JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, CMC – Pacer Gavin Tonge and lower-order batsman Nikita Miller have come in for praise following their heroics against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Tonge, in only his third One-Day International, snared four for 25 as West Indies put up a fight in their opening ICC Champions Trophy match at The Wanderers before going down by five wickets.
When West Indies batted, Miller struck a career-best 51 from just 57 balls to save his side embarrassment after they had slipped to 47 for seven at one stage.
“I thought Tonge assessed the pitch very well and bowled exactly what was required,” Windies coach David Williams said.
“He demonstrated what is possible if you have the self-belief to perform at this level. He did what was asked of him and kept us in the game.”
He added: “Miller was also very good at the bottom of our innings.
He played within his limitations and picked the right balls to hit.”
The 26-year-old Tonge was superb as the Windies tried to defend their paltry 133 on a lively pitch.
He bowled Imran Nazir with his first delivery and then had Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf all caught at the wicket by Chadwick Walton.
The right-handed Miller had earlier hammered six fours and a towering six over wide long-off to ensure the Windies’ tail wagged.
“Tonge was brilliant and never looked tired. He just kept going and bowled with a big heart.
It was the kind of performance that inspires a team and as you saw in the outfield, it gave all the other players a lift,” captain Floyd Reifer noted.
“Miller held the innings together at the end there and gave us some hope.
He is an intelligent cricketer and an experienced player and he adapted really well to what was a tough situation.”
West Indies will face Australia in their second match of the tournament at The Wanderers today starting at 9.30 am (3.30 am Eastern Caribbean time).
