CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – West Indies captain Darren Sammy smashed an unbeaten half-century as West Indies beat the High Performance Centre by 44 runs in the first of two Twenty20 practice matches here at the 3Ws Oval here yesterday.
The warm-up game was the first of the week-long camp at the HPC at the UWI Cave Hill Campus, in preparation for their World Twenty20 Championship campaign later this month in Sri Lanka.
Sammy stroked 56 and shared an unbroken, half-century, sixth-wicket stand with Marlon Samuels who hit 44, as West Indies reached 164 for five off their 20 overs.
Sammy struck two fours and six sixes from 24 balls while Samuels tallied three fours and three sixes in an innings lasting 35 balls.
The partnership helped the Windies side recover from a wobbly 80 for five after 14 overs, following two run outs. In their turn at the crease, the HPC never mounted a serious challenge and were restricted to 120 for five. Opener Jermaine Blackwood carved out a composed 67 from 62 balls with three fours and three sixes. Kyle Hope, Barbados’ Under-19 captain, supported with 30 from 39 balls and shared 93 for the third wicket with Blackwood.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul finished with two for 22 from his four overs while lanky left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, one of the three West Indies reserves, sent down three miserly overs for 10 runs.
West Indies was to face Combined Campuses and Colleges in a second practice match at the same venue later yesterday before wrapping up preparations with a third practice match tomorrow.
The squad leaves for Colombo on Sunday.
