Tricky place to be

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Man of the match in West Indies’ nine-wicket thumping of the United States in their second game of the T20 World Cup Super-Eight quarterfinal round, Roston Chase, is happy that making the semifinal is still in the hands of the Caribbean side.

Going into the game on Friday night, the West Indies were at the foot of Group 2 after an eight-wicket loss to England, but rebounded in remarkable fashion to lie second behind South Africa with the best net run rate among the four teams.

The result at the Kensington Oval in Barbados meant the West Indies have two points, the same as England, who lie third after they beat the Caribbean side but lost to perfect South Africa.

The West Indies face South Africa tonight.

“Our goal is to go and win this World Cup. We need to beat anyone in front of us,” Chase said after the game.

In front of the West Indies stand South Africa, a team they did very well against just prior to the start of the T20 Word Cup, but who have been perfect since its start.

The West Indies must also keep an eye on England, who play against the United States. The United States are also still in with a shot at a final-four place.

CAREER-BEST HALF-CENTURY

On Friday night, Chase snatched a career-best haul and Shai Hope belted a stunning career-best half-century, as West Indies ruthlessly pounded minnows United States by nine wickets to claw their way back into contention for the semifinals.

West Indies dismantled the United States for 128 with one ball left in their innings, with Chase picking up three for 19 from his four overs.

Medium fast Andre Russell chipped in with three for 31 while speedster Alzarri Joseph recovered from a shaky start to claim two for 31 as the co-hosts slumped from 51 for one in the seventh over, losing their last nine wickets for 77 runs.

Opener Andries Gous, with a 16-ball 29 and Nitish Kumar (20) threatened briefly but once they perished in successive overs, no other batsman passed 20.

Hope, in only his second game of the tournament, then dominated the run chase with a scintillating unbeaten 82 off 39 balls, a knock which propelled West Indies to their target in the 11th over.

In a phenomenal display of power-hitting, the right-hander clobbered four fours and eight sixes – mostly straight hits – while left-hander Nicholas Pooran joined in with a 12-ball unbeaten 27.

West Indies’ win not only earned them a much-needed two points but its comprehensive nature boosted their net run rate to a group high 1.81, ahead of Sunday’s all-important clash with Group 2 leaders South Africa.

“Kensington brings special memories for us – it’s the Mecca of cricket in the Caribbean,” said captain Rovman Powell.

“And to see we had a packed house, [it was] no better opportunity than [this] for the guys to come out and play some good cricket.”

In Group I, India maintained their dominance, dismissing Bangladesh by 50 runs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, yesterday.