Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 24/Aug 06:50

Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope explode as West Indies take 1-0 lead

AN 84-run opening partnership between Shai Hope and Alick Athanaze helped settle West Indian nerves and put them on course for victory against South Africa in the first match of a three-match T20 series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on August 23. Looking to erase the disappointment of an inconsistent showing at the T20 World Cup, Windies still have some work to do, especially with the ball, but would be happy to get a seven-wicket win against the team that ended their World Cup campaign. Half-centuries from Shai Hope (51 off 36) and Nicholas Pooran (65 not out off 36) ignited the chase as West Indies made surprisingly light work of what was expected to be a daunting task, after South Africa had posted 174 for seven batting first. Chasing 175 for victory, after South Africa had rallied from 42 for five to seize momentum, Hope and Athanaze flayed the South Africans with an aerial assault that yielded 75 runs in the powerplay. By the time Athanaze was dismissed, Pooran erased any doubt of the final result, going berserk on Nandre Burger in the 12th over. Pooran fed on Burger's medium pace, gobbling 25 runs in the over, including four consecutive sixes, leaving the hosts needing just 45 from 48 balls. Despite losing Hope along the way, WI cruised home to go 1-0 ahead. "The most important partnership was the one between Alick and Shai," Pooran told the media. "It felt like they batted that first seven overs brilliantly and put us in a winning position." Athanaze landed the first blow in the Windies counterattack, sweeping for six in the second over. Hope got in on the action with 14 runs off pacer Ottneil Baartman, including a straight hit for the maximum off a full delivery. Athanaze also feasted on Burger who leaked 20 runs as WI brought up their fifty inside five overs. [caption id="attachment_1104432" align="alignnone" width="913"] West Indies off spinner Roston Chase bowls against South Africa in the T20I at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on August 23. - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption] Hope and Athanaze did not take their foot off the gas, closing the powerplay emphatically with 21 runs taken off Aiden Markram's off-spin. Hope was responsible for the bulk of the damage with two straight sixes and a boundary. Athanaze fell for 40 off 30 balls (two fours, three sixes), off Baartman. However, Pooran quickly took charge to massacre the South Africans. After devouring Burger, Pooran showed no fear of Kruger, whipping him for the maximum to race to a 20-ball fifty. Another massive hit two balls later went 110 metres as Pooran took 18 off that over. Hope too was dismissed by Baartman, and Powell was out for seven, but Pooran needed little support as he got his team across the line with 2.1 overs to spare. Earlier, a record sixth-wicket partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Patrick Kruger left the Windies licking their wounds and wondering whether they had let South Africa off the hook. West Indies had the Proteas in serious trouble after winning the toss and inserting their opponents. Incisive opening spells by pacers Matthew Forde and Shamar Joseph reduced the visitors to 42 for five after eight overs, as West Indies had their tails up. However, Stubbs and Kruger combined to not only revive the innings but put South Africa in the ascendancy with a 71-run partnership that laid the platform for a Stubbs' assault at the death. Earlier, in the second over, Forde got opener Ryan Rickelton to chase a short and wide delivery which he nicked to wicketkeeper Pooran to be dismissed for just four. The dangerous Aiden Markram almost lost his off-stump to a sharp, turning delivery from left-arm orthodox Akeal Hosein next over. But he put that delivery behind him as he closed the over with a four and a six to make it 20/1 after three overs. Looking to accelerate in the powerplay, Markram (14) became Forde's second victim, offering a regulation catch to mid-on. Joseph made it 23/3 with his first ball of the match, in the fifth over, inducing a leading edge off Reeza Hendricks (four off nine balls) that flew to Hosein on the third-man boundary. Joseph struck again his following over, first ball again, reaping success even while erring. South African Rassie van der Dussen (five) would have been thinking runs with a ball down the leg side but only succeeded in feathering a catch to Pooran who went low to grab the wicket (34/4). The slide continued with Hosein removing Donovan Ferreira in the eighth over. Making room to punch Hosein through the off-side, the right-hander hit the ball straight to Gudakesh Motie at cover. Limping along to 55 for five after 11 overs, South Africa flipped the switch to carve out 119 runs in the next nine overs. Kruger broke the shackles with a slog sweep off Roston Chase that cleared the ropes. He kept the pressure on the off-spinner with a reverse sweep for four next ball. Stubbs gave Powell something to think about as he launched left-arm spinner Motie over long-on with the first ball of the next over to push the score to 75/5 in the 13th over. [caption id="attachment_1104433" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The One Band One Sound Rhythm section performing at the match between South Africa and the West Indies. - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption] Kruger's counter attack persisted next over with Romario Shepherd being torn apart for 16 runs. A vicious pull for six separated two boundaries in the over as the pair put on a much-needed fifty-run partnership. South Africa brought up their century fortuitously as a Motie misfield on the boundary off Joseph went for four. The partnership was finally broken by Forde who dismissed Kruger (44 off 32), whose ramp shot failed to clear short fine-leg. Stubbs needed no invitation to assume the scoring mantle, leaning into a drive which he dispatched exquisitely through extra cover for four before piercing the field on the on-side for another boundary to take the Proteas to 125/6 after 17 overs. Stubbs got his half-century in the 19th over, off 33 balls, standing back to slap a short and wide delivery from Joseph for four, in a no-ball filled over that went for 25. Stubbs (76 off 42), was dismissed by Shepherd in the last over as South Africa posted what looked to be a healthy 174/7. Summarised Scores: South Africa 174/7 (20 overs) (Tristan Stubbs 76, Patrick Kruger 44; Matthew Forde 3-27, Shamar Joseph 2-40) vs West Indies 176/3 (17.5 overs) (Nicholas Pooran 65 not out, Shai Hope 51, Alick Athanaze 40; Ottneil Baartman 2-30). West Indies won by seven wickets.   The post Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope explode as West Indies take 1-0 lead appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.