Napier:
Skipper Jason Holder led from the front with a four-wicket haul as West Indies defeated UAE by six wickets in their crucial final round-robin Pool B match to keep their hopes alive in the ICC cricket World Cup, here today.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Holder (4/27) got useful support from fellow fast medium bowler Jerome Taylor, who returned figures of 3/36, to help West Indies bundle out their opponents for a paltry 175 in 47.4 overs at the McLean Park.
Lower-order batsmen Nasir Aziz (60) and Amjad Javed (56) emerged as the main contributors for the side batting first after the top and middle-order failed miserably.
In reply, the West Indies chased down the target in 30.3 overs.
West Indies, who now have three victories and as many defeats from six games, needed to win this match to stay alive in the competition. Their prospects also hinges on the outcome of the day’s another contest between Pakistan and Ireland. It is likely to boil down to net run rate to decide the third and fourth places from the group.
UAE are already out of the tournament, having lost all their six matches.
After being bowled out so cheaply, it was always going to be a difficult task for the UAE bowlers, even in the absence of the big-hitting opener Chris Gayle in the opposition line-up.
Johnson Charles made a brisk 55 off 40 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes, getting the chase off to a quick start. West Indies, though, lost Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels cheaply.
After Charles’ dismissal, Jonathan Carter (50 not out) guided the team home in the company of Denesh Ramdin, who contributed an unbeaten 33 off 50 balls with the help of two fours.
During his 58-ball knock, Carter found the fence five times.
