Caribbean men rewrite record books on way to fourth straight win

One night after Sri Lanka amassed the biggest total of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the West Indies surpassed that record – and more.

In a thrilling game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, Nicholas Pooran’s blistering 98 off 53 balls propelled the West Indies to 218-5 against Afghanistan though he ended agonisingly short of a maiden T20 World Cup hundred.

Just the night before, Sri Lanka had amassed 201-7 against The Netherlands to surpass Australia’s 201-7 versus England as the highest team total of this year’s tournament .

Monday’s final fixture of the group stage pitted the home team against Afghanistan, both teams unbeaten coming into Monday’s game. Having already secured qualification in the Super 8 stage, West Indies were chasing form and momentum against their opponents, another undefeated Group C team.

The men in maroon had made two changes to their squad. Obed McCoy replaced Roston Chase, and with Romario Shepherd departing camp to be present for the birth of his second child, Shai Hope came in.

Rashid Khan won the toss and sent the West Indies in.

Playing at home, Saint Lucia’s Johnson Charles was once more trusted at the top of the innings. And he delivered. The two-time World T20 winner struck 43 off 27 balls, finding the boundary on eight occasions.

After Brandon King’s early dismissal, Charles combined with Pooran for the highest PowerPlay total in the history of the T20 World Cup, 92-1. They benefited from what was, from the Afghan perspective, a disastrous fourth over, which yielded 36 runs, the most ever in an over in the annals of this tournament.

By the seventh over, Afghanistan had already conceded their biggest total for the competition, 96-1. After Charles’ relatively soft dismissal, Pooran would outscore every team Afghanistan had faced thus far, compiling his near century which included six fours and eight towering sixes before he was brilliantly run out with just nine balls left in the innings.

The run chase got off to the worst possible start for Afghanistan, with Akeal Hosein bowling a wicket maiden the first over. It did not get much better thereafter, the first four overs going for just 20 runs. Gudakesh Motie replaced his fellow spinner in the seventh over and promptly reduced Afghanistan to 45-2.

McCoy compounded Afghanistan’s misery. Charles took two catches off his bowling, the score 59-4 after eight overs. McCoy took a third wicket, having conceded just 14 runs from his three overs, and at the halfway stage, Afghanistan still needed 153 runs with only 60 legal balls left.

In the end, West Indies romped home by 104 runs. Afghanistan were 114 all out, and West Indies were left riding high going into their first Super 8 fixture.

The West Indies’ final score was also a new milestone for the venue. Gros Islet has now produced four of the eight highest team totals in this competition.

Rovman Powell’s men will play at the same venue on Wednesday, against England.

(TF/DP)