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West Indies Triumph Over England in T20 Clash

Russell was deservedly named Player of the Match for his superb individual heroics and admitted after the game that his return to international cricket had gone exactly to plan…reports Asian Lite News

Star all-rounder Andre Russell made a successful return to international cricket as the West Indies showed they could be a force to be reckoned with at next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with an impressive four-wicket victory over England, here.

It was Russell’s first international match in more than two years and the talented 35-year-old turned it on in style with a three-wicket haul and an unbeaten 29* from 14 balls as the Caribbean side chased down England’s decent total of 171 with 11 deliveries remaining.

The run chase was the highest successful one at the picturesque Kensington Oval ground in Barbados, surpassing the previous best of 155/5 by the West Indies also against England in 2014.

Russell was deservedly named Player of the Match for his superb individual heroics and admitted after the game that his return to international cricket had gone exactly to plan.

“For two weeks now since I got the call up I have been dreaming that my first match back I would be Player of the Match,” Russell was quoted as saying by ICC after the match.

“I didn’t know how it would happen, but I just kept believing that it would happen.”

Russell said the knowledge he has from playing previously in Barbados helped him put the clamps on England and pick up a trio of valuable wickets.

“Cutters seem to work well here so I tried to bowl as many cutters and take the pace off, as most of the boundaries hit early in England’s innings were from pace on,” Russell noted.

“We pulled it back very well and well bowled to everyone tonight.” The performance will provide the West Indies with plenty of confidence less than six months out from the start of the T20 World Cup that they will co-host with the USA, with a host of their best players appearing in good form against England. Russell helped turn the momentum the way of the West Indies after Phil Salt (40) and Jos Buttler (39) had given England a good start by putting on 77 for the opening wicket in good time, with Alzarri Joseph (3/54) chipping in with a three-wicket haul of his own as the visitors were dismissed in their final over.

Shai Hope (36) and Kyle Mayers (35) found the middle of the bat with ease in response for the West Indies, before a brief rain delay and some inspired bowling from Rehan Ahmed (3/39) provided England with a glimmer of hope. But Russell combined with Rovman Powell (31*) to guide the West Indies to the highest successful T20I run chase at the ground and help setup a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The teams meet next in Grenada on Thursday.

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SKY, Tilak shine, Team India pull one back

This triumph keeps India alive in the five-match series as they reduced to margin to 2-1…reports Asian Lite News

Under fire for his recent failures in ODI matches and first two T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav bounced back with an explosive knock of 83 off 44 balls while Tilak Varma struck an unbeaten 49 as India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20I at Providence Stadium, here on Tuesday.

This triumph keeps India alive in the five-match series as they reduced to margin to 2-1.

After the early dismissal of debutant opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, India swiftly regrouped with Suryakumar Yadav’s classy performance as he built an impressive 87-run partnership for the third wicket with Tilak (49 not out).

Thanks to Surya and Tilak’s impressive knocks, India chased down the 160-run target in 17.5 overs, revitalising their hopes in the series after facing defeats in the first two matches.

Chasing 160, India had a shocking start as they lost Jaiswal early in the first over. Then, Yadav came and quickly launched an attack with his big hits.

Gill once again fell cheaply as he threw his wicket in the fifth over when he looked to pull it away but got the top edge for Jonatan Charles to take a comfortable catch.

Varma, who was the top scorer in the last two games, continued with his fine form and started with back-to-back boundaries. Suryakumar and Varma went for three big hits to take the Power-play score to 60/2.

Soon, Yadav brought up his 14th T20 fifty off just 23 with a fine boundary. He maintained his aggressive approach, achieving a milestone of 100 international sixes by skillfully dispatching a slower ball for a spectacular maximum. Building on that achievement, he promptly struck a boundary. At the halfway point, India found themselves in a dominant position at 97-2.

Surya’s impressive innings concluded in the 13th over, as he directed Alzarri Joseph’s full toss towards fine leg, where King remained stationary and completed the catch without any difficulty.

After Surya’s dismissal, Tilak took centrestage and went for a few big hits but missed out on his second fifty as captain Hardik Pandya finished the chase with a maximum to keep India alive in the series.

Earlier, opting to bat first, West Indies got off to a decent start with openers Kyle Mayers and Brandon King stitched a 55-run opening stand. However, India made a comeback with Kuldeep Yadav taking two wickets in an over.

But the hosts got the rhythm through skipper Rovman Powell, who’s unbeaten 19-ball 40 quickfire powered West Indies to 159/5 in 20 overs.

Brief score:

West Indies 159/5 in 20 overs (Brandon King 42, Rovman Powell 40*; Kuldeep Yadav 3-28) lost to India 164/3 in 17.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 83, Tilak Varma 49 not out; Alzarri Joseph 2-25) by seven wickets.

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Pooran blitz tames India

Nicholas Pooran blasted a superb half-century, putting up a brazen display of power-hitting as he scored 67 off 40 deliveries to help the hosts recover…reports Asian Lite News

Tilak Varma (51) struck his maiden T20I half-century but Nicholas Pooran hammered a brilliant 40-ball 67 and West Indies survived a major scare, losing four wickets for two runs late, to reach 155/8 to win the match by two wickets and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Romario Shepherd (2-28), Alzarri Joseph (2-28) and Akeal Hosein (2-29) claimed a brace of wickets each as India barely managed to reach 152/7 in 20 overs thanks to Tilak Varma, who held the innings together coming in at 76/4 and responding with a superb knock in what is only his second outing in T20I cricket.

Despite losing star spinner Kuldeep Yadav to an injury. India got off to a superb start with the ball as skipper Hardik Pandya claimed two wickets in the first and fourth deliveries of the opening over of the West Indies reply. And when Arshdeep Singh trapped Kyle Mayers (15) in front of the wicket, West Indies were 32/3 in the fourth over and facing the prospect of a debacle.

However, Nicholas Pooran blasted a superb half-century, putting up a brazen display of power-hitting as he scored 67 off 40 deliveries to help the hosts recover. He shared a 57-run partnership with skipper Rovman Powell for the fourth wicket that set his team on course to victory.

Pooran muscled away the ball, hitting shots at will against the Indian spinners as he hammered six boundaries and four sixes. He pummelled leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for a four and six on the first two overs of the sixth over and then blasted boundaries off the fourth and fifth deliveries of that eventful over. He had earlier struck two back-to-back boundaries off Mukesh Kumar. After Hardik had struck double blows in the first over, Pooran heaves Pandya for a six over wide long-on and then slashes a shortish and wide delivery outside off past point for a four in the third over.

Skipper Powell (21) and Shimrom Hetmyer (22) made vital contributions but the West Indies lost three wickets in a sensational 16th over with Romao Shepherd run out going for a second run in which his partner was not interested, Jason Holder given out by TV umpire, stumped by Ishan Kishan off Chahal and then the Indians got ‘three reds’ in DRS to send back Hetmyer, trapped lbw by Chahal, to reduce West Indies to 129/8. West Indies lost three wickets for two runs and were staring at defeat.

However, Akeal Hosein (16 not out) and Alzarri Joseph (10 not out) saw them through in a thrilling finish by sharing a 26-run partnership for the unfinished ninth wicket as the hosts reached 155/8 in 18.5 overs to take 2-0 lead in the five-match series. This was the first time since 2016 that West Indies defeated India in two successive T20I matches.

Earlier, electing to bat first, India got off to a poor start losing three wickets for just 60 runs by the midway stage. Opener Shubman Gill (7) and Suryakumar Yadav (1) failed to click but Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma scripted a mini recovery.

Kishan was lucky in the first over when a defensive prod by him fell just short of Rovman Powell. He hammered Akael Hosein for a big six over deep square leg and once again went over the boundary in the 10th over when he swiped Romario Shepherd for his second six. In between, he struck a boundary each off Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers before he was out for 27, playing all over a delivery by Romario Shepherd and had his off-stump rocked back off the very next delivery after being struck for a six.

India slumped to 76/4 after losing Sanju Samson (7) in the 12th over and looked in danger of failing to put up a big score.

Varma, who top-scored for India with 39 off 22 balls in the first T20I, held one end up as he blasted a fine half-century, hitting five fours and a lone six during his 41-ball knock. He reached the milestone of 39 balls as India crossed the 100-run mark.

He started with a boundary off Alzari Joseph and then blasted back-to-back boundaries off Jason Holder in the 11th over, scooped Mayers behind the wicket off Mayers in the eighth over and reverse swept Hosein over deep third man boundary for a four. He enjoyed a life when the long-on fielder ran in from deep midwicket to long-on but could not pouch the tough chance.

Hardik Pandya landed a few lusty blows in scoring 24 off 18 deliveries but was out in the most inappropriate time in the 18th over, hitting two sixes. India managed to reach a modest score, failing to accelerate after losing wickets at crucial junctures.

In the end, it did not prove enough as the West Indies surged to a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Brief scores: India 152/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 27, Tilak Varma 51, Hardik Pandya 24; Romario Shepherd 2-28, Alzarri Joseph 2-28, Akeal Hosein 2-29) lost to West Indies 155/8 in 18.5 overs (Nicholas Pooran 67, Rovman Powell 21, Shimron Hetmyer 22, Akeal Hosein 16 not out; Hardik Pandya 3-35; Yuzvendra Chahal 2-19) by two wickets.

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India clinch West Indies ODI series in style

Kishan was deservedly named Player of the Series for his efforts that saw him compile 184 runs from the three matches at an average of 61.33….reports Asian Lite News

Inexperienced opener Ishan Kishan joined an elite group of just six players as India clinched the ODI series against the West Indies in style with a commanding 200-run victory over the Caribbean side in the third ODI, here.

Kishan scored his third consecutive half-century when compiling a quickfire 77 from just 64 deliveries against the West Indies and in the process joined a group of five other India men’s players to have reached 50 in all matches of a bilateral three-game ODI series, reports ICC.

There are some India greats among that group that Kishan entered, with Kris Srikkanth (1982), Dilip Vengsarkar (1985), Mohammad Azharuddin (1993), MS Dhoni (2019) and Shreyas Iyer (2020) the previous batters to have achieved the feat.

While Kishan has some way to go to match the exploits of the aforementioned quintet, the dynamic 25-year-old has made a blistering start to his international career over the last two years and is in the mix to earn selection for India at this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Kishan has 617 runs from 17 ODIs since making his international 50-over debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021 and his record-breaking 210 against Bangladesh at the end of last year is the standout performance of his fledgling career to date.

But his efforts against the West Indies have shown the left-hander has more consistency to his game now and his imposing career strike rate in ODI cricket of 107.43 provides India’s top-order with yet another good attacking option.

While Kishan was troubled early by West Indies pacer Kyle Mayers in the third ODI of the series on Tuesday, he soon found his rhythm to find the boundary with ease alongside fellow opener Shubman Gill.

Kishan fell in the 20th over when stumped by West Indies captain Shai Hope, but not before he and Gill had put on 143 for the opening wicket and put India in a dominant position to clinch the series.

Gill (85), Sanju Samson (51) and stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya (70*) also compiled half centuries in the absence of rested stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as India amassed a big total of 351/5 from their 50 overs and that was always going to be enough as the hosts fell well short in reply.

Kishan was deservedly named Player of the Series for his efforts that saw him compile 184 runs from the three matches at an average of 61.33.

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West Indies beat India by six wickets, level series 1-1

Opener Ishan Kishan (55) struck his second successive half-century but India failed to capitalise on a good start on a difficult pitch that offered variable bounce to be all out for 181 in 40.5 overs…reports Asian Lite News

A disciplined bowling effort led by three-fers from Gudakesh Motie (3/36) and Romario Shepherd (3/37), followed by a fine half-century from Shai Hope (63 not out) helped West Indies draw level the three-match series 1-1 with a convincing six-wicket win over India in the second ODI, here on Saturday.

Opener Ishan Kishan (55) struck his second successive half-century but India failed to capitalise on a good start on a difficult pitch that offered variable bounce to be all out for 181 in 40.5 overs.

In reply, West Indies chased down the target in 36.4 overs with six wickets in hand, courtesy of a steady 91 not out stand between Hope and Keacy Carty (48 not out). This was West Indies first ODI win against India in last ten matches

Chasing a small total, Kyle Mayers was off the blocks quickly, driving and flicking India’s new-ball pair of Hardik Pandya and Mukesh Kumar before Brandon King joined in, going past 1000 ODI runs with consecutive boundaries off Umran Malik.

Mayers then welcomed Shardul Thakur into the attack with a stylish flick for six to bring up the fifty partnership on the first ball of the ninth over, but fell attempting a repeat of the same one ball later. In the same over, Thakur trapped King LBW to reduce West Indies to 54/2.

With Hope on crease, West Indies had managed to move on quickly but Thakur struck again to remove Alick Athanaze. However, the captain ensured West Indies didn’t waste a perfect start like the visitors.

Hosts lost Shimron Hetmyer to a Kuldeep Yadav googly but Hope kept the scoreboard ticking just enough to keep them ahead of the DLS par score given the overcast conditions. And once Carty got his eye in, the pair did well to rotate strike effectively and inch closer to the target.

Hope brought up his fifty in 70 balls, also taking his team past the 150-run mark in the process. Despite not exactly dealing in boundaries until the very end, the pair took control of the chase and made sure West Indies scaled the target comfortably.

Earlier, put into bat first, India made a hash of things after getting a good start thanks to Ishan, who struck a run-a-ball 55, his second after the 52 in the first match that India won.

Kishan and Shubman Gill raised 90 runs for the opening wicket but the West Indies capitalised on the juice offered by the wicket that was slow but offered bounce too. The disaster struck India just before the first rain interruption midway through their innings when the visitors lost two wickets off successive deliveries, slumping to 113/5 in the 25th over from 95/2 in the 18th over.

Axar Patel, sent ahead of Hardik Pandya failed too. Stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya (7), leading the side as Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli have been rested, tried to pull a bouncer around shoulder height from Jayden Seales but got it straight to Brandon King at midwicket. Pandya was the fourth batter to get out in the last ball of the 24th over.

Sanju Samson (9) got out off the first delivery of the 25th over as he edged leg spinner Yannic Cariah to King in the slips, getting squared up as he shaped up to hit it square and the ball spun and bounced and took the edge.

India lost two quick wickets again after a 30-minute rain interruption as Ravindra Jadeja (10) and Suryakumar Yadav (24) got out, after repairing the innings a bit by adding 33 runs for the sixth wicket. Shardul Thakur contributed 16 runs off 22 balls but the Indian tail did not last for long as India were eventually bowled out for 181.

Brief scores: India 181 all out in 40.5 overs (Ishan Kishan 55, Shubman Gill 34; Romario Shepherd 3-37, Gudakesh Motie 3-36) lost to West Indies 182/4 in 36.4 overs (Shai Hope 63 not out, Keacy Carty 48 not out; Shardul Thakur 3-42) by six wickets.

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Mohd Siraj ruled out from ODI series against West Indies

The BCCI has not sought a replacement for the seamer, who flew back home with the rest of the Test contingent after India’s 1-0 series win…reports Asian Lite News

Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj has been rested for the ODI leg of the West Indies tour as a precautionary measure after he complained of a sore ankle, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) said on Thursday.

The BCCI, however, has not sought a replacement for the seamer, who flew back home with the rest of the Test contingent after India’s 1-0 series win.

“The right-arm pacer has a sore ankle and as a precautionary measure has been advised to rest by the BCCI medical team. The team has not called for a replacement player for the ODI series, which commences on July 27, 2023, in Barbados,” the BCCI said in a statement.

After the West Indies tour, India’s schedule includes the Asia Cup, which is scheduled from late August to mid-September. Additionally, they will be engaged in a three-match ODI series against Australia at home in September ahead of the ODI World Cup at home in October.

The 29-year-old pacer has been playing regular cricket since the start of the year. Siraj has played in all ODIs for India against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia.

He was also part of India’s 2-1 triumph in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Tests) and also played a crucial part in the IPL 2023 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he scalped 19 wickets in 14 matches, the most for RCB.

Siraj was also part of the World Test Championship Final squad at The Oval against Australia picking up five wickets before the West Indies series, where he picked up seven wickets in the two Tests, including a five-for in the first innings of the second Test.

Siraj would have led the pace attack with Umran Malik to support him. But now, in his absence, Shardul Thakur becomes the most experienced seamer in India’s squad, with 50 wickets in 35 matches.

India’s updated ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar

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‘Dramatic fall from grace’

West Indies’ first-ever ODI loss to Scotland sealed their fate, though earlier defeats to Zimbabwe and Netherlands had already made qualification through the Super Six stage difficult….reports Asian Lite News

Former cricketer and noted commentator Ian Bishop and ex-captain Carlos Brathwaite dissected the West Indies’ failed campaign at Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Zimbabwe, which means that the two-time champions will miss the mega ICC event for the first time.

The signs were there early in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 campaign but this is now “the lowest you can go,” according to West Indies great Carlos Brathwaite.

The hero of the T20 World Cup 2016 final was left stunned alongside Ian Bishop as they tried to dissect how the former powerhouse had fallen out of the race for a spot at the showpiece event in India later this year.

“It has been a long time coming. Obviously another format, T20, missed out (on the Super 12 stage) as well last year. So in white-ball cricket, there have been troubles in the past,” Brathwaite was quoted as saying by ICC.

“I think this is the lowest you can go,” he added.

West Indies’ first-ever ODI loss to Scotland sealed their fate, though earlier defeats to Zimbabwe and Netherlands had already made qualification through the Super Six stage difficult.

Entering the critical stage of the tournament with zero points meant West Indies had little room for error and most likely needed to win all three remaining matches, but they stumbled at the first hurdle.

“It has been a dramatic fall from grace from the former two-time winners of the Cricket World Cup, two-time World (Cup) T20 champions as well,” Bishop said.

Change the captain, change the coach, change who you want, the results have still gone against what was expected.

“If we go back to the start of this tournament, the West Indies would have come in with high hopes as a full member nation. But the group stages were a disappointment in the level of performance, certainly in the field and with the bat,” he added.

West Indies already have a spot locked in at the next T20 World Cup, when it is held across parts of the Caribbean as well as in the USA in 2024, and can start to plan for a much more competent campaign on home soil.

Bishop pointed to Alick Athanaze, Kevin Wickham and Jayden Seales as promising young players that should be given opportunities, while emerging spinner Kevin Sinclair was only added to their Qualifier squad after Yannic Cariah sustained an injury.

Sherfane Rutherford, Oshane Thomas and Fabian Allen were also left out of the squad after being part of the West Indies side at the Cricket World Cup 2019 and could press their claims for a recall.

“I think there’s a lot of issues. Identification of talent is one, but then how do you develop that talent?” Brathwaite said.

“It needs to be a situation where the guys that are identified, that there is a clear pathway from first-class and regional cricket to (under) 18 to international cricket.

Then how you consistently back it with the right brand of cricket in place, the right structure, to ensure not only success periodically but sustained success,” he added.

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India beat West Indies by 6 wickets to win first T20

It was then a crucial partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 18) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 off 13), which helped India chase down the target in 18.5 overs…reports Asian Lite News

India produced a clinical all-round performance to beat West Indies by six wickets in the first T20I, to take a 1-0 lead in three-match series at the Eden Gardens, here on Wednesday.

A solid bowling performance on his debut by young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/17) helped India restrict West Indies to 157/7 in 20 overs despite an attacking fifty by Nicholas Pooran (61 off 43). Apart from Bishnoi, Harshal Patel (2/37) also bowled well to keep things in control of India.

In reply, Rohit Sharma (40 off 19) and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) gave India a flying start. But once the duo got out, things changed drastically for India and the wickets of Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant in quick succession put hosts in more trouble.

It was then a crucial partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 18) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 off 13), which helped India chase down the target in 18.5 overs.

Brief scores:
West Indies 157/7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61, Kyle Mayers 31; Ravi Bishnoi 2/17, Harshal Patel 2/37) lost to India 162-4 in 18.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 40, Ishan Kishan 35; Roston Chase 2/14) by six wickets.

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