Shepherd, Hope and Cariah impress as West Indies beat Scotland
SUMMARY: West Indies 264 all out from 48.4 overs (Shai Hope 57, Romario Shepherd 53, Keacy Carty 32, Roston Chase 30; Christopher Sole 4-51, Jack Jarvis 3-25, Christopher Greaves 3-47) vs Scotland 172 all out from 33.5 overs (Brandon McMullen 38, Mathew Cross 37; Yannic Cariah 4-46, Roston Chase 3-40)
West Indies defeated Scotland by 92 runs in a warm-up game ahead of the ICC 50-over World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Playing at the Harare Sports Club, West Indies posted 264 from 48.4 overs and then dismissed Scotland for 172 from 33.5 overs.
West Indies suffered an early wobble, being reduced to 43-4 by the 12th over with Kyle Mayers (2), Johnson Charles (13), Shamarh Brooks (1) and Rovman Powell (10) all dismissed.
Skipper Shai Hope and young batsman Keacy Carty repaired the innings with a fifth wicket stand of 79 before the latter was dismissed for 32 off 50 (1×4, 1×6).
Hope made 57 off 63 (6x4s) and lower-order contributions from Romario Shepherd and Roston Chase then catapulted West Indies to what was a substantial total in the circumstances.
Shepherd smashed five fours and three sixes in 53 off 32, while Chase made 30 off 38 (2x4s). Keemo Paul (14 off 13) and Alzarri Joseph (14* off 8) also chipped in at the ‘death.’
Christopher Sole took 4-51, Jack Jarvis 3-25 and Christopher Greaves 3-47 for Scotland, who never really threatened the target.
Brandon McCullen topscored with 38 and Mathew Cross made 37, as leg-spinner Yannic Cariah took 4-46 and Chase 3-40.
Qualifiers format
West Indies have been drawn alongside the Netherlands, Nepal, United States, and hosts Zimbabwe in Group A of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament.
The ICC has unveiled the two groups, match schedules and venues for the 10-team tournament from 18 June to 9 July. All matches will start at 9am local time (3am Eastern Caribbean Time/2am Jamaica Time).
Group B features Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ten teams will be competing for the two remaining places at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup which will be played in India in October and November later this year.
West Indies face the USA in the opening Group A fixture on Sunday 18 June at Takashinga Cricket Club, followed by Nepal on Thursday 22 June at Harare Sports Club. West Indies meet hosts Zimbabwe on Saturday 24 June at Harare Sports Club. The fourth preliminary match will be against the Netherlands on Monday 26 June.
Each side will play the other teams in their group once with the top three from the groups progressing to the Super Six stage from Thursday 29 June to Friday 7 July. The teams each play three Super Six matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage.
All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group. The final will be played at Harare Sports Club on Sunday 9 July. The two finalists will both progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
FULL SQUAD: Shai Hope (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd.
