West Indies qualify for World Cup 2019

West Indies vs Scotland ()

March 21 (CRICKETNMORE) - Rain came to the rescue of the Windies, who qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 after defeating defending champions Scotland by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method in a Super Six fixture of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

In the Super Six winner-takes-all match, the Windies, put in to bat, lost Chris Gayle on the very first ball of the match, his seventh career golden duck, and then saw Shai Hope return to the pavilion 12 balls later to slip to two for two.

Evin Lewis (66, 87b, 7x4, 2x6) and Marlon Samuels (51, 98b, 4x4) revived the Windies’ innings by adding 121 runs for the third wicket in 168 balls. But, as the Windies looked set to post a decent score, Lewis departed and 12 runs later Samuels and Shimron Hetmyer also returned to the hut.

The Windies innings was wrapped up for 198 in 48.4 overs, with the last eight wickets falling for just 75 runs in close to 18 overs.

Scotland bowlers maintained a very discipline line and length as is evident from the fact that they delivered 174 dot balls and conceded just 12 fours and three sixes. The most impressive of the lot was 26-year-old Safyaan Sharif who picked up the prized scalps of Gayle, Hope and Rovman Powell conceding 27 runs.

Brad Wheal also rose to the occasion and bowled his heart out, to be rewarded with figures of three for 34, while off-spinner Michael Leask snapped up the wickets of Samuels and Hetmyer off successive deliveries to finish with two for 36.

The Windies needed quick wickets to not only qualify for the World Cup but also end Scotland’s dreams of featuring in the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over event for the second successive time and fourth since 1999.

And Kemar Roach obliged Jason Holder by accounting for the in-form Kyle Coetzer and Michael Jones, while the captain dismissed Matthew Cross as Scotland slipped to 25 for three.

SCORECARD

Read More