ICC T20 World Cup, West Indies beat Zimbabwe: Key stats
After losing the opener to Scotland, West Indies beat Zimbabwe to keep their hopes of qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup Super 12 stage alive. The Caribbeans successfully defended 153 in what turned out to be a low-scoring affair. A concerted effort from the bowlers helped WI restrict Zimbabwe to 122. WI will next take on Ireland in a must-win encounter.
How did the match pan out?
WI were cruising at 77/1 after electing to bat first at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Although opener Johnson Charles played a promising knock, he was dismissed with an untimely run-out. The rest of the batters couldn't capitalize upon their stats. Akeal Hosein's unbeaten 23 guided WI to 153/7. Despite scoring swiftly, Zimbabwe kept on losing successive wickets. They were bundled out for 122 eventually.
A brilliant spell from Raza
Although Zimbabwe lost the match, the incredible spell of all-rounder Sikandar Raza stood out. He took three wickets for just 19 runs in four overs. Raza dismissed Evin Lewis, Shamarh Brooks, and Jason Holder in the innings. The Zimbabwe all-rounder also registered an 8-ball 14 with the bat. His knock was laced with a four and six each.
A milestone match for Raza
Raza featured in his 100th international match. He has become the 10th player to play as many internationals for the side. Veteran batter Hamilton Masakadza tops the list with 313 matches. Notably, Raza is 21 short of completing 6,000 international runs.
Player of the Match
Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph emerged as the Player of the Match. He snapped up four wickets for just 16 runs in four overs. It was his maiden four-wicket haul in the shortest format. Joseph derailed Zimbabwe's top order before destroying their lower middle order. He now has 16 wickets from nine T20Is at an incredible average of 16.25.
50 T20I wickets for Holder
All-rounder Jason Holder too played a crucial role in West Indies' win. He took three wickets for just 3.2 overs. In the process, Holder completed 50 wickets in T20I cricket. He became the fifth WI bowler to reach this landmark in the format. Others are Dwayne Bravo (78), Samuel Badree (56), Sunil Narine (52), and Sheldon Cottrell (50).
