Improved Windies see off Zimbabwe by AFP

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Ground:	Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's
Scorecard:	West Indies v Zimbabwe
Player:	DJ Bravo, RR Sarwan
Event:	Zimbabwe in West Indies 2006

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DateLine: 30th April 2006

 

West Indies heeded captain Brian Lara's demand for improvement and completed a tidy 98-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second limited-overs international on Sunday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

 

Zimbabwe were dismissed for 144 in 46.2 overs chasing a victory target of 243.

 

Chris Gayle secured the win when he had Tawanda Mupariwa caught at deep backward square leg for 16 to give West Indies a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series, after they won Saturday's opener by five wickets at the same venue.

 

Lara had called on his team, particularly the new-ball bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards, to show a drastic improvement on their performance from Saturday and they responded.

 

Zimbabwe never recovered from the nightmare of losing their first three wickets - all to Taylor - for 11 runs inside the first six overs.

 

Taylor was the pick of the bowlers with a career-best 4-24 from his allotment of 10 overs to earn the man-of-the-match award for the second straight day.

 

Justice Chibhabha, playing in only his third limited-overs international, was again the rock upon which Zimbabwe built their total.

 

The 19-year-old hit the top score of 67 from 100 balls which contained eight boundaries, and added 56 for the fourth wicket with Elton Chigumbura.

 

West Indies had mounted a late charge to reach 242 for nine from their 50 overs, after purposeful bowling from the Zimbabweans had kept a tight rein on their batsmen.

 

Ramnaresh Sarwan hit three fours and two sixes in the top score of 55 from 60 balls and shared a stand of 69 for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who struck just two fours in 46 from 75 balls.

 

Gayle scored 49 from 73 balls that included seven boundaries in an opening stand of 70 with Runako Morton, and Dwayne Smith typically entertained the crowd with three sixes in 30 off 18 balls.

 

Mupariwa was the most successful Zimbabwe bowler with 3-46.

 

Taylor made the breakthrough for West Indies in the fourth over, when opening batsman Piet Rinke was caught at point for six flicking at a delivery that flew into the air off the leading edge.

 

The wickets of captain Terrence Duffin and Brendon Taylor off successive balls in Taylor's next over struck at the very heart of the visitors' batting.

 

Duffin was bowled for one driving loosely at the fifth ball, and Brendon Taylor completely misjudged the line and length of the last ball and was bowled for a first-ball duck.

 

Chigumbura joined Chibhabha at the wicket and they mixed aggression with sound defence to defy the Windies' attack.

 

Chibhabha played some glorious strokes on either side of the wicket and enhanced his reputation with his second straight half-century of the series.

 

Chigumbura was caught at first slip off Fidel Edwards in the 20th over and the visitors continued to bleed wickets.

 

The series continues on May 6 and 7 at Georgetown's Bourda Oval when the two teams contest back-to-back matches.

 

They will also play the first limited-overs international under lights in the Caribbean at Gros Islet's Beausejour Stadium on May 10 before the series ends on May 13 and 14 at Port of Spain's Queen's Park Oval with a double-header.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)