West Indies are continuing their fine ride in the 2023 edition of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers as they defeated Nepal by a massive 101 runs. Playing at the Takashinga Sports Club, the Netherlands also looked good owing to a victory by five wickets against the USA.
Match 1: Netherlands vs USA
The Takashinga Sports Club in Harare played host to a one-sided battle of cricket between the Netherlands and the USA. Before the game, the two teams were under immense pressure as they were yet to score their first win in the ICC Qualifiers 2023. The match commenced with the New Zealand skipper Scott Edwards winning the toss and electing to bowl first.
It was a good decision as the USA were folded at a score of 211 runs in their allotted 50 overs. The wicketkeeper-batter Shayan Jahangir was the only player to show some intent with the bat with a knock of 71 runs off 86 balls. He was the only saving grace for the Aaron Jones-led side in the first innings as no other batter could score even 40 runs.
After Jahangir, Jessy Singh was the one who top-scored for the USA with a knock of 38 runs while Gajanand Singh also added 33 runs to the scoreboard. Notably, Ryan Klein and Bas de Leede were the picks of the bowlers for the Netherlands as they scalped two wickets each.
Four other bowlers namely Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Clayton Floyd, and Vikramjit Singh picked one wicket each. 211 runs in 50 overs was never going to be a good score for the USA and the Netherlands batters proved it true by scoring a win within 43.2 overs.
Vikramjit Singh and Max ODowd kick-started the batting innings for the Netherlands. It was a poor start as Singh walked back to the pavilion on the third ball of the fourth over after scoring only eight runs off 11 balls. Max and the number three batter Wesley Barresi were no better as they scored only 26 and 29 runs respectively.
The middle-order batter Bas de Leede was also dismissed at a score of four overs and the Netherlands found themselves in trouble with 83-4 in 21.2 overs. Jessy Singh caused the most carnage for the USA with two scalps to his name.
In the time of distress, it was the skipper Scott Edwards who stood out and bailed the team out of a critical situation. He remained not out to record a knock of 67 runs off 60 balls with the help of six boundaries. Edwards found an ally in Teja Nidamanuru who smacked 58 runs off 68 balls.
Logan van Beek also made a small contribution of 12* runs after facing 25 balls to help his team score a win in 43.2 overs. The five-wicket win resulted in the Netherlands occupying third place in the Group A points table and causing a turnaround following their defeat against Zimbabwe in the first match by six wickets.
Match 2: West Indies vs Nepal
West Indies got off to a dream start in the 2023 edition of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers with a win over the USA by 39 runs. The team continued its exploits in the second game against Nepal as well at the Harare Sports Club by registering a victory by a massive 101 runs.
Put to bat first, the Caribbean side did well in the first innings by posting a score of 339 runs while losing seven wickets in 50 overs. The top three batters including the likes of Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, and Johnson Charles failed to make an impact.
However, the team did not have anything to worry about as the skipper Shai Hope went on a rampage against Nepal. The 29-year-old middle-order batter smacked a much-needed century with a knock of 132 runs off 129 balls. He was joined by Nicholas Pooran in the explosive batting as the 27-year-old also registered a hundred.
The two stitched a 216-run partnership in the middle with Pooran smashing 115 runs after facing only 94 balls. The two had almost confirmed a victory for the team but it was the pair of Rovman Powell and Jason Holder who finished the first innings of the team by adding 29 and 16 runs respectively to the scoreboard.
Shai Hope was the top run-scorer for the West Indies team
As West Indies added 339 runs to the scoreboard, Lalit Rajbanshi picked the most wickets for Nepal i.e. three. He was the only successful bowler for his team with an economy rate of 5.2 after bowling a total of ten overs.
Meanwhile, the second innings witnessed the domination of the West Indies bowlers as Nepal was restricted to a total of 238 runs after batting for 49.4 overs. Nepal’s Aarif Sheikh was the top run-getter with a score of 63 runs off 93 balls. The lower middle-order batter also tried to save the team with a knock of 42 runs off 58 balls.
However, their efforts went in vain as the team fell short of 101 runs. Jason Holder was the man in action for West Indies with three wickets while Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, and Akeal Hosein picked two wickets each.
The victory helped the Shai Hope-led side in solidifying their place at the top of the Group A points table.