Motie all-round fireworks help WI ‘A’ level series

KIRTIPUR, Nepal (CMC):

Gudakesh Motie’s brilliant all-round effort fired West Indies-A to a 10-run victory over Nepal in the second Twenty20 of the five-match series here yesterday.

With his side slumping at 115 for seven in the 18th over, the left-handed Motie arrived to smash a sensational eight-ball unbeaten 33 as West Indies ‘A’ rallied to 160 for seven off their 20 overs at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground.

Andre Fletcher top-scored with 43 from 36 balls while captain Roston Chase weighed in with 23 from 22 deliveries.

The 29-year-old Motie then returned with his left-arm spin to claim two for 22, a spell which helped to restrict the hosts and draw West Indies ‘A’ level in the series ahead of tomorrow’s third encounter.

Captain Rohit Paudel top-scored with an unbeaten 71 off 48 deliveries but left-arm seamer Obed McCoy (2-24) and off-spinner Chase (1-27) produced stingy spells to stall the run chase.

Choosing to bat first, West Indies ‘A’ stumbled to 18 for two in the third over after openers Alick Athanaze (6) and Johnson Charles (11) perished cheaply, but Fletcher and Chase combined in a 46-run, third-wicket partnership to repair the innings.

Fletcher, who struck three sixes, added a further 25 for the fifth wicket with Keemo Paul (8) before becoming one of two wickets to fall in the 18th over, as West Indies-A lost three wickets for 11 runs in the space of 11 balls.

However, Motie clobbered two fours and four sixes in a 45-run, unbroken eighth-wicket stand with Matthew Forde (11 not out), as West Indies ‘A’ gathered a stunning 41 runs from the last two overs of the innings.

In reply, West Indies ‘A’ made key strikes to leave Nepal’s reply in tatters at 28 for four at the end of the sixth over, before Paudel galvanised his side’s recovery, first in a 33-run, fifth-wicket stand with Gulsan Jha (26) and then in a 43-run sixth-wicket partnership with Aarif Sheikh (12).

Paudel lashed half-dozen fours and two sixes while Jha clobbered three fours and two sixes in an 11-ball cameo, but Motie and McCoy struck in successive overs to turn the game in their side’s favour.