Williams stars in Zimbabwe's record win; Netherlands stun WI
Nicholas Pooran's unbeaten 65-ball 104 went in vain as Netherlands stunned the West Indies, beating them by in a Super Over in their last group game of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. Led by Teja Nidamanuru's 76-ball 111, Netherlands equalled West Indis' total of 374 before defending 30 runs in the Super Over.
Put in to bat, West Indies made a strong start, with openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles cracking steady half-centuries. The duo added 101 runs for the opening wicket to set a strong base. However, it was Pooran's innings that shifted the gear. The southpaw added a 108-run stand with Shai Hope before a brief collapse reduced West Indies to 295 for 6 in the 44th over. However, Pooran and Keemo Paul picked 79 runs in the last 40 balls. Pooran smashed nine boundaries and six sixes, while Paul remained unbeaten on a 25-ball 46.
Netherlands made a fairly steady start with all the top order batters making useful contributions without going big. In fact, by the 30th over, they were reduced to 170 for 4, with all the top four batters reaching 20s and 30s.However, the fifth wicket partnership between Nidamanuru and Scott Edwards turned it around for Netherlands. The duo added 143 runs in 90 balls to give Netherlands' chase a serious momentum. Logan van Beek and Aryan Dutt ensured they were pacing along the required rate to tie on scores.
In the Super Over, van Beek hammed three boundaries and as many sixes to pick 30 runs off Jason Holder. In turn, Charles started with a six but failed to keep the scoring going. Three balls later, he holed out to the fielder at long on and then Holder edged to the 'keeper to end the contest. West Indies, with only two wins in four games finished third on the points table while Netherlands finished the league stage with three wins.
Brief Scores: West Indies 374/6 in 50 overs (Nicholas Pooran 105*, Brandon King 76; Saqib Zulfiqur 2-43) vs Netherlands 374/9 in 50 overs (Teja Nidamanuru 111, Scott Edwards 67; Roston Chase 3-77). Match Tied, Netherlands win in Super Over
Led by Sean Williams's career-best 174 - his seventh ODI century - Zimbabwe registered a 304-run win over USA, in Harare. Zimbabwe's fourth successive victory in the tournament was also the second-highest victory margin in ODIs.
Put in to bat, Zimbabwe made a strong start with Innocent Kaia and Joylord Gumbie stitching a 56-run stand for the opening wicket. However, even after Kaia fell on 32, USA couldn't seize control. Williams and Gumbie added 160 runs for the second wicket to keep Zimbabwe in command. Gumbie fell on 78 but Williams continued to accelerate in the company of Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl, adding quickfire stands of 88 and 81 respectively. Williams ended up with 21 boundaries and five sixes as Zimbabwe posted 408 for 6.
In response, USA's chase flattened out early. Richard Ngarava and Ryan Burl ripped through the top order. A couple of run outs also helped as USA lost five wickets within the first 10 overs, with all five batters departing for single-digit scores. A recovery was beyond possible for them. Despite some minor contributions from the rest of the batters, they folded for 104.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 408/6 in 50 overs (Sean Williams 174, Joylord Gumbie 78; Abhishek Paradkar 3-78, Jessy Singh 2-97) beat USA 104 in 25.1 overs (Abhishek Paradkar 24; Sikandar Raza 2-15, Richard Ngarava 2-25) by 304 runs
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