KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has expressed great delight with his team’s impressive victory over Sri Lanka in their opening match of the CELKON Mobile Cup Tournament and says the team’s confidence is high heading into today’s clash with India.
Speaking after the six-wicket win at Sabina Park on Friday, Bravo said it was “not a perfect game” but a called it “a great team effort and the best way to start”.
He also added that it was vital the Windies were able to get one bonus point, which could prove vital later in the Tri-Nations tournament.
West Indies produced an excellent bowling performance to oust Sri Lanka for 208, and then raced to 209-6 off 37.5 overs to win with a whopping 73 balls to spare. The bowling was led by ace off-spinner Sunil Narine, who confirmed his status as the leading bowler in this format with 4-40, a spell which ripped the heart out of the Sri Lankan batting.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul recovered from an ankle injury to take three wickets in a brilliant spell with the old ball while Bravo was not to be outdone, snapping up two wickets.
What followed was the “Chris Gayle Show” as the left-handed opener blasted his first ODI century in a year to signal a return to form in front of his home crowd in Kingston. He hit nine fours and seven sixes in a brilliant display of power-hitting – as he recorded the 21st century of his career – the most by a West Indian and which left him joint fifth on the all-time list.
He added an opening century stand with Johnson Charles who chipped in with 29.
Bravo said though India was the top-ranked one-day team in the world, the Windies were up for the fight and would not be cowering.
