The West Indies maintained their pursuit of a semi-final spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with an impressive nine-wicket win over the USA in Barbados on Friday.
Roston Chase (3/19) and Andre Russell (3/31) excelled with the ball, restricting the USA to a mere 128 runs. Shai Hope’s unbeaten 82* ensured the West Indies reached the target within 11 overs at Kensington Oval.
This victory was the West Indies’ first in the Super Eights phase, keeping their semi-final hopes alive if they can secure a win against South Africa in their next match. The USA, having lost both of their Super Eight matches, now faces a challenging path to the semi-finals, needing a victory against England on Sunday and favorable outcomes in other games.
The USA’s innings faltered early after being sent in to bat by West Indies captain Rovman Powell. Andries Gous top-scored with 29, with contributions from Nitish Kumar (20), Milind Kumar (19), and Shadley van Schalkwyk (18). However, regular wickets kept the West Indies in control throughout the innings.
Shai Hope was in exceptional form, hitting eight sixes to propel the West Indies to a swift victory, boosting their net run rate ahead of their crucial match against South Africa.
Roston Chase’s career-best performance in the field was instrumental for the West Indies. The USA made two changes to their lineup, bringing in Milind Kumar and van Schalkwyk for Shayan Jahangir and Jessy Singh. The West Indies also made two changes, with Hope replacing the injured Brandon King and Obed McCoy coming in for Romario Shepherd.
USA’s lineup included Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, and Saurabh Netravalkar. The West Indies fielded Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, and Obed McCoy.
