Despite losing to South Africa by seven wickets last week, West Indies displayed signs of a team that could beat the best. It's slowly but surely coming together for the two-time World Cup winners
Despite losing to South Africa by seven wickets last week, West Indies displayed signs of a team that could beat the best. It's slowly but surely coming together for the two-time World Cup winners.
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| West Indies' Kemar Roach (right) celebrates the wicket of Netherlands' Wesley Barresi yesterday. Pic/Imtiyaz Khan |
The opening bowling pair of Kemar Roach (6-27) and Sulieman Benn (3-28) sizzled, game-changers Chris Gayle (80) and Kieron Pollard (60) finally had their blades rolling, and Darren Sammy's side fielded splendidly.
"This win will give them a lot of satisfaction because the Dutch are worthy opponents. To beat them so convincingly will give them confidence," former West Indian pacer Ian Bishop told MiD DAY after the team's massive 215-run victory against the Netherlands at the Feroz Shah Kotla here yesterday.
"Nobody can take the West Indies lightly now. The opening bowling combination looks great. Add Sammy, Pollard and Gayle's off-breaks to that, and the team can beat anyone on their day.u00a0 Roach is only 22, but he showed signs of a quality fast bowler."
After posting a mammoth 330 for eight, the West Indies shot out the Dutch for just 115 as Roach collected only the sixth World Cup hat-trick and the first of the 2011 edition.
The first three balls of the 32nd over saw Pieter Seelar and Bernard Loots get beaten for pace and trapped leg before wicket. Then, Berend Westdijk saw his middle stump sent cart-wheeling.
It was pure, unadulterated dose of fast bowling. "I came here with a plan in mind, and it worked out very well. The surface was slow, so our plan was to bowl straight and fast. We still have a job ahead of us, and I am ready for it," Roach said.
"To have a World Cup hat-trick and take six wickets is surely my best outing ever for the West Indies. It's also a proud moment because myself and Benn, both from Barbados, are opening the bowling and doing a good job,"
he said.
