West Indies skipper Shai Hope said after his team’s first ODI victory against England by four wickets that he spoke with MS Dhoni about the importance of staying at the crease for extended periods of time, something that has motivated him in run chases over the years. With seven deliveries left, the Caribbean team defeated England’s 325, thanks to a spectacular century from captain Hope. They achieved their highest-ever ODI score at the storied Antigua stadium. Shai said in his post-match speech that he was inspired by Dhoni to run chases in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) after the game.
“A very, very famous person, MS Dhoni – we had a chat a while ago, and he was saying, ‘You always have a lot more time than you think. That is one thing that has stuck with me throughout the years I have been playing ODI cricket,” said Hope. The skipper also lauded all-rounder Romario Shepherd for his all-round performance. “He was amazing. He is one of those guys you can depend on and he has continued to show his worth at this level… we are starting the series on a high and the aim is to repeat this in the second game,” added the skipper.
The skipper did note that WI would need to bowl more effectively in the opening portion of the upcoming match because England’s openers got off to a strong start. “Their openers played really well, we need to try to start a bit better in the next game. We also had a few dropped catches, if you want to be the best team in the world, you also have to start playing like the best team in the world. Nice to see the openers taking responsibility, they are both great players. It is about seeing how we can continue to repeat these performances,” he concluded.
England chose to bat first before the game and amassed 325 runs. Within nine overs, opening batsmen Will Jacks (26 in 24 balls, three fours and a six) and Phil Salt (45 in 28 balls) put up 77 for the first wicket. However, some tight bowling prevented captain Jos Buttler (3), Ben Duckett (20 in 23 balls, four boundaries), and Zak Crawley (48 in 63 balls) from going big. England had formerly been 191/5.
Despite the wickets falling at the other end, Harry Brook counterattacked bowlers, hitting seven fours and two sixes in his 72-ball score. Later, England passed 300 runs thanks to a 66-run eighth-wicket stand between Brydon Carse (31* in 21 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Sam Curran (38 in 26 balls). The best bowlers were Romario Shepherd (2/77), Oshane Thomas (2/57) and Gudakesh Motie (2/49), as the visitors were bowled out for 325 on the last delivery of their innings.
A 104-run partnership between openers Alick Athanaze (66 in 65 balls, with nine fours and two sixes) and Brandon King (35 in 44 balls, with four boundaries and a six) spelled problems for English bowlers, though England would still have felt confident in their ability to preserve the score. The 2019 World Cup winners were unprepared for an inspired Hope, who struck seven sixes in a fast-paced 109* innings to shift the balance of the match in favor of the hosts. To the pleasure of the boisterous Antiguan audience, Hope’s innings included just 83 deliveries, while Romario Shepherd’s spectacular late-inning hitting (49 off 28 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes) made sure the West Indies grabbed the match. The two best bowlers for England were pacer Gus Atkinson (2/63) and spinner Rehan Ahmed (2/40). Hope’s century earned him the title of “Player of the Match.” In the three-match series, West Indies is up 1-0.
