Windies sign off with win over Afghanistan

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Gayle fails in World Cup swansong

LEEDS, England, July 4, (RTRS): West Indies won the battle of the Cricket World Cup’s basement dwellers, beating Afghanistan by 23 runs in their final group match at Headingley on Thursday.

Chris Gayle managed only seven runs in his final World Cup appearance but Shai Hope capitalised on an early reprieve to score 77 and help the eliminated Caribbean side to 311-6 after electing to bat.

While Gayle disappointed, 18-year-old Ikram Alikhil top-scored for Afghanistan with a career-best 86 before falling to the 39-year-old part-time spinner from Jamaica.

Afghanistan were all out for 288 in exactly 50 overs – their highest score in the World Cup – to finish their campaign with nine defeats in as many matches, denying their West Indian coach Phil Simmons a winning send-off.

The match against the tournament’s weakest side was an opportunity for Gayle to produce a special performance but the prolific left-handed opener failed to take it.

Gayle slashed at a wide Dawlat Zadran delivery to be caught behind, finishing his last World Cup with only one half-century.

West Indies could have been in bigger trouble but Rashid Khan dropped a sitter at mid-wicket off Zadran when Hope was on five.

By the time Rashid caught him, at mid-wicket in the 38th over, Hope had laid a strong foundation for a 300-plus total.

Opener Evin Lewis celebrated his return to the team with 58 and Nicholas Pooran also made 58, his third 50-plus score of the tournament.

Skipper Jason Holder clobbered four sixes in his 45 off 34 balls to help the team past the 300-mark.

Dropped catched, squandered run-out opportunity and misfields marred Afghanistan’s fielding, best illustrated in the final over of the West Indies innings.

Afghan captain Gulbadin Naib got himself under a skier at long-off but flinched at the last moment, possibly losing the ball in sunlight, allowing what would have been a regulation catch to go for a boundary.

Naib could not impress with the bat either and fell for eight.

Shah and Alikhil refused to throw in the towel, though, frustrating the West Indies attack with a 133-run partnership.

Carlos Brathwaite (4-63) dismissed Shah as he and Kemar Roach (3-37) snuffed out Afghan hopes of an unlikely victory.

Windies vs Afghanistan Scoreboard/Standings

LONDON, July 4, (Agencies): Scoreboard at close of play of match 42 between Afghanistan and West Indies on Thursday.

WEST INDIES

C. Gayle c Ali Khil b Zadran           7

E. Lewis c Nabi b Khan    58

S. Hope c Khan b Nabi    77

S. Hetmyer c (sub) b Zadran        39

N. Pooran run out Ali Khil             58

J. Holder c Zadran b Shirzad         45

C. Brathwaite not out     14

Extras: (4lb, 9w)                13

Total: (50 overs, 6 wkts)                311

Fall of Wickets: 1-21 (Gayle), 2-109 (Lewis), 3-174 (Hetmyer), 4-192 (Hope), 5-297 (Pooran), 6-297 (Holder)

Did not bat: Allen, Roach, Cottrell, Thomas

Bowling: M. Ur Rahman 10-0-52-0, Zadran 9-1-73-2, Shirzad 8-0-56-1, Naib 3-0-18-0, Nabi 10-0-56-1, R. Khan 10-0-52-1

AFGHANISTAN

G. Naib c Lewis b Roach 5

R. Shah c Gayle b Brathwaite      62

I. Ali Khil lbw Gayle          86

N. Zadran run out Hetmyer         31

A. Afghan c Holder b Brathwaite               40

M. Nabi c Allen b Roach 2

S. Shinwari c Hetmyer b Roach   6

R. Khan c Holder b Brathwaite    9

D. Zadran c Cottrell b Brathwaite               1

S. Shirzad c Allen b Thomas          25

M. Ur Rahman not out   7

Extras: (2lb, 2nb, 10w)   14

Total: (50 overs, all out) 288

Fall of Wickets: 1-5 (Naib), 2-138 (Zurmatai), 3-189 (Khil), 4-194 (N. Zadran), 5-201 (Nabi), 6-227 (Shinwari), 7-244 (Afghan), 8-255 (D. Zadran), 9-260 (Khan), 10-288 (Shirzad)

Bowling: Cottrell 7-0-43-0, Roach 10-2-37-3, Thomas 7-0-43-1, Holder 8-0-46-0, Allen 3-0-26-0, C. Brathwaite 9-0-63-4, Gayle 6-0-28-1

Match result: West Indies win by 23 runs

Umpires: Nigel Llong, Christopher Gaffaney

TV Umpire: Ian Gould

Match Referee: Brian Broad

Standings

            P          W         L          NR       T          NRR     Pts

Australia-x             8              7              1              0              0              +1.000     14

India-x    8              6              1              1              0              +0.811     13

England-x               9              6              3              0              0              +1.152     12

N. Zealand             9              5              3              1              0              +0.175     11

Pakistan 8              4              3              1              0              -0.792      9

S. Lanka  8              3              3              2              0              -0.934      8

B’desh    8              3              4              1              0              -0.195      7

S. Africa  8              2              5              1              0              -0.080      5

W. Indies                9              2              6              1              0              -0.225      5

Afghans  9              0              9              0              0              -1.322      0

Note: x denotes semifinals

Standings read as played, won, lost, no result, tie, net run rate and points.

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