Powerful Windies snuff out USA challenge

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

CRICKET - The West Indies continued to display their batting power in the ICC under 19 World Cup when they ran up an impressive total of 302-7 to beat USA by 87 runs at the NCC grounds yesterday, but not before going through some anxious moments.

The USA for all their inexperience had the West Indies rattled to some extent when they ran up 150-3 at the half stage of the innings.

If it was a Test-playing nation they would have sailed through and won. But USA who are playing in this tournament for the first time lacked that little bit of experience to pace out their innings gradually after batting themselves into a winning position and once their captain Hemant Punoo who made an attractive 65 off 52 balls (10 fours) and Akeem Dodson (43 with 5 fours) were dismissed, the rest of the batting folded up tamely.

However the USA should be proud the way they played against a full member country getting to a respectable 215 before being bowled out in the 46th over. They could consider this performance an achievement in the annals of their cricket history.

They were of course helped to a great extent by the West Indies bowlers who had trouble controlling the ball. They conceded 38 wides accounting for an unusual 55 extras. It must constitute some kind of a record at this level of cricket.

The Windies came into this game riding on totals of 293 against Sri Lanka and 310-8 against New Zealand and they continued in the same vein to put the hapless USA bowlers to the sword.

After finishing runner up to Pakistan in the last under 19 World Cup held in Bangladesh two years ago, West Indies who are drawn in a tough group with Australia and South Africa are determined to go the full distance and finish it off this time.

The manner in which West Indies have begun the tournament and the way they performed in the two warm-up games suggests that they have the batting to see them through. After all one-day cricket is all about batting and any team which possesses a powerful line up as the Caribbeans should consider themselves with a chance to land the cup.

West Indies were power-driven by a superb century from opener William Perkins who made a tournament top score of 133 off 150 balls inclusive of 16 fours to take the man-of-the-match award. This innings was constructed after USA had somewhat stunned the Windies with two early wickets in the third over to have them struggling at 8-2.

USA's joy was shortlived as Perkins in the company of Jason Mohammed (45 with 8 fours) and Gajanand Singh (65 off 53 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes) turned the game around with two century stands that lifted the total to 263-4 by the 46th over. The Perkins-Mohammed stand produced 124 off 144 balls and the Perkins-Singh partnership a further 144 off 116 balls.

What was so evident from the batsmen of both teams was the power of their shot making which the Sri Lankans would do well to emulate. The Sri Lankans have got the habit of trying to work the ball into the gaps most of the time than hit them with the full face of the bat which is much effective in fetching boundaries than singles and twos.

WEST  INDIES 

W. Perkins c Kirton b M.  Patel   		133 
R.N. Ramdeen c M. Patel b  Audain 	  	  0 
L.R. Johnson c Dodson b  Audain 	 	  4 
J. Mohammed c Punoo b  Kirton 		 	 45 
Gajanand Singh c Deopersaud  b Punoo   	 	 65  
K.A. Pollard b M.  Patel  			 11 	
S.S.J. Brooks run out 			 	 15 		
J.P.R. Searles not out 			  	  8 
EXTRAS (nb-2, w-19)  			 	 21 
TOTAL (7 wkts 50 overs, 193 mins)   		302 

Did not bat: K.A.J. Roach,  S.P. Narine, R. Bachan. 
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-2, 2-8,  3-132, 4-263, 5-267, 6-286, 7-302. 
Bowling: Audain 6-0-39-2  (5w), Rehman 5-0-23-0 (6w),
Punoo 8-0-60-1 (5w), N.  Patel 6-0-31-0 (1nb), 
Kirton 8-0-50-1, Deopersaud 10-0-57-0 (1w),  
Rajp 5-0-20-0 (2w), M. Patel 2-0-22-2. 

USA 

K.H. Ramsabad lbw b  Roach  			  2 
R. Timbawala c Perkins b  Roach 		  0 
A.L. Dodson c Johnson b  Bachan  		 43 
H. Punoo c Searles b  Narine  			 65 
M.K. Patel c and b  Narine 			 13 
N.K. Patel run out   				  0 
D.O. Nathaniel st Perkins b  Bachan  		  4  
A.A. Kirton c sub  (Fletcher) b Brooks   	 22 
D.A. Audain c Perkins b  Bachan  		  0 
A.A. Deopersaud not  out 			  9 
A. Rajp c Perkins b  Roach  			  2 
EXTRAS (lb-13, nb-3,  w-38) 			 54 
TOTAL (all out, 45.4 overs,  188 mins) 		214 

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13,  2-53, 3-141, 4-165, 5-171, 
6-176, 7-182, 8-182, 9-208, 10-214. 
Bowling: Searles 5-0-23-0  (5w), Roach 6.4-2-23-3 (19w),
Pollard 4-0-41-0 (11w, 3nb), Narine 10-2-39-2  (1w), 
Bachan 10-1-42-3 (2w), Brookes 10-0-33-1. 
Man of the Match: W.  Perkins (West Indies)