West Indies enter Super Eight with unimpressive win
Hosts West Indies booked a berth in the Super Eight stage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 after an unimposing six-wicket win over underdogs Zimbabwe at the Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. The determined Zimbabweans posed a good challenge to Windies, who eventually sailed through to the next stage of this world championship.
Even though Zimbabwe were an easy target for West Indies, the latter’s lackluster performance gave out wrong signals and clearly exposed their loopholes. Apart from a few awe-inspiring shots here and there, the game was simply not entertaining enough.
Put in to bat first, Zimbabwe scored a meager 202 runs at the loss of five wickets. The top order failed to impress and got out for paltry scores. The most crucial partnership was the one between wicketkeeper Brandon Taylor (50) and Sean Williams (70), who managed to time the ball perfectly and also found all the right spots. The latter was even adjudged Man of the Match for his diligent 70 runs in 88 balls.
For West Indies, Jerome Taylor was the most impressive bowler, grabbing 2 for 45 in his quota of ten overs. The hosts were tight in their bowling and made sure that they did not give away excess runs.
Chasing a paltry 203, West Indies started off extremely well with Chris Gayle setting the stands on fire in his 40 runs off 48 balls. In between his innings, Gayle hit three consecutive sixes off Tawanda Mupariwa, and this was invariably the most exciting moment of the match.
The West Indian middle order did nothing great, with the only worthwhile contribution coming from skipper Brian Lara (44) and Dwayne Bravo (37). Even Lara’s innings was without the usual sheen associated with a batsman of his stature.
West Indies reached the required target in the 48th over, losing just four wickets on the way. However, the fact that it took them so long to chase just above 200 runs shows the lack of solidity and consistency in their batting. Zimbabwe’s bowling was nothing worth mentioning. But the fact that they did manage to delay the victory shows their grit and determination on the field.
Brief Scores: West Indies 204/4 (Lara 44*, Gayle 40) vs. Zimbabwe 202/5 (Williams 70, Taylor 50)
Result: West Indies won by six wickets
Man of the Match: Sean Williams
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