Sport

West Indies too good for United Arab Emirates

Jason Holder takes four wickets as Windies all but secure World Cup quarter final berth

West Indies captain Jason Holder took four wickets in his side’s World Cup win over the united Arab Emirates. Photograph: Afp
West Indies captain Jason Holder took four wickets in his side’s World Cup win over the united Arab Emirates. Photograph: Afp
Sun Mar 15 2015 - 12:21

West Indies virtually secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a six-wicket triumph over the United Arab Emirates in Napier.

The UAE were six wickets down early on, after being put in to bat, but Amjad Javed (56) and Nasir Aziz (60) dug deep to help them post 175 from 47.4 overs.

The Windies — even without the injured Chris Gayle — never looked in danger of failing to chase down their modest target, though, Johnson Charles (55) and Jonathan Carter (50 not out) leading the way as they romped to victory from 30.3 overs for the loss of four wickets.

The result left West Indies guaranteed a last-eight berth courtesy of their net run-rate — unless Sunday’s other Pool B encounter between Ireland and Pakistan ends in a tie or a no-result in Adelaide.

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UAE were on the ropes at 46 for six at McLean Park, with none of the top six batsmen managing double figures, but Javed and Aziz helped give the scoreline some respectability.

Jason Holder (four for 27) and Jerome Taylor (three for 36) accounted for the UAE top order, as Amjad Ali (five), Andri Berenger (seven), Krishna Chandran (nought), Khurram Khan (five), Shaiman Anwar (two) and Swapnil Patil (six) all fell cheaply.

Javed and Aziz shared a 107-run seventh-wicket stand to get UAE back on track, as the Windies failed to fully capitalise on their early superiority.

Their spirited partnership finally ended in the 41st over, when Javed bottom-edged an Andre Russell delivery onto his stumps.

Mohammad Naveed went the same way soon after, bowled by Russell for 14, with Aziz then chipping to Holder at cover off the bowling of Marlon Samuels before Taylor rounded things off by bowling Mohammad Tauqir (two).

Manjula Guruge accounted for Dwayne Smith (15) and Samuels (nine) within the first eight overs of the response, but Charles and Carter made sure West Indies were always in control.

Charles’ departure, having scored 55 from 40 balls, left the Windies 109 for three in the 16th over.

Russell was caught and bowled by Javed for seven soon after, but Carter and Denesh Ramdin (33no) got West Indies over the line with almost 20 overs to spare.