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JASON Holder and Shai Hope, Johnson Charles and Roston Chase all combined to fire the West Indies to a composed 39-run win over the US at Takashinga Sports Club yesterday.
All four West Indian stars made first innings half-centuries and despite Gajanand Singh’s brilliant hundred for the Americans in reply, two wickets apiece for Kyle Mayers and Alzarri Joseph helped restrict the underdogs to a total of 258 for seven.
American captain Monank Patel opted to field first in a decision that reaped almost immediate — and stunning —rewards in south-west Harare.
Patel’s side required just 2.1 overs to make the breakthrough as left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar had West Indian opener Brandon King trapped LBW without scoring.
And one became two just three overs later when Kyle Phillip bowled Mayers to reduce Hope’s stuttering side to 14 for two.
Hope and Charles soon set about rebuilding the innings, however, constructing a polished partnership of 115 as both batters brought up half-centuries.
But they were both dismissed in quick succession as Hope (54) fell to Nosthush Kenjige and Steven Taylor had Charles caught for 66.
Chase and Nicholas Pooran continued to come at the Americans as the experienced pair put on an important 50 partnership.
Pooran motored to a dazzling 43 off just 28 balls — including three sixes — while Chase (55) made a measured run-a-ball half-century.
Netravalkar, Phillip and Taylor soon begun to chip away at the West Indies’ lower-order as Holder’s heroics at the other end — 56 off just 40 balls — helped salvage his side’s innings and haul them to a total of 297 all out in the final over.
American openers Taylor and Sushant Modani looked comfortable in reply before Holder made the breakthrough and triggered a flurry of early wickets.
The West Indian all-rounder removed Modani in the eighth over before Mayers joined the party to dismiss both Taylor and Patel. Joseph helped make further inroads into the American middle-order but they encountered considerable resistance from a combination of Singh, who made a battling century, Shayan Jahangir and Nosthush Kenjige.
The fluent left-hander brought up his hundred in the final over of the innings after Jahangir had made 39 and Kenjige ended on 34 not out at the other end.
But the experienced West Indian attack proved too strong for the Americans to overcome as the two-time ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions got their campaign off to the perfect start.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier continues in Zimbabwe on Monday, with Sri Lanka taking on the United Arab Emirates and Ireland locking horns with Oman in Bulawayo.
Sri Lanka grabbed ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup glory back in 1996 and enter their Qualifier campaign as one of the red-hot favourites to book their place in the Indian showpiece later this year.
While in the day’s other Group B contest, Andrew Balbirnie’s Ireland arrive off the back of their Test match defeat against England at Lord’s hoping to return to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup after missing out on a spot back in 2019.
Scores in brief
West Indies beat USA at Takashinga Sports Club, Highfield, Harare by 39 runs
West Indies 297 all out in 49.3 overs (Johnson Charles 66, Jason Holder 56; Saurabh Netravalkar 3/53, Steven Taylor 3/53)
US 258/7 in 50 overs (Gajanand Singh 101 not out, Shayan Jahangir 39; Kyle Mayers 2/30, Alzarri Joseph 2/68) — ICC Cricket.
Online Reporter