West Indies and Zimbabwe faced-off in the 15th game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday, with the West Indians winning the contest by 73 runs (Duckworth-Lewis Method). Amit Banerjee looks back at some of the key moments from the match.
It was one of those days, when everything was going West Indies’ way. Given the fact that the Caribbean side have not had much to cheer about in the recent past, little was expected of the West Indians to make much of a difference in this edition of the World Cup.
Before they arrived in Australia and New Zealand for the mega-event, the cricket administration in the islands was in a state of shambles. There were internal disputes within the team, and two of the key names associated with the current West Indian team were axed from the World Cup side. Few would have expected the West Indians to produce the kind of performance that they did against Pakistan and Zimbabwe. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
After handing the Pakistanis a 150-run drubbing in the encounter at Christchurch, the West Indians faced Zimbabwe in the Pool B match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Many had expected the contest to be a close one, especially since the Zimbabweans had put up a tough fight in the recent games. Chris Gayle however, chose the occasion as the perfect time for him to return to form, and decided to unleash his vengeance on the Zimbabwean bowlers like never before. Scoring 215 runs off 147 balls, Gayle smashed records like he never did before. West Indies went on to post 372 for two, with Gayle getting dismissed off the last ball of the innings. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Zimbabwe, in reply, were never really in contention for a victory. They did however, put up a respectable fight, better than that displayed by some of the top-ranked sides in the matches so far in the tournament. With the likes of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine slamming half-centuries, Zimbabwe managed to score 289 runs before bowing out of the fight. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
Following are five of the top moments from the match:
Dwayne Smith bowled off the second ball of the match: Zimbabwe once again managed to get on top of their opposition, this time dismissing opening batsman Dwayne Smith for a two-ball duck. It was a moment of brilliance by Tinashe Panyangara, as Smith missed the line of the delivery completely, and ended up getting bowled right through the gate. Like the game against South Africa, where the Proteas were reduced to 83 for four at one stage, the Zimbabweans managed to grab the advantage early into their opposition’s innings.
Chris Gayle double-century/record partnership with Samuels: Nobody had the slightest inkling as to what was in store for the rest of the West Indies innings when Marlon Samuels walked out to bat after the dismissal of Smith. After maintaining a slow scoring rate for the most part during their second-wicket stand, the pair began to up the tempo after Gayle reached his 100, especially during the batting powerplay. READ: Chris Gayle scores 200 against Zimbabwe in ICC World Cup 2015
Gayle went on to slam the first-ever double-hundred in a World Cup, which was also the fifth such achievement in One-Day Internationals (ODI). Several other records were smashed in the process, such as Gayle breaking Gary Kirsten’s record for the highest World Cup score, as well as breaking the record for the highest partnership for any wicket in ODI history, a record that was previously held by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for more than 15 years (worth 331 runs). Gayle also equalled the world record for most sixes in an ODI innings with Rohit Sharma, slamming 16 sixes during his innings. READ: Chris Gayle score 5th double-century in ODI history
Zimbabwe sink early in their innings: A strong start is what the Zimbabweans would have needed to stay alive in the contest. A scoreline of 46 for the loss of three at the end of eight overs had pretty much sealed the fate of the match. READ: Chris Gayle equals record for most sixes in ODI innings
Regis Chakabva was the first to depart, departing for a score of two. A brief spell of rain visited the Manuka Oval, although it did not last long enough to threaten the status of the match. It did however revise the target to 363 from the original 373, shaving off two overs in the process. Hamilton Masakadza was dismissed almost immediately after the resumption of the innings. Sikandar Raza gave some hope to his team’s fans, slamming five boundaries during his stay at the crease, before becoming the third dismissal of the Zimbabwean innings. READ: Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels put on highest-ever ODI partnership
The Zimbabwean middle-order makes their coach proud: The middle-order trio of Brendan Taylor (37), Sean Williams (76) and Craig Ervine (52) was the sole reason for the Zimbabweans to cheer in an otherwise depressing contest. They helped Zimbabwe recover from 46 for three to 226 for five, poised to guide their side to a respectable 300 or so. The West Indies bowlers however, managed to get back at them eventually. Elton Chigumbura’s knock of 21 off 20 deliveries too is not one to be ignored in this regard. READ: Chris Gayle only man in history to score T20I century, ODI double ton and Test triple hundred
Chris Gayle shines with the ball too: Gayle wanted to prove that he owned the day, and not just with the bat. He was given the ball in the 34th over, and eventually ended with figures of two for 35 after bowling six overs, including the prized wicket of Ervine. He also took a catch to complete a somewhat all-round performance. It hardly came as a surprise to anybody when Gayle was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle@akb287)
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