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Low-profile all-rounder Roston Chase proved his worth by helping the West Indies avoid an upset at the hands of underdog Papua New Guinea and leading them to a five-wicket win in their opening match of Group C of the Twenty20 World Cup in Guyana on Sunday.
Struggling for 137 on the slow track of the Guyana National Stadium, West Indies were down 97 for 5 at the end of the 16th over, with the outcome still uncertain and 40 more runs to go from the remaining 24 overs.
However, a cool-headed Chase rescued his side with an unbeaten 27-ball 42 and won Man of the Match honours as West Indies crossed the line with one innings remaining on their way to their third title. The 32-year-old came into the match at fourth, under pressure from watching wickets fall around him, before hitting four fours and two sixes in quick succession to dominate the second half of the innings.
He and captain Rovman Powell (15) put on 22 runs for the fourth wicket before smashing hard-hitting batsman Andre Russell (15 not out) with an unbeaten 40 for the crucial sixth wicket.
very happy
“I’m happy. Obviously, it’s always good to start a tournament with a win. I had to get a win for the team, and I did that,” Chase said afterward. “From the first inning we pitched, I obviously knew it was always going to be hard for hitters to get out there, so I gave myself the best chance, (gave) myself some time, (trusted) my skills, and when I got out there, I was able to hit the ball.”
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In-form opener Brandon King scored 34 runs off 29 balls and was fuelled by left-hander Nicholas Pooran, who scored 27 runs per ball.
Russell (2-19) and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph (2-34) had earlier taken two runs each to help restrict Papua New Guinea to 136 for 8 in 20 overs. In the match, the Southwest Pacific nation was led by Cease Bowe with a top score of 50 from 43 balls, while wicketkeeper Kipling Doriga contributed one run with his unbeaten knock of 27 from 18 balls and captain Asad Wala with his unbeaten knock of 21 from 22 balls.
West Indies dominated the early stages of the match, reducing Papua New Guinea to seven for two in the third over, with fast bowler Romario Shepherd getting Tony Ura (2) within striking distance in the second over and left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein blasting a sharp arm drive past the defence of Lega Siaka (1).
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Return early
Wala hit two fours and a six to take 27 runs for the third wicket with Bau, but he was one of two wickets to fall in the ninth over as PNG lost by 4 for 50. Bau then took charge of the innings, hitting six fours and a six to take 44 runs for the fifth wicket with Charles Amini (12) to save the day. Doriga came on strong in the final stages of the over, hitting three fours to help PNG take the final total.
West Indies were then beaten early when Johnson Charles, who rounded bowler Alei Nao’s full-length delivery to take an eight-run lead in the second innings, was ruled out for ‘no run’ off the first ball. The hosts could have been in more trouble when Pooran was hit three balls later, when he had not yet scored, but the visitors chose not to review the case after their appeal was dismissed. Instead, Pooran conceded just five runs from his first 15 deliveries, fighting back with a four and two sixes as he tried to seize the lead in a 53-run stand at second, while King hit seven fours.
But he was bowled by economical 20-year-old left-arm spin bowler John Kariko at length at the start of the ninth over, and when off-spinner Vala hit the ball towards mid-field in the next over, West Indies were lingering at 63 for 3.
Powell never settled, and eventually took an easy catch behind bowler Chad Soper to put the game on ice. Chase, however, did not hesitate, timing his final attack perfectly, scoring 18 runs off left-arm bowler Kabua Morea in the 18th over, and then taking two boundaries in the penultimate over to remove any doubts about the outcome.
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