KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Their bowlers, led by Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul, set them up again, and their batsmen carried West Indies to a four-wicket over Zimbabwe after a stumble in the fifth and final One-day International yesterday.
Chasing a modest 162 for victory from their allocation of 50 overs, West Indies hit the jackpot with 134 balls to spare, when Denesh Ramdin pulled a short delivery from leg-spinner Timycen Maruma through mid-wicket for his only boundary in 21 not out.
West Indies captain Chris Gayle led the way with eight fours and two sixes in 63 from 41 balls to earn the Man-of-the-Match award which made him a shoo-in for he Man-of-the-Series award, and Kieron Pollard struck three fours and three sixes in 36 from 20 to formalise a 4-1 series victory for the home team.
It meant that a series which started in much gloom, after they lost the first ODI by two runs at the Guyana National Stadium on March 4, ended on a promising note, having rebounded to capture the next four ODIs.
West Indies won the second ODI last Sunday by four wickets at the Guyana National Stadium, the third ODI last Wednesday by 141 runs at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex here, and the fourth ODI by four wickets last Friday also at this venue.
The result also meant that West Indies have never lost an ODI series contested between the two sides.
West Indies’ previous significant ODI series victory came two years ago, when they prevailed over Sri Lanka 2-0 in a three-match rubber in the Caribbean.
Their previous ODI series victory against any opposition under any format came in the same year, when they won all three matches in a three-nation series with Canada and Bermuda in Toronto.
Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul shared five wickets between them, and helped West Indies restrict Zimbabwe to 161 from their 50 overs.
Sammy was the most successful West Indies bowler with three wickets for 33 runs from his allotted 10 overs, and Rampaul supported with two for 24 from his 10 overs to undermine Zimbabwe’s batting, after they were sent in to bat on a hard, true pitch.
The two West Indies medium-fast bowlers had Zimbabwe reeling on 63 for six until Charles Coventry, playing for the first time in the series, hit the top score of 56 from 88 balls, and put some beef on the visitors’ total in a stand of 57 for the seventh wicket with Greg Lamb.
West Indies started their chase confidently, but Adrian Barath fell in the fifth over, lbw to Elton Chigumbura for 14.
West Indies captain Chris Gayle then went on the rampage, and dominated a second-wicket stand of 76 with Darren Bravo before he lofted a delivery from his opposite number Prosper Utseya, bowling off-spin, and was caught at long-off.
Cavalier batting gifted the wickets of Bravo stumped off Greg Lamb, Narsingh Deonarine caught at long-on off Graeme Cremer, and Dwayne Bravo, Darren’s elder brother, also stumped off Utseya, and West Indies dipped to 104 for five.
But Pollard entered and hastened West Indies nearer to the target before he too, committed batting suicide, and was caught at long-on off Ray Price before Ramdin sealed the result.
Earlier, Rampaul struck two early blows, when he had opener Hamilton Masakadza caught at backward point for a duck in the second over, and Maruma caught at first slip for one in the eighth over to leave Zimbabwe 12 for two.
But Sammy put West Indies in firm control, when he bowled Brendan Taylor for seven, had Tatenda Taibu caught behind for a duck, and opener Vusimuzi Sibanda caught at deep mid-wicket for eight to leave the visitors 25 for five in the 16th over.
West Indies were then put on the back foot, when Elton Chigumbura added 38 with Coventry for the sixth wicket before he was caught at backward point off Pollard for 19 in the 26th over.
The hosts were held up, when Lamb joined Coventry before they were both dismissed in the space of 13 balls, as Zimbabwe lost their last four wickets for 41 runs inside the last 10 overs.
SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE (maximum 50 overs)
V. Sibanda c Barath b Sammy 8
H. Masakadza c Sammy b Rampau l 0
T. Maruma c *Gayle b Rampaul 1
B. Taylor b Sammy 7
+T. Taibu c wkpr Ramdin b Sammy 0
C. Coventry run out (D.J. Bravo) 56
E. Chigumbura c Sammy b Pollard 19
G. Lamb c Deonarine b Benn 16
G. Cremer not out 19
*P. Utseya c Pollard b D.J. Bravo 7
R. Price run out (Ramdin/Rampaul) 4
Extras (lb10, w11, nb3) 24
TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 161
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Masakadza, 1.5 overs); 2-12 (Maruma, 7.6); 3-24 (Taylor, 13.3); 4-24 (+Taibu, 13.6); 5-25 (Sibanda, 15.4); 6-63 (Chigumbura, 25.1); 7-120 (Lamb, 40.1); 8-127 (Coventry, 42.1); 9-147 (*Utseya, 46.1)
Bowling: Bernard 5-2-8-0 (nb1, w5); Rampaul 10-2-24-2 (nb2, w1); D.J. Bravo 10-1-38-1 (w3); Sammy 10-3-33-3 (w1); Benn 10-0-26-1; Pollard 5-0-22-1 (w1)
WEST INDIES (target: 162 off 50 overs)
A. Barath lbw b Chigumbura 14
*C. Gayle c Taylor b *Utseya 63
D.M. Bravo st Taibu b Lamb 14
+D. Ramdin not out 21
N. Deonarine c Chigumbura b Cremer 3
D.J. Bravo st Taibu b *Utseya 0
K. Pollard c Masakadza b Price 36
D. Bernard not out 4
Extras (b3, lb3, w4) 10
TOTAL (6 wkts, 27.4 overs) 165
D. Sammy, R. Rampaul, S. Benn did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Barath, 4.1 overs); 2-96 (*Gayle, 15.2); 3-96 (D.M. Bravo, 16.3); 4-104 (Deonarine, 18.6); 5-105 (D.J. Bravo, 19.2); 6-153 (Pollard, 24.6)
Bowling: Chigumbura 4-0-30-1 (w2); Price 7-0-32-1 (w2); Lamb 5-1-20-1; *Utseya 7-0-41-2; Cremer 3-0-17-1; Maruma 1.4-0-19-0
Result: West Indies won by four wickets
Series: West Indies win five-match series 4-1
Toss: West Indies
Man-of-the-Match: Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Man-of-the-Series: Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Umpires: N. Malcolm, S. Taufel
TV umpire: C. Mack
Matchreferee: R. Mahanama
Reserve umpire: G. Greaves
