DURHAM, England – A counter-attacking, maiden One-day International hundred from Nicholas Pooran failed to top a first ODI hundred for Avishka Fernando, as West Indies stumbled to a 23-run defeat in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England & Wales.
Chasing 339 for victory, the West Indies looked on the brink of a heavy defeat when they slipped to 145 for five in the 29th over of their penultimate match in the tournament at the Riverside Stadium before the left-handed Pooran led a recovery with the lower order, as the Caribbean side finished on 315 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.
Pooran smashed 11 fours and four sixes to top all scorers in the contest with 118 off 103 balls before he was dismissed in the 48th over, caught behind off Angelo Mathews, bowling in an ODI for the first time since December 2017, and carried the West Indies’ chances of victory with him back to the pavilion.
The 23-year-old Pooran dominated a 54-run, sixth-wicket stand with Carlos Brathwaite before sharing 83 for the seventh-wicket with Fabian Allen to revive the West Indies’ flagging chances in the second half of the game which was watched by Barbados-born singing sensation, Rihanna.
Brathwaite made just eight from 15 balls before he was run out in the 35th over and the same fate befell Allen 10 overs later, after he made a career-best 51 from 32 balls.
Earlier, West Indies struggled to make an impact with the new ball after they chose to field and the Sri Lankan top order – led by Fernando with a run-a-ball 104 – laid the foundation for their side’s highest total in the tournament of 338 for six off 50 overs.
Both Sri Lanka and West Indies are out of contention for semi-final spots.
West Indies face Afghanistan in their final match of the tournament on Thursday at Headingley in Leeds.
Source: CWI Media
