West Indies Crushes USA Leapfrogging England In Race For Semi-Finals
Shai Hope was making only his second appearance after being dropped at the start of the tournament
Shai Hope hit a supremely stylish unbeaten 82 as West Indies reignited their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a nine-wicket thrashing of fellow co-hosts USA.
Defeat by England in their opening Super 8s game put the Windies under pressure but they responded with a dominant victory in Barbados.
After bowling the United States out for 128, Rovman Powell’s side knocked off the runs in only 10.5 overs.
Hope, recalled to the side following an injury to Brandon King, was in remarkable touch from the off and hit eight sixes – including three in a row off Milind Kumar – in a fabulous 39-ball knock.
Roston Chase and Andre Russell had done the damage with the ball for West Indies, taking three wickets apiece.
The USA will rue a three-over spell just after the powerplay in which they slipped from 51-1 to 65-4 with key batters Andries Gous and Aaron Jones dismissed.
The margin of victory was such that the Windies move ahead of England on net run-rate.
West Indies’ run-rate is also superior to Group 2 leaders South Africa, who they face on Sunday evening (01:30 BST on Monday) in the last round of Super 8s fixtures.
That could prove crucial as should the Windies win that game and England beat USA on Sunday (15:30 BST), the top three sides will be level on four points.
In that scenario, net run-rate will determine the two to progress to the last four.
USA can still make the semi-finals but would need a comprehensive win over England and for South Africa to beat West Indies.
An injury to King has given him a chance but when he bats as he did at the Kensington Oval on Friday night, it is hard to fathom how he has not been in the Windies XI from the off.
The 30-year-old Bajan is known more as a touch player than a power hitter, but combined the two in one of the most elegant dismantling of a bowling attack you are likely to see.
He got started by pulling Nosthush Kenjige over mid-wicket and on to the roof of the stadium, and finished by going inside-out over long-off for six more.
In between, Hope displayed immaculate timing and effortless power, hitting either side of the wicket with equal effectiveness, splitting his eight sixes evenly between the off and leg side.
Having treated his home crowd to perhaps one of the most impressive batting performances of the tournament, Hope can now look ahead to a crucial showdown with the Proteas in Antigua.
After being made to wait, he has put the Windies in a position where any win is likely to be enough to advance and has given himself the chance to make a significant impact at the business end.
Recap: West Indies race to brilliant victory over USA
What do England need to reach T20 World Cup semi-finals?
‘It is our destiny to win this World Cup’ – reaction
West Indies all-rounder Roston Chase: “It is our destiny and our goal to win this World Cup. We want teams to know they have to beat us to win this World Cup.”
USA captain Aaron Jones: “We lost wickets in clusters. I don’t think we ever truly recovered from that. It was bad in the middle.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and come back hard against England on Sunday.”
West Indies captain Rovman Powell: “It’s very special. Kensington brings special memories for us. We had no better opportunity to come out and play some good cricket.”
Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa.
