ODI: Carty, Hope secure victory for West Indies after Lawes stars on debut

Keacy Carty and Shai Hope guided West Indies to a convincing seven-wicket victory in the opening ODI against New Zealand in Guyana.

The pair added 131 in 25.4 overs for the third wicket as the home side chased down 268 with seven balls to spare after 19-year-old debutant spinner Vitel Lawes had starred with three wickets in his first professional match.

New Zealand had been 234-4 in the 44th over but lost their last six wickets for 33. Alzarri Joseph finished with 4-41 but the talk of the town was Lawes, the left-arm wristspinner who had not played at senior level in any format.

Having struck with his sixth ball to remove Henry Nicholls with a long hop, he produced a dream delivery to have Mark Chapman stumped, and later added Michael Bracewell to spark the visitors’ collapse.

Carty fell five runs short of a fifth ODI century having earlier survived a moment of mild controversy on 64 when he pulled Jacob Duffy for six over deep square leg.

After he held the pose of the stroke for a split second, he clipped the top of the stumps with his bat swinging backwards. It went to the third umpire and, on viewing the replay, New Zealand started to celebrate but it was given not out with TV official Ahsan Raza ruling the stroke had been completed before Carty disturbed the wicket.

Hit-wicket Law 35.2 states: “The striker is not out under this Law [hit wicket] should his/her wicket be put down in any of the ways referred to in 35.1 if any of the following applies: it occurs after the striker has completed any action in receiving the delivery…”

Hope ensured Carty’s eventual dismissal did not create panic as the asking rate started to climb, with 37 needed off 30 balls, easing the pressure with sixes against Bracewell and Matthew Fisher, before Sherfane Rutherford sealed the game by clearing the rope straight down the ground to avoid any final-over nerves. It was the second-highest successful chase at the ground.

After John Campbell top-edged to fine leg in the fifth over of West Indies’ chase, a stand of 64 between Carty and Ackeem Auguste set the foundations with dew appearing to make batting slightly easier than earlier in the day. However, Auguste would have been out lbw on 18 had New Zealand reviewed a not-out decision off Jayden Lennox’s bowling.

Hope injected momentum into the chase as he sped out of the blocks with two sixes over the leg side against left-arm spinner Lennox. His scoring rate slowed after that, but he brought up his half-century from 52 balls as he and Carty kept the chase under control. Carty added his second six with a clean strike down the ground but, maybe trying to reach three figures with another, picked out deep midwicket with a slog sweep as New Zealand squeezed.

New Zealand had started well after being put into bat as Nicholls and Will Young added 80 for the first wicket having shown caution early on as they assessed conditions where timing wasn’t easy on a slow surface.

Nicholls became Lawes’ first wicket in professional cricket when he found midwicket, and Chapman could have gone the same way but Khary Pierre couldn’t hold on above his head with a leap. Young fell one short of his half-century when he got a leading edge back to Gudakesh Motie.

Then came a moment that will generate much excitement as Lawes, who had understandably struggled to control his length, pitched a perfect delivery on leg stump which ripped sharply to beat Chapman as he came down the pitch. Hope whipped off the bails to complete the stumping. Lawes leapt in celebration while coach Daren Sammy showed his delight in the dressing room.

Pierre, the left-arm spinner called up as injury cover for Roston Chase, turned one sharply to trap Tom Latham lbw and would finish with very tidy figures of 1 for 39 in ten overs, having earlier taken the new ball.

Daryl Mitchell was managing the innings for New Zealand, sweeping strongly and depositing Rutherford over deep midwicket for six when his medium pace was given three overs, on the way to a fifty from 55 balls. He and Bracewell added 65 at a run-a-ball to leave New Zealand well placed heading into the final ten overs.

But Bracewell top-edged a reverse sweep in Lawes’ final over, which was well held at short third by Amir Jangoo, and Mitchell found deep midwicket off Alzarri Joseph. Boundaries dried up with New Zealand managing just one four and one six in the last 10 overs with Alzarri excelling at the death. (Cricinfo)