 19 off five overs, and it seemed like all was just about to go wrong. But, but, but, there was Len Thomas, the winner of Fan's Player of the Season for the previous season, and this was just why the West Indian posse loved him. He smashed two maximums off Molina, before Munilall hit a four off Hess and West Indies survived Division 2, by 5 wickets and 22 balls to spare.

Other Results in Division 2
Australia beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets.
United States of America beat Pakistan by 2 wickets.

Consequences of the Tour
Australia and Sri Lanka's dominance allows them a promotion to Division1. United States of America pulled off an absolute thriller to knock Pakistan, alongside Canada to Division 3, as America and West Indies survive Division 2. The Season 49 Twenty-20 Tour will see West Indies face fellow survivors United States of America, Scotland and United Arab Emirates, both of whom handed South Africa massive losses to promote to Division 3 themselves and India and Bermuda who have seen a demotion from Division 1 and will be contending in Division 2 next season. With just 2 wins this tour, World T20 qualification would require West Indies to do some more work in the next tour.

Highlights of the Tour
A tour where we barely survived, as we ended third with just two wins does not have a whole lot on the highlight platter. Melford Griffith's 54 against Pakistan for us to get our first win, and Len Thomas' two sixes to seal the deal today were pretty memorable. Peter Griffin and Patrick McAuley grabbing four-wicket hauls in the series, and the all-seam attack impressing on Day 5. Hubern King and Vivalyn Hector's champion partnership against Canada, as Hector scored the most runs for the Caribbean outfit this tour, being one of the three batters to cross 100 runs across the tour. Troy Joseph had an impressive tour as well, getting wickets here and there in every game, three in the game against United States of America to almost choke them in a 87 run chase.

This ends a tour that saw us survive Division 2. As always, a thank you to all the managers that have trained West Indians and allow us to pluck them from their setups for a week. West Indies will next be facing United Arab Emirates, India, and Scotland in friendlies before the next tour. The next OD Tour 2 begins in a few weeks time. Until then, support the West Indies U20 side in their Division 1 Domination here. This summary is larger than I thought, but this is simply my elation over our survival. Also, incase I ever dare to forget, Buster is an absolute legend!
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:11 am

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Squad Announcement
The last tour before the One Day World Cup will begin in a week's time, and West Indies have taken up hosting duties for the same. The curators have designed hard, uneven and flat decks for West Indies and the five nations that would be coming here for the tour, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Netherlands and Zimbabwe. The 18 men that have been selected for the tour are:

Aaron Munilall Golden Hacks CC Right-arm Fast Medium/ Right-hand Bat

Alfonso Van Spooge The Sultans of Spooge Left-hand Keeper Bat

Archie O'Connor Antiguan Golden Cats Left-arm Fast

Carl Beresford John Peters Espionage PLC Left-arm Fast

Giles Williams Maiden Over CC Right-hand Bat [DEBUT]

Hemraj Walsh Marvellous XI Right-hand bat

Henry Harragin BgUINNES RAMs Right-hand Keeper Bat

Hubern King Mohito's Mohican XI Left-hand Bat

Jason Hislop Space Wolves Left-arm Wrist Spin

Len Thomas Caribbean Pirates Right-hand Bat

Melford Griffith Crni Zmajevi Cricket Club Right-hand Bat

Reynold Nero Queens Park Cricket Club Left-hand Bat

Satish Phillips ChePu 206 Right-arm Medium

Sugrim Hughes Queens Park Cricket Club Right-arm Fast

Thornton Ishmael Mewtwo Strikes Back Right-arm Fast

Troy Joseph Maiden Over CC Right-arm Finger Spin/ Right-hand Bat

Vivalyn Hector Al Khobar Falcons Right-hand Bat

Wilfred Austin Direwolves Right-arm Fast Medium

The squad selection's biggest headline is a comeback for Wilfred Austin, who missed the flight on the first couple tours of the season. Alongside that, a debut for Giles Williams, as old warhorses Colin Eugene, Audrey Anthony and Peter Griffin sit this tour out. T20 legends Thornton Ishmael and Hemraj Walsh head for their first One Day tours and their accuracy and consistency over a longer period of time will be put under the scanner. Jason Hislop and Troy Joseph head as the only two spinners.

The tour begins on August 16 1500 FTP Time and West Indies play the monstrous Australians who just rated 290k in a friendly a few days ago to start things off.

August 16- West Indies vs Australia Hard

August 17- West Indies vs Kenya Flat

August 18- West Indies vs Zimbabwe Uneven

August 19- West Indies vs Netherlands Uneven

August 20- West Indies vs South Africa Uneven

The tour promises to be an interesting one as West Indies play South Africa and Zimbabwe, and West Indies haven't played either of those sides in an international fixture for over a year. Netherlands, a side that have held the wood over West Indies in international and friendly fixtures for quite sometime, the monstrosity of strength in the Aussies and the side that has to face the troubles of the normal peasants, as it has slid down to reality or Division 2 after having dominated Division 1 for seasons over and over, Kenya are the other sides to finish off the group. West Indies have a couple friendlies, against the Aussies and the Bangladeshis to play before the tour. Here's hoping we have a good tour:)
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:10 pm

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Australia
The first game of the final One Day Tour of the season, and before the World Cup commenced during the off season began today. At the end of the first day of the tour across the three divisions, my wobbly mathematics suggests that the 12 teams to qualify for the World Cup have been finalised and we are one of the 12 sides heading for the biennial affair. Although, our qualification was confirmed prior to this tour given our valiant, yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt in Division 1 earlier this season.

The first game saw us pitted against the Aussies on a hard deck and with a few clouds meandering in the skies. This was the fourth time from the six tours this cycle that West Indies and Australia were in the same division and, surprisingly enough, the third that the two sides faced each other in their opening affair. Giles Williams was captaining the side for his debut match at the international stage but him not having spent enough hours on the "Coin Toss Predictor" app on his phone led to him making a false call. Australia opted to bat and the two openers had a quiet start negotiating the two wily lads who loved bowling with the brand new nut. Despite not getting a wicket, Sugrim Hughes and Wilfred Austin bowled 12 decent overs to open, leaking barely 41 runs. The next two overs saw Carl Beresford and Satish Phillips reap the rewards of their efforts, as the Australian outfit was 49/2 by the 14th over. A fifty run stand for the next wicket with Pete Hutchinson going onto score his fifty allowed Australia to dominate the proceedings until the drinks break. Post that, Aaron Munilall broke the aforementioned partnership, only to have skipper Sharrod Hay walk out with a thirst for blood. Hay scored 24 quick runs with two fours, but he died by the sword he lived on, mistiming his drive and handing Hubern King a sitter at deep cover. Some final overs bashing from Leonardo da Vinci for Australia was combatted by Aaron Munilall's street smarts who picked apart the Australian tail, ending with a four wicket haul for the day. Australia were bowled out for 242 with Satish Phillips getting the last man out.

Chasing 243, West Indies were faced by the pace of Mirko Cro Cop and Jhye Richardson. A duck for skipper Giles Williams, and two maidens to start with soon put West Indies on the back foot. The third over saw West indies get their first runs, as Hubern King dropped the ball by his legs and ran a single. Vivalyn Hector ran a two before he thumped a shorter ball into the stands as if it was a preview of what was about to come next. A 142 run stand between Hubern King and Vivalyn Hector, as King played a decent second-fiddle with his 46 run knock. But the main man for the day, the one under the spotlight was Vivalyn Hector. Six fours, five sixes, 106 runs at a strike rate of 91.38, Hector knew it was his day and he batted like it. When Wladmir Klitschko got rid of him in the 33rd over, the score was already 167, and despite Henry Harragin falling for a golden duck the next ball, the ball was in West Indies' court, with the two new batters, Reynold Nero and Aaron Munilall, needing 76 from 17 overs. A 53 run partnership off of 54 balls, before Wilfred Austin held one end up as Aaron Munilall finished the chase off with a 34*(36), during which he struck five fours, led to West Indies grabbing a win for their first game in the tour. A four-wicket win overturning a 17k rating deficit is surely a morale booster for the lads heading onto the next game against another champion side in Kenya.

Other Results in Division 2
Netherlands beat South Africa by 6 wickets.
Kenya beat Zimbabwe by 1 wicket.

Fixture on August 17: Kenya
West Indies next face Kenya on a flat deck with cloudy weather being forecasted.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:20 am

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Kenya
Well, somedays, we are simply sticks fumbling around on the ground, aren't we?

Game 2 of the tour had West Indies face the Kenyans on a flat deck. Kenya opted to bowl first and West Indies openers managed a decent 20 off the first 4 overs, before Njau Gupta got rid of Reynold Nero to start the debacle. Hemraj Walsh nicked an away swinger to give Gupta his second wicket, before Alfonso Van Spooge and Troy Joseph, West Indies' highest scorer with a 51, were taken down by Robert Whittaker. At drinks break, West Indies were 105/4 and the Kenyans had a tight grip on the innings. Njau Gupta continued shining, picking out Len Thomas and Melford Griffith after their measly innings. Hubern King attempted his best to prod along, but fell to the man of the hour, Njau Gupta, who finished his fifer, to end with the majestic figures of 10-3-18-5. Wilfred Austin and Thornton Ishmael blocked their way to double digits and got West Indies to 171 before being all out.

A low score was on the cards, and Kenya started off aggressively to never allow West Indies a foot back in the game. Amin Kuria's 81*(87) led their effort for a six wicket win with almost 20 overs to spare. Thornton Ishmael was decently impressive with 3 wickets but none of the bowlers could keep their economy down on the flat deck, and with absolutely no runs to defend on the board. West Indies were handed an utter humiliation in their second game and now sit third on the table with a win and a loss, given South Africa's poor net run rate as well, given their massive loss. Unfortunately, the two sides with two wins each, Kenya and Netherlands have gotten massive boosts to their net run rate to add to their unbeaten streak, whilst Australia and Zimbabwe have better net run rates than South Africa and ourselves, given their slim losses.

Other Results in Division 2
South Africa beat Australia by 13 runs.
Netherlands beat Zimbabwe by 4 wickets.

Fixture on August 18: Zimbabwe
The caravan moves to the uneven plains now, as the third fixture of the tour sees West Indies face the Zimbabwean players on an uneven deck, with windy weather expected.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Thu Aug 19, 2021 4:42 pm

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Zimbabwe
Day 3 and West Indies faced the winless Zimbabwean outfit. A lost toss saw West Indies walk out to field first on an uneven deck whilst winds blew across the ground. A solid powerplay for Zimbabwe as they got to 40 within the first 10 overs without losing a wicket was broken by Sugrim Hughes. Carl Beresford got rid of the other opener before two more batters got those tricky 20's in a useful partnership getting their side to 112/4 before drinks, with Aaron Munilall and Jason Hislop getting the two men done in their twenties. Mkhanyiseli Dunjwa held one end, scoring 27 whilst the barrage of tailenders on the other end kept coming and going before Zimbabwe ran out of tailenders at 158 with Aaron Munilall's two wicket over making for his second four-fer for the tour.

The chase started off poorly with Hubern King and Vivalyn Hector getting out cheaply. Henry Harragin stayed on for a decent duration but mustered only 9 runs off his 23 balls to make matters more troublesome. To add to it, Len Thomas was out six balls later as West Indies fell to 52/4 during the 15th over. Seven runless balls later, Giles Williams who had stuck out since the start of the innings was dismissed for a laboured 29 off twice as many balls. Aaron Munilall got to 15 runs but his and Carl Beresford's dismissal right before drinks break was it for many West Indian fans in the stands. After last night's debacle, another disappointing batting performance saw many fans leave. Hemraj Walsh was unaffected by the glum West Indian faces in the stands and kept his head clear. On a tough pitch, Hemraj Walsh batted with grit and determination. He and Jason Hislop played a 43 run partnership off 84 balls with Hislop scoring 5 as Walsh tied with extras for 19. Walsh's defence broke when he was on 31 and his dismissal was followed by Thornton Ishmael's and Sugrim Hughes' soon after for West Indies to end 19 runs short of the Zimbabwean total.

Other Matches in Division 2
Australia beat Netherlands by 79 runs.
South Africa beat Kenya by 112 runs.

Fixture on August 19: Netherlands
The fixture is already on, with an uneven deck and windy weather setting up for another disappointing performance with the batters having given West Indies a poor start in the first innings. Will the tail wag on to give the bowlers something to work with is the question we are looking to find the answer to?
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:59 pm

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs Netherlands
West Indies were facing the mighty Dutch as they looked to get rid of their loss streak. The defending champions of the One Day World Cup won the toss and put our lads into bat. Boudewijn Kusters got rid of Alfonso Van Spooge in the first over as the lad had a golden duck in this affair. Vivalyn Hector struggled to get going in the powerplay and his attempt to slog the spinner to get his first boundary resulted in the ball hitting his thigh and the umpire sending him back on his way. Henry Harragin scored a decent 20 before an error in judgement saw him taking the long walk back to the pavilion. Len Thomas, who had been holding one end up as the other batters kept falling, made a rash decision as he nicked one back onto the stumps looking to up the scoring rate and West Indies were 81/4 at his wicket right before drinks. The second half of the West Indian innings belonged to chinaman Jurjen Van der Lijn, who absolutely ruled the West Indian batting lineup. Getting rid of Reynold Nero for single digits allowed Boudewijn Kusters to make sure Troy Joseph and Archie O'Connor weren't able trouble the Dutch bowling as he knocked over stumps of both the batters. Melford Griffith held one end up, strike-farming his way to a decent 32 off 55 balls before his wicket meant the tenth wicket for West Indies had fallen for 132. The tail had had Carl Beresford and Sugrim Hughes score 7 and 3 ball ducks respectively whilst Satish Phillips scored 7 runs off 9 balls as he struck a maximum off of Ralf Blokhout.

Chasing 133 is rarely a challenge and despite Sugrim Hughes and Archie O'Connor grabbing two early scalps, Luuk van Eljsinga played a decent fifty to lead the batting effort for a rollover and they chased the total down in the 39th over as the West Indian net run rate took another dive in the dumps with this big loss to add to a humiliation from Kenya on Day 2.

Other Results in Division 2
Zimbabwe beat South Africa by 124 runs.
Kenya beat Australia by 66 runs.

Fixture on August 20: South Africa
The Proteas will face the Caribbeans on the final day of the tour on an uneven deck whilst the clouds will most definitely make an appearance.

Scenarios
With four teams fighting relegation, the final day can be expected to be a high-intensity affair. West Indies play South Africa and Australia face Zimbabwe, whilst the two sides to have secured survival, Kenya and Netherlands fight for the top spot on the table. West Indies need to beat South Africa, and they need a big win to make sure they trump the South African net run rate. If Zimbabwe beat Australia, Australia are guaranteed to go down but if Australia beat Zimbabwe, then as many as 4 teams could tie on eight points and West Indies' net run rate might drag them to Division 3. And if we lose, well we simply slide to Division 3 for the first time since the first tour of Season 44, back in the May of 2020, when West Indies had completed a whitewash in another tour we had hosted.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Sat Aug 21, 2021 3:05 pm

West Indies NAT One Day Tour 2- Division 2 Summaries
West Indies vs South Africa
The final day of the tour had West Indies hosting the South Africans in their fortress. Opting to bowl first on an uneven deck with cloudy weather, West Indies required 12 overs to get their first breakthrough as South Africa started off well with a 43-run opening stand in a wicketless powerplay. Thornton Ishmael and Aaron Munilall got wickets in a slightly quiet phase after the powerplay but South Africa never lost sight with Hansie Herbst and Hashim Amla striking two maximums off of a single Aaron Munilall over. At drinks, the scorecard read 95/2 and South Africa were doing a decent job with the bat.

Both set batters, Heino du Plessis and Hashim Amla were out right after drinks and the South Africans struggled to get another partnership going. Consistent wickets saw South Africa be cleaned up for 158, with all 4 seamers having decent days out, getting 2 wickets each.

Chasing 159, West Indies went 4 overs before Hemraj Walsh misread an inswinger to lose his wicket to Tshedi Mutizwa. Derek Vernon got rid of Melford Griffith within the powerplay as well. Reynold Nero contributed with 16, whilst Len Thomas and Giles Williams got twenties but the most impressive batter for the day was Alfonso Van Spooge with his 46. West Indies were in trouble again at 119/7, but Archie O'Connor blocked everything that came his way to allow Giles Williams to lead the side to the second win of this tour, and as a rather disappointing number, fifth win of the season.

Other Results in Division 2
Australia beat Zimbabwe by 76 runs.
Netherlands beat Kenya by 4 wickets.

Implications of the Tour
The West Indian fans needed two results to go their way on the final day, and were wearing Zimbabwean jerseys over their West Indian ones as Zimbabwe's loss to Australia saw Australia jump to the third spot from the fifth owing to their superior net run rate. West Indies saw their massive losses to the top two sides, Kenya and Netherlands push their net run rate to the negatives and end up on the fifth spot. This would see West Indies and South Africa head to Division 3, somewhere West Indies have not been since the first tour of Season 44 back in May of 2020. Let us hope we can repeat the 5-nil tour we had in Division 3 that instance in the first tour of Season 49. The next One Day tour will see fighting South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Pakistan and Ireland for promotion into Division 2.

Highlights of the Tour
In a tour with less to celebrate, Vivalyn Hector's fabulous 106 against Australia stands out as a memorable performance, that deserves accolades consistently. Aaron Munilall ending the third highest wicket taker with 10 scalps, getting 2 four-wicket hauls in his three fixtures, has proven the importance that his bowling brings to the setup, after his heists with the bat the previous season. And this is one of those slight details that might get missed but Alfonso Van Spooge picking up six catches over his 2 games as a keeper in this tour, all of them against South Africa was why he won the Player of the Game award for the final fixture and gets credit for his 'Highest Catches as a Keeper in this Tour' performance here.

A poor performance sees us go down to Division 3. Massive losses against the Kenyans and the Dutch to blame here, especially the one against the Kenyans hurting with a wreckage of a batting performance on a flat deck by the West Indies batters. A couple of poor One Day Tours for the season see us fall from Division 1 to 3, but we hope for a comeback next season, or even earlier if we are able to put on a good show at the End of Season World Cup. West Indies had a group stage exit in the previous edition of the World Cup and would hope we have a much more pleasant time this instance.

West Indies showcased exemplary skills in the art of collapsing against Bangladesh today, and play Canada next in another friendly.

Well, this is it from this tour then, as always, the management appreciates the managers loaning us their lads for a week, and hopes the managers would be excited to see their lads head to the World Cup in a few weeks. Here's wishing the West Indies U20 team good luck so that they have a better time in Bangladesh for their Division 1 Tour.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Sun Sep 05, 2021 6:24 am

West Indies NAT One Day World Cup- Schedule Release and Squad Announcement
The biennial One Day World Cup begins on September 13 and the West Indian squad will be heading to Scotland to take part in the Group 1 fixtures. West Indies will be facing Bermuda, Kenya, India, Canada and New Zealand in the group. The other group would see Australia, England, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe compete for 2 spots in the semi-finals. After a group stage exit in the previous edition of the event, the West Indian squad will be looking to have a better time on the field, to make up for the struggles they have had during the regular proceedings during the season as well. The eighteen players that have been selected to represent West Indies are:

Aaron Munilall Golden Hacks CC Right-arm Fast Medium/ Right-hand Bat

Alfonso Van Spooge The Sultans of Spooge Left-hand Keeper Bat

Andy Thomas Aotearoa Left-hand Bat [DEBUT]

Archie O'Connor Antiguan Golden Cats Left-arm Fast

Audrey Anthony Co-Vidians Left-hand Bat

Eldine Jones Boundary Boys Left-arm Finger Spin [DEBUT]

Henry Harragin BgUINNES RAMs Right-hand Keeper Bat

Hubern King Mohito's Mohican XI Left-hand Bat

Jason Hislop Space Wolves Left-arm Wrist Spin

Len Thomas Caribbean Pirates Right-hand Bat

Melford Griffith Crni Zmajevi Cricket Club Right-hand Bat

Peter Griffin Caribbean Pirates Right-arm Finger Spin

Reynold Nero Queens Park Cricket Club Left-hand Bat

Satish Phillips ChePu 206 Right-arm Medium

Sugrim Hughes Queens Park Cricket Club Right-arm Fast

Troy Joseph Maiden Over CC Right-arm Finger Spin/ Right-hand Bat

Vivalyn Hector Mypo Tigers Right-hand Bat

Wilfred Austin Cover point Right-arm Fast Medium

Whilst legends like Carl Beresford and Colin Eugene miss this tour out, and the maestro in the shorter format, Thornton Ishmael does not make the cut either, young lad Eldine Jones and southpaw Andy Thomas get to make their debuts in the marquee event. Audrey Anthony and Peter Griffin make it back into the squad after sitting the final tour of the season out, whilst three stars in Vivalyn Hector, Wilfred Austin and Audrey Anthony will be boarding for Scotland from new club setups owing to lavish transfer deals.

The World Cup begins on September 13 and West Indies start things off with a fixture against the Kenyan side.

September 13- West Indies vs Kenya Sticky

September 14- West Indies vs Canada Dry

September 15- West Indies vs New Zealand Dry

September 16- West Indies vs Bermuda Slow

September 17- West Indies vs India Hard

The World Cup can be followed here and all fixtures will be starting at 0900 FTP Time. A final friendly before the World Cup will be played on the eighth of September against the United States of America. As always, all managers are appreciated for loaning us their players for the week and we hope that you'd all be delighted to see your lads make the flight for the World Cup.
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Re: Senior NAT Discussion

Post by MOD-quirkilyalive » Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:56 pm

West Indies NAT One Day World Cup- Summaries
West Indies vs Kenya
The End-of-Season World Cup began today, after the Dutch had beaten the Indians in the previous edition of the tournament. The tournament opener saw West Indies face the mighty Kenyans, who won the toss and put the West Indian batters to an ultimate test on the sticky batting nightmare that was designed over in the Scottish plains which was well supported by the gradually increasing humidity in the air. The two openers, debutant Andy Thomas and oen of the best batters of the season, Vivalyn Hector, went for an aggressive start before Vivalyn Hector died by the very sword he was surviving, with his aggressive mindset seeing him lend deep square leg a sitter putting West Indies at 26/1. The West Indian side was able to float through on the decent start they had gotten from the openers as Andy Thomas went onto hit 33 with 4 fours and a six in his knock. Until the drinks break, West Indies were 77/4 with the only bowler troubling them being Kenyan skipper Ananaias Wako who had the figures of 4-1-3-3 after 25 overs.

Wako got rid of Len Thomas after the drinks break leading to Melford Griffith and Aaron Munilall having to play a few quiet overs with half the side back in the hut. Soon enough, Saul Luseno got the better of Melford Griffith and Robert Whittaker got rid of Wilfred Austin. Aaron Munilall got a laboured 19 before Robert Whittaker got rid of him and Sugrim Hughes reducing West Indies to 128/9 after 40 overs. Archie O'Connor smacked a few runs and Peter Griffin left or blocked everything that came his way as the two tailenders wagged around the pitch carrying the West Indian side to 149 and asking Kenya to chase down 150 runs in their 50 overs.

Sugrim Hughes had the new ball in his hand and it took him 3 balls to turn the scoreboard 0/1 as all-rounder Robert Whittaker missed Hughes' inswinger entirely and saw the middle stump cartwheel behind him. The rest of the powerplay saw Sugrim Hughes get rid of the other opener as well but the real star was veteran Wilfred Austin who ended his first five with a maiden and had leaked just six runs. His opening spell was the stuff most seamers dream of, with sprinkles of a few nightmares as the West Indian fielders had put down two catches already. 11 overs into the chase, the first-change bowler Archie O'Connor arrived and the left-arm quick was throwing down balls at the speed of sound. The express pace actually caused a top edge to go for a six behind the keeper, but it finally worked when O'Connor was able to hit the stumps on the fifth ball of the over, leaving Kenya reeling at 48/3 after 12. Another drop, and a wicket each for Munilall and O'Connor were the highlights of the next 13 overs as the Kenyans were 81/5 at drinks, needing 69 from the next 25.

The chase was going to be tricky for the Kenyans, the required scoring rate was close to 3 an over and they had 5 wickets to hold onto. They needed partnerships, and they needed them quick. And their batters responded with one, as the Kenyans got to 102/5 at the end of the 32nd over, bringing the equation down to 48 from 18 overs. And that is when Wilfred Austin continued his top-class show as he got the slightly older ball to banana-swing into the stumps for his first and West Indies' sixth wicket. Sugrim Hughes replaced Austin from that end and got the seventh wicket. WIlfred Austin came back for his final spell and got another wicket and Peter Griffin responded with the ninth from the other end. The Kenyan tail attempted to get towards the target but the West Indian attack did not lend them any respite. A couple of quiet wicketless over and a boundary off of Peter Griffin reduced the equation to 7 runs required off 7 balls with one wicket in hand. Archie O'Connor had the ball and he was fortunate to have Saul Luseno on strike and not Fadhili Wako who had smacked 21 runs off of 24 balls thus far. In a surprising turn of events, Luseno ran two two's instead of giving up strike and he brought the equation down to 3 more runs needed. And then came the delivery that defined the game for me, one that clocked 150kph, and Luseno had no idea what to do with that ball as it hit his pad and the umpire raised his finger implying that West Indies had won the opening game by 2 runs.

Other Results in Group 1
Canada beat Bermuda by 2 wickets.
New Zealand beat India by 16 runs.

Fixture on September 14: Canada
Up next, West Indies face the Canadians on a dry deck and under the bright sun. Both sides started the World Cup off with a close win in a topsy-turvy fixture, and it'll be interesting to see which side gets to 2 wins in 2 games at the end of the tomorrow's games.
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