West Indies crush Zimbabwe - Gayle hurts hamstring
published:
Monday | December 3, 2007
Zimbabwe's Keith Dabengwa (right) and Raymond Price celebrate the dismissal of West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels (left) during their second one-day international cricket match at Harare Sports Club yesterday. Chris Gayle and Runako Morton scored half-centuries in West Indies' 110-run win. - reuters
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CMC):
Driven by a century stand between captain Chris Gayle and Runako Morton, West Indies rebounded from their opening game loss and spanked Zimbabwe by 110 runs in their second one-day international (ODI) cricket match yesterday.
Sent to bat, the Caribbean side posted 286 for nine off their 50 overs and then stifled the home team's reply to just 176 all out in 44.3 overs at the Harare Sports Club.
Man of the Match Morton top-scored with 79 and added a vital 120-run second wicket stand with Gayle that set the tone for their dominant effort that tied the five-match series at 1-1.
Gayle scored 58 before he retired hurt with a hamstring problem. Both teams were unchanged from Friday's opening match that Zimbabwe won by 30 runs.
Stung by the disappointment of their defeat on Friday, West Indies looked a different unit in the field as Zimbabwe hardly threatened the 287-run target given to them.
Only Stuart Matsikenyeri (37) and Brendan Taylor (27) passed the score of 25 as the West Indies pacers triggered a top and middle-order slide that saw Zimbabwe plunge from 55 for one to 65 for five in the space of seven overs.
The pressure
Opening bowlers Ravi Rampaul and Daren Powell were tight and with the asking rate mounting, the pressure told on the home team's batsmen.
Medium pacer Dwayne Bravo - the acting captain in the absence of the injured Gayle - tightened his side's grip on the game when he snared two wickets in the space of four overs. Hamilton Masakadza was caught behind, one of five catches for Ramdin in the innings, while Tatenda Taibu missed a cut and was bowled during a period that Zimbabwe lost four wickets for the addition of 10 runs.
Zimbabwe's asking rate bulged to more than seven and as the Windies coasted to victory, veteran leg-spinner Rawl Lewis ran through the lower order to finish with career-best figures of three for 43 off 9.3 overs. Bravo collected two for 18 off five overs and Powell bagged two for 39 off 10, while Taylor recorded tidy figures of one for 17 off eight overs.
Earlier, Morton and Gayle had thumped solid half centuries and Rampaul blasted a fiery 26 near the end to establish a challenging total for the home side to chase.
Morton and Gayle repaired the early damage caused by the early loss of Smith with a solid century partnership at a rate of 5.4 runs per over.
Gayle hurt
Gayle damaged a hamstring muscle as he hustled to complete a sharp run. He had smashed a spectacular one-handed six to mid-wicket off Justice Chibhabha in the 14th over and faced 78 balls in his innings, laced with four fours and two sixes.
Gayle will have a full assessment today to find out the extent of the injury. He was unable to take the field for the Zimbabwe innings.
Bravo and Marlon Samuels played positively while increasing the run rate. Samuels smashed three classy sixes down the ground early in his innings - against Brent spinners Utseya and Ray Price - and sped to a run-a-ball 43.
The third match in the series will be played here tomorrow with the fourth and fifth matches set for Bulawayo on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
