Simmons, Rampaul fire WI into semis

Lendl Simmons struck a sensational hundred and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul snatched a five-wicket haul as West Indies Masters turned back South Africa Masters by 29 runs, to storm into the semi-finals of the International Masters League.

 

Playing at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, India on Tuesday, West Indies racked up 200 for five from their 20 overs thanks to the right-handed Simmons who top-scored with 108 off just 59 deliveries.

 

Rampaul then limited South Africa Masters to 171 for eight in reply, finishing with excellent figures of five for 26 from four overs.

 

Captain Jacques Kallis top-scored with 45 from 36 balls while opener Richard Levi belted a 16-ball 44 and Jacques Rudolph, 39 off 34 deliveries.

 

Sent in, West Indies Masters were tottering on 29 for two at the start of the fifth over after losing Dwayne Smith (5) and Williams Perkins (5) cheaply, both removed by seamer Garnett Kruger (2-14).

 

Simmons arrived at number three and promptly put on a show, smashing 13 fours and five sixes as he inspired a superb 125-run, third wicket stand with captain Brian Lara who made 29 off 34 deliveries with a four and two sixes.

 

When he finally departed, bowled by fast bowler Makhaya Ntini (2-34) in the 18th over, West Indies lost three wickets for 14 runs to decline to 166 for five in the penultimate over, when Lara was dismissed.

 

But Chadwick Walton lashed a stunning 12-ball unbeaten 38 with half-dozen sixes to rally the West Indies at the death, three of his sixes coming in the final over from seamer Kallis which leaked 19 runs.

 

In reply, Levi slammed five fours and three sixes, dominating a 47-run opening stand off 21 deliveries with Hashim Amla (3) before perishing at the hands of left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in the fourth over.

 

A slide saw South Africa Masters slip to 64 for three in the sixth over before Kallis and Rudolph rescued the chase in a 78-run fourth wicket partnership.

 

Kallis struck half-dozen fours and Rudolph four boundaries and were transferring pressure back onto the Caribbean side when Simmons intervened to remove Rudolph at the start of the 16th over.

 

Rampaul then blew the game wide open in the 17th over when he removed Kallis and Dane Vilas (0) with the first two deliveries of the over, and then accounted for Farhaan Behardien (1) with the fifth.

 

With the win, West Indies Masters joined Sri Lanka Masters, India Masters and Australia Masters in the semi-finals.

(BT)