Harare, Zimbabwe – Brandon King scored his second ODI century in a brilliant knock of 100 (104 balls) to lead the West Indies to victory over Oman in their penultimate match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. The victory means that the Men in Maroon register their first victory of the ‘Super Sixes’ stage of the tournament.
After winning the toss, the West Indies inserted Oman to bat in order to take advantage of the early morning moisture in the pitch. Two half centuries from Shoaib Khan (50 from 54) and Suraj Kumar (53 from 65) were the standout knocks for Oman as they reached 221-9 from their allotted 50 overs.
In an improved fielding performance, the West Indies effected three run outs, with the other wickets being split between Kyle Mayers (2-31), Romario Shepherd (3-44) and off spinner Kevin Sinclair (1-42).
When the West Indies came out to chase the total, King took the match into his hands from the beginning, supported for a period by Keacy Carty (29 from 49) for a partnership of 80 runs, before an unfortunate run out. Thereafter, Shai Hope (63* from 65) came to the crease and used a mixture of patience and aggression to guide his team home.
After King’s caught behind dismissal for an exact century, Nicholas Pooran came to the crease and played the perfect cameo to support his skipper. He ended on 19 not out off 14 balls as West Indies got to the target in 39.4 overs.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Shai Hope commended his team for a job well done, stating “A pleasing performance. It’s something we’ve been asking for the entire tournament, but as we say, the past is the past. I’m just happy to see the guys taking strides, especially after the conversations we’ve been having. Improvement is necessary and we’re starting here.”
With Sri Lanka already qualified at the top of the table, the only two other teams with a chance to join them at the 2023 World Cup are Netherlands and Scotland, who face off on Thursday. The West Indies have one final encounter against the table toppers on Friday to close off their campaign. (Windiescricket)
