Windies win

CMC – Romario Shepherd proved he had nerves of steel when he conceded only six from the final over, and West Indies grabbed a four-wicket win against India in the first Twenty20 International on Thursday in Trinidad.

The Guyanese pacer left the Indians licking their wounds after they reached 77 for three and appeared well set to overhaul a target of 150 on a slow Brian Lara Cricket Academy pitch, but lost six wickets for 68 in the second half of their innings to derail their chase.

Shepherd bowled Kuldeep Yadav for three with the first ball of the over, conceded three runs off the next two balls before Arshdeep Singh was run out for 12 off the penultimate ball going a second run, and finished with an unplayable yorker to Mukesh Kumar to seal the deal.

That typified a disciplined bowling effort from the Caribbean side that was led by all-rounder Jason Holder, whose miserly spell of two for 19 from four overs – including a double-wicket maiden – earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.

The result gave West Indies a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, which continues on Sunday at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana, where the third match will be played two days later before the series ends at the Central Broward Regional Park on August 12 and 13 in the United States.

“At the break, I thought we had a decent total based on the conditions,” Holder said. “I knew if we got early wickets, we were well in the game. It was not an easy pitch to bat on, and we saw both sides practically struggle to get any real momentum going in their innings.

“It was a situation where a few boundaries went here and there, but there was never a consistent boundary flow and that was always in the back of our minds, so we knew that if we got some early wickets, and we got some wickets in the middle, we always had a chance to win.

“We needed to get a lot better in the field, but this was an example of how good we can be in the field. We have been inconsistent at times, and it’s just a matter of us to stay disciplined and bring that attitude every single time we cross the line and give a really good effort every time.”

Unlike the preceding One-day International series, West Indies struck early when left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein got Shubman Gill stumped for three in the third over, and left-arm pacer Obed McCoy got left-handed opener Ishan Kishan caught at mid-on for six in the fifth over, and India ended the Power Play on 45 for two.

Holder got Suryakumar Yadav caught at short extra cover for 21 in the 10th over, and Shepherd got newcomer Tilak Varma caught at deep fine leg for the top score of 39 in the next over, and India stumbled to 77 for four.

West Indies continued to pick off wickets at regular intervals, and India entered the final five overs needing 37 to win, but Holder struck in the 16th over when he bowled the visitors’ captain Hardik Pandya for 19 and Sanju Samson was run out two balls later for 12.

Holder conceded 11 from the 18th over, including a six to Axar Patel, and to add to the drama, the hosts were penalised for a slow over rate and allowed only four fielders outside of the field restriction circle instead of the maximum five.

McCoy got Patel caught at deep mid-wicket, but he conceded back-to-back fours to Arshdeep Singh off the third and fourth balls in an over that cost 11 before Shepherd proved his mettle.

Earlier, West Indies captain Rovman Powell led the way with 48 from 32 balls, and left-hander hometown hero Nicholas Pooran added 41 from 34 balls, and West Indies reached 149 for six from their allocation of 20 overs after they chose to bat.

Opener Brandon King made 28 and gave the Caribbean side a flying start before leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal removed Kyle Mayers for one and him in the same over, and unorthodox left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav got Johnson Charles for three.

West Indies were 58 for three in the eighth over, but Powell anchored two tidy stands with Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer to coax his side to a respectable, if not significant total.

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