1 ) Match : West Indies Vs Zimbabwe
West Indies score: 153 / 07 Vs Zimbabwe score: 122 / 10
Result West Indies won by 31 Runs
2 ) Match : Scotland Vs Ireland
Scotland score: 176 / 05 Vs Ireland score: 180 / 04
Result Ireland won by 6 Wickets
POINTS TABLE
FIRST ROUND
GROUP – A
TEAM M W L PTS NRR
1. NETHERLAND 2 2 0 4 + 0.149
2. NAMIBIA 2 1 1 2 + 1.277
3. SRI LANKA 2 1 1 2 + 0.600
4. U A E 2 0 2 0 – 2.028
GROUP – B
TEAM M W L PTS NRR
1. SCOTLAND 2 1 0 2 + 0.759
2. ZIMBABWE 2 1 0 2 –
3. WEST INDIES 2 1 1 2 – 0.275
4. IRELAND 2 1 1 2 – 0.468
Match : West Indies Vs Zimbabwe
West Indies keep T20 World Cup hopes alive Alzarri Joseph made the difference
A 31-run margin against Zimbabwe speaks of a comfortable win, but it was punctuated by familiar anxieties
West Indies 153 for 7 (Batter West Indies: Charles 45, Bowler Zimbabwe: Raza 3-19) beat Zimbabwe 122 (Batter Zimbabwe: Jongwe 29, Bowler West Indies: Joseph 4-16, Holder 3-12) by 31 runs
West Indies kept their T20 World Cup hopes alive with victory over Zimbabwe by 31 runs with 10 balls to spare. Though the margin speaks of a comfortable win, it was one punctuated by familiar anxieties.
This was certainly not a typical performance from the two-time champions, and as such you would not describe this as a return to form. But they toughed out what looked to be a terminal collapse in the first innings, which saw them go from 90 for 2 to 101 for 6, to post 153 for 7, and showcased their intelligence and experience in the field to defend it. Head coach Phil Simmons’ criticisms of an “unprofessional” batting effort in the 42-run defeat in their opening Group B match will still ring true after this, but he will no doubt feel heartened by a defiant showing when it was needed.
A replacement was made by Johnson Charles for an ill Brandon King, was responsible for the solid platform that was spurned at first, with 45 and the first two sixes of the West Indies’ innings. Contributions from Rovman Powell (28) and Akeal Hosein (23 not out) then repaired the damage of Sikandar Raza’s fine spell of 3 for 19. But Alzarri Joseph’s T20I career-best of 4 for 16 was the real difference.
Both sides made solitary, enforced changes, with Zimbabwe’s the more off-setting after captain Craig Ervine suffered a mild asthma attack before the match. He was replaced by Tony Munyong, with Regis Chakabva taking over the reins, the stand-in captain looking rueful at the end. At the very least, the runs down the order after finding themselves 92 for 7 reduced the impact of this defeat on Zimbabwe’s net run rate, which is back to zero.
Chakabva was the happier skipper when the heart of West Indies’ batting was ripped out in a remarkable passage of play that seemed to have all but ended their World Cup hopes in the space of 12 deliveries, with the loss of four for just 11 runs. They were 90 for 2 at the start of the 13th over before captain Nicholas Pooran registered a second single-figure score in as many innings, gifting Raza with a simple caught-and-bowled for the first of his three wickets. Before the over was out, Charles was sent packing after a lack of communication with Powell left him well short of his ground at the non-striker’s end. By the end of the 14th, Raza had trapped Shamarh Brooks leg before and pouched another return catch off Jason Holder.
Match : Scotland Vs Ireland
Ireland keep in race for Super 12 by contribution of Campher, Dockrell
Ireland 180 for 4 (Batter Ireland: Campher 72*, Dockrell 39*, Bowler Scotland: Leask 1-16) beat Scotland 176 for 5 (Batter Scotland: Jones 86, Berrington 37, Bowler Ireland: Campher 2-9)
Ireland were 61 for 4 in 9.3 overs when Curtis Campher and George Dockrell linked up in the chase of 177 against Scotland,. At the time, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave Ireland a less than 10% chance of victory, but the duo overcame formidable odds to produce a come-from-behind win and keep alive their chances of qualifying for the Super 12 round.
At one stage, victory had seemed so unimaginable that when Campher hit the winning runs with one over to spare, there were tears of joy among the few Ireland fans at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. An emotional Campher, who had scored a heroic 72, also seemed on the verge of tears while talking to the broadcaster.
While Campher was the undisputed star of the chase with an innings that came at a strike rate of 225, he was abl supported by Dockrell’s unbeaten 27-ball 39. Their partnership of 119 off 57 balls – the highest of the tournament thus far – thwarted Scotland’s effort of 176 for 5 that was achieved after Michael Jones hammered a 55-ball 86, the competition’s highest individual score so far.
Ireland’s win opened up Group B, with all four teams in contention to qualify for the Super 12 round.
A partnership to remember
Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie impressed briefly at the start of the chase but both batters fell inside the powerplay. The Scottish spinners then came into play, removing Lorcan Tucker (20) and Harry Tector (14) just as they were on the verge of changing gears. At the drinks break, Ireland had two new batters in Campher and Dockrell and they needed 116 runs off 63 deliveries.
The duo paced the chase to perfection, with at least one boundary in every over from the 11th until the finish. The tide began to change in the 13th over when Scotland’s in-form spinner Mark Watt was taken for 18 runs, with Campher slog-sweeping him for six. From there on, Campher maintained the pressure, using the width of the crease to toy with the field. Offspinner Michael Leask was scooped over short fine leg in the 14th over; Brad Wheal was deposited over cow corner for six in the 15th, which yielded 14 runs; and the 16th from Josh Davey cost 17 runs, with both Dockrell and Campher clattering three boundaries in the space of five balls.
Campher and Dockrell played only two dot balls between overs 12 and 16. They took the fielders on as the field placement turned more defensive as the partnership blossomed. With four overs to go, Campher and Dockrell brought down the required runs to 36. Pressure firmly on Scotland now, Ireland picked off 23 runs in the next two overs to turn their once-distant dream of victory into a reality. The final touches were applied by Campher, the Player of the Match, with a hat-trick of fours in the penultimate over.