RAIPUR, India, CMC – Dwayne Smith and Narsingh Deonarine hit half-centuries for the second day running while captain Brian Lara rolled back the years with a glamorous cameo, as West Indies produced a daring run chase before coming up short, to bow out of the Road Safety World Series with a 12-run defeat to India Legends here yesterday.
Always up against it after being set 219 to win their semi-final at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, West Indies Legends looked on course to pull off a stunning victory before faltering late on.
Smith top-scored with a shot-filled 63 off 36 deliveries while the left-handed Deonarine weighed in with 59 off 44 balls but other than for Lara’s classy 46 off 28 deliveries, no other batsman managed to reach double figures.
The peerless Sachin Tendulkar had earlier top-scored with 65 from 42 balls as India Legends piled up 218 for three off their 20 overs, after being sent in.
Dashing left-hander Yuvraj Singh slammed a 20-ball unbeaten 49, Yusuf Pathan punched an unbeaten 37 from 20 balls while opener Virender Sehwag belted an aggressive 17-ball 35.
Fast bowler Tino Best stood out with two for 25 from his four overs but the remainder of the attack leaked runs consistently.
Tendulkar ensured a strong start from India Legends, stroking half-dozen fours and three sixes in a 56-run opening stand with Sehwag before adding 53 for the second wicket with Mohammad Kaif (27).
Sehwag blasted five fours and a six before he was caught and bowled by Best in the sixth over while Kaif perished in the 12th over and Tendulkar eventually departed in the 15th over at 140 for three after putting on a further 31 for the third with Yusuf Pathan.
Yuvraj and Pathan then put on an exhibition of hitting at the death, posting 78 off 35 deliveries in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership to dominate.
While Yuvraj clubbed a four and half-dozen sixes – four of which came in the penultimate over from leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo – Pathan struck two fours and three sixes.
In reply, West Indies Legends lost William Perkins for nine in the second over but Smith crunched nine fours and two sixes and Deonarine carved out five fours and two sixes, in a 99-run second wicket stand.
Smith eventually holed out to long off in the 11th over off left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan at 118 for two and the in-form Kirk Edwards followed three balls later for a first-ball ‘duck’ but Lara and Deonarine then put the Caribbean side back in sight of victory with a 80-run stand.
But with 19 needed from 10 deliveries, Lara was bowled by seamer Vinay Kumar after hitting four fours and a couple of sixes and when Best departed at the end of the 19th, West Indies lost their momentum and the 17 runs required from the final over proved too steep.
