West Indies 'chase'd Afghanistan's 194 run total with 7 wkts in hand
Thursday, 7 November 2019 (12:30 IST)
Lucknow: Two wickets and a career-best 94 for Roston Chase helped West Indies ease home in the first ODI against Afghanistan by seven wickets here on Wednesday.
After choosing to bowl, West Indies got the perfect start as Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder removed both openers with just 15 runs on the board. But Afghanistan rallied, Rahmat Shah and Ikram Ali Khil putting on 111 for the third wicket, with both making half-centuries.
Chase then made his first significant intervention of the game, having Najibullah Zadran caught at slip three balls after Ali Khil was run out and Afghanistan never fully recovered. Chase accounted for the other half-centurion soon after, Rahmat scooping tamely to Holder at square leg.
Holder then dismissed Mohammad Nabi before Asghar Afghan and Gulbadin Naib put on 33 to take Afghanistan close to 200. A collapse of 4/3 in 2.3 overs put paid to those hopes however, and West Indies were left needing 195 to win.
Their chase got off to a disastrous start as Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer fell inside eight overs, but Shai Hope and Chase soothed any nerves with a 163-run stand that took West Indies to the brink of victory. Chase was the aggressor, scoring at a strike rate in excess of 80 while Hope crawled along at just above a run every two balls. The No.4 also more than doubled the opener's boundary tally, an ICC report said.
He comfortably eased past his previous ODI best of 51, but fell agonisingly short of a maiden hundred, bowled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman as he tried to reach his century with a six. Still, he had more than done his job, and was justified in trying for a little glory, especially with just seven runs required; he would have been unlikely to get there in singles.
Hope remained unbeaten on 77 as West Indies reached their target three wickets down with 21 balls remaining.
