RAIPUR, India, CMC – Dwayne Smith and Narsingh Deonarine struck entertaining half centuries but it was the effusive Tino Best who scrambled a single off the last ball of the contest to earn West Indies Legends a dramatic five-wicket victory over England Legends and a place in the semi-finals of the Road Safety World Series here yesterday.
Asked to chase an imposing 187 for victory at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, West Indies Legends were carried by Smith’s 58 off 31 deliveries and Deonarine’s 53 not out off 37 balls.
Former West Indies Test vice-captain Kirk Edwards chipped in with a crucial 34 from 26 balls but perished in the penultimate over. And when captain Brian Lara was stumped off the penultimate delivery of the game off-spinner James Tredwell with scores level, the result was still up in the air.
However, Best clipped Tredwell to short square leg and set off for a suicide single with Deonarine, the fielder’s throw at the striker’s end going wide to ensure West Indies victory.
Sent in earlier, England Legends finished on 186 for three of their 20 overs with opener Phil Mustard hitting 57 off 41 deliveries and Owais Shah carving out 53 not out off 30 balls.
Captain Kevin Pietersen stroked an attractive 38 from 24 balls at the top of the order, hitting two fours and three sixes in an 81-run opening stand with Mustard before falling to a catch at the wicket off left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in the 10th over.
Mustard cracked five fours and three sixes before becoming the first of Smith’s two wickets and Shah then carried the innings, posting 42 for the third with Jim Troughton (22) and a further 38 for the fourth with Chris Tremlett (nine not out).
In reply, Smith played with freedom to strike nine fours and a couple of sixes, inspiring a 55-run opening partnership with Ridley Jacobs (13) and 32 for the second wicket with Deonarine before holding out to short third man in the eighth over off Tredwell (2-35).
William Perkins perished cheaply for nine in the 10th over but Edwards arrived to stage an 83-run fourth wicket stand with Deonarine, and give the Caribbean side the upper hand.
The left-handed Deonarine struck half-dozen fours while Edwards counted four fours and six, putting West Indies within touching distance of their target before drama erupted late on.
