West Indies

Cricket South Africa (CSA) initially revealed De Kock was unavailable for South Africa's Group 1 match at Dubai International Stadium for "personal reasons".

That came after the CSA board on Monday came to an agreement that all Proteas should take the knee before their remaining World Cup games, as a consistent and united stance against racism.

Some players had not taken the knee prior to the loss to Australia on Saturday, and wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock has previously declined to make the gesture.

CSA has now confirmed former captain De Kock refused to go along with the order.

A CSA statement said: "Cricket South Africa has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to take the knee ahead of Tuesday's game against the West Indies.

"All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA board on Monday evening, to take the knee in a united and consistent stance against racism

"This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together.

"After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA's history.

"The board's view was that while diversity can and should find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism. The board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps.

"All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup. CSA thanks all other Proteas players for agreeing to unite and make such an important public stand against racism."

CSA board chair Lawson Naidoo earlier stated: "A commitment to overcoming racism is the glue that should unite, bind and strengthen us.

"Race should not be manipulated to amplify our weaknesses. Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism."

Namibia were dismissed for just 96 runs after being put into bat first, and Sri Lanka ultimately eclipsed that total as early as the 14th over.

Maheesh Theekshana was a key part of the Sri Lanka attack, taking Stephan Baard on his first delivery, before also claiming the scalps of Zane Green and Jan Frylinck, ending the day at 3-25.

Craig Williams (29) was the only Namibian to get more than 20, though his haul was hardly emphatic given it came off 36 balls and included just two boundaries.

Sri Lanka's innings did not start particularly impressively given they were 26-3 after the first ball of the sixth over, but Avishka Fernando (30 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42 not out) had a steadying impact as they got them over the line at 100-3.

The day's early Group A match saw Ireland win in similarly comprehensive fashion against the Netherlands, with the bowlers again having the decisive impact during a seven-wicket victory.

Curtis Campher (4-26) incredibly took all four of his wickets in succession to leave the Dutch in disarray, becoming only the third man after Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan to achieve the feat in a T20I, while Mark Adair was even more efficient with figures of 3-9 in his four overs.

Like Campher, Adair's treble came in a row and right at the end as the Netherlands could only set a target of 106.

Paul Stirling (30 not out) kept things ticking over throughout with a professional – if unspectacular – knock, but Gareth Delany (44) top scored for the Irish. By the time he was eventually stopped by Pieter Seelaar's yorker, Ireland only needed another 12 runs.

Elsewhere, several of the tournament favourites were in action in warm-up matches. India beat England by seven wickets with six balls remaining partly down to swift 50s by KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, while Australia's 159-7 saw them defeat New Zealand with one ball left.

South Africa enjoyed a comfortable 41-run win over Afghanistan and Pakistan defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in a little over 15 overs.

The Windies needed two resounding wins to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals, but a third loss from four games dashed the holders' hopes of qualifying.

Asalanka (68 from 41 balls) became the leading run-scorer in the tournament as Sri Lanka posted an imposing 189-3 at Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Pathum Nissanka (51 from 41) and Asalanka put on 91 for the second wicket, with the Windies bowling attack lacking potency in a must-win game.

Dasun Shanaka also made a quickfire unbeaten 25 for a Sri Lanka side already out of the running to qualify from Group 1.

The holders fell short on 169-8 in their run chase despite a T20I-best of 81 not out off 54 balls for Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran's 46 in their penultimate match of the Super 12 stage in Abu Dhabi.

Sri Lanka were excellent in the field, Wanindu Hasaranga (2-19) once again the pick of the bowlers as they moved two points ahead of fifth-placed West Indies with a victory in their final game of the tournament.

A third loss from four matches for the two-time champions ensured the Windies will head home after facing Australia on Saturday, leaving Aaron Finch's side, leaders England and South Africa to fight it out for a top-two finish.

Asalanka and Nissanka leave Windies facing tall order

A semi-final spot proved to be beyond Sri Lanka, but they bow out with positives to take from the tournament, Asalanka and Nissanka standout performers with the bat.

The 24-year-old Asalanka struck a brilliant unbeaten 80 in the defeat of Bangladesh and gave another demonstration of his class, hitting a six and finding the rope eight times.

Asalanka moved above England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler - who has only been at the crease four times - to become the highest run-scorer in the tournament so far with 231 at an average of 46.20 from six innings and Nassanka is second with 221, averaging 27.62 from eight knocks.

Hetmyer fireworks in vain as Sri Lanka sign off in style

With Chris Gayle falling for only one, Andre Russell only making two and captain Kieron Pollard out for a golden duck, it was left for Hetmyer and Pooran to give the Windies some hope.

The defending champions never really looked like chasing down their target, but Hetmyer produced some fireworks as he blasted four sixes and hit eight fours.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne took brilliant catches, with Sri Lanka superb in the field. Hasaranga, the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world, leads the way in the tournament with 16 wickets.

Wanindu Hasaranga's 47-ball 71, along with 61 from Pathum Nissanka, which came from the same amount of deliveries, propelled the 2014 winners to 171-7.

The 172 target proved well beyond Ireland, who were dismissed for 101 with nine balls left, Hasaranga also taking a wicket and bowling a team-high 14 dot balls in a Man of the Match display.

It means Sri Lanka can top Group A with a win over the Netherlands, whose hopes came to an end with defeat to Namibia.

Max O'Dowd hit a 56-ball 70 for Netherlands as they posted 164-4, however, David Wiese's unbeaten 66 ensured Namibia got over the line for a six-wicket win with six balls left.

England are among the tournament favourites and they underlined that status with a 13-run warm-up win over New Zealand in which Jos Buttler delivered a scarcely needed reminder of his class by hitting 11 fours and two maximums for his 73.

Mark Wood (4-23) and Adil Rashid (3-18) impressed with the ball for England, who were runners-up in 2016 to West Indies.

The Windies seemingly have work to do ahead of the Super 12 after a 56-run defeat to Afghanistan, who saw Hazratullah Zazai (56) and Mohammad Shahzad (54) hit half-centuries.

Rassie van der Dussen, meanwhile, looks in ominous form for South Africa, his 51-ball 101 comprising of 10 fours and four maximums as South Africa saw off Pakistan by six wickets.

Having seen Namibia stun Sri Lanka on Sunday, Scotland sealed a famous 42-run triumph against the two-time T20 world champions at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday.

It was the first T20I meeting between the teams and brought up Scotland's first win in the format this year. For the Windies, 2022 is now their worst year on record in terms of T20I defeats (14).

"Obviously it is a special win for us," said Scotland captain Richard Berrington, whose side snapped a seven-game losing run in T20Is. "It took a lot of work and has given us belief."

While the credit will go to Scotland's brilliant bowlers, opening batter George Munsey set the tone with an unbeaten 66.

Munsey struck nine boundaries as he stayed at the crease throughout Scotland's innings, guiding them to 160-5 as the Windies bowlers failed to get going.

Jason Holder was the pick of the bunch with 2-14 from three overs, moving him onto 48 T20I wickets, but Odean Smith (1-31) and Akeal Hosein (0-31) struggled to make the same impact.

Holder was the only Windies batter to step up and be counted, too, with his 38 the only score above 20 for Nicholas Pooran's team.

Watt was fantastic, claiming 3-12 – his first wicket, when he bowled the dangerous Brandon King, sparking a collapse as the Windies lost six for just 21 runs to fall from 58-2 to 79-7.

Leask claimed his two wickets – Pooran and Rovman Powell – as part of that run, and West Indies' defeat was confirmed when Chris Greaves plucked Holder's stray shot. 

"Tough loss for us, obviously disappointed," said Pooran, who must rally the Windies for matches against Zimbabwe and Ireland.

"We have to work hard and win two games. We have to take accountability and responsibility."

A dismal performance by the Caribbean side saw them post 146-5 in their final first-round pool match, before Ireland raced to 150-1 to win with 15 balls to spare.

Victory carried Ireland through to the Super 12 stage, joining Netherlands and Sri Lanka in advancing from the first round, with one further place to be decided later on Friday.

Brandon King, back from illness, made 62 not out for the Windies but found little by way of substantial support, with Ireland spinner Gareth Delany snagging 3-16 from his four overs.

West Indies are the only team to have won this World Cup twice, taking the 2012 and 2016 titles, but their total against Ireland looked on the low side.

Ireland confirmed that as they encountered little trouble in streaking to victory, with Paul Stirling rattling along to 66 not out from 48 balls at the top of the order. Captain Andy Balbirnie made 37 and Lorcan Tucker finished unbeaten on 45, cracking the winning four to complete the job.

Man of the match Delany said: "It's obviously an incredible day for us."

Saturday will mark a year to the day since Ireland lost to Namibia in their final first-round game at the 2021 edition of this tournament, meaning they were eliminated, and Delany said that had been "one of the toughest days for a lot of us".

"To get over the line today in the fashion that we did was amazing," Delany added.

Skipper Balbirnie said: "It means everything. We had a really disappointing loss last year at this same stage. We did a lot of thinking, a lot of things changed back home. Different personnel came in, a new coach [Heinrich Malan].

"Losing the first game [to Zimbabwe] and then coming back and beating a two-time champion in a must-win game, I couldn't be prouder."

Stokes will skipper the side as international cricket returns from the coronavirus-enforced hiatus at the Ageas Bowl on July 8, with England's regular Test captain Joe Root set to miss the opening game of the three-match series to be at the birth of his second child.

Root will have to self-isolate for seven days before returning to the England camp ahead of the final two Tests at Old Trafford as part of coronavirus protocols.

All-rounder Stokes will step into the breach, with Jos Buttler serving as vice-captain, and Silverwood has the utmost confidence in the Durham man to perform the role to a high standard.

"I think he will do a great job," Silverwood told reporters at a media conference. 

"He is a talisman, isn't he? He leads from the front anyway. He is conscientious of the people around him as well so I think he will do a great job in Joe Root's absence."

Asked what kind of captain he will be, Silverwood replied: "We will find out won't we?

"We know he has got an aggressive nature but equally there is a good cricket brain in there as well. 

"I think he will be quite thoughtful about what moves he is making out there. I'm looking forward to working with him from a coaching point of view. I will extend him the same courtesies I do Rooty. 

"He will have a lot of say in what is going on and he will play a big part in giving his opinions across selection as well.

"I think he's in a good position to do it, he's been Rooty's right-hand man for a while. I know Rooty does turn to him a lot. He's been in a lot of the talks we have behind the scenes so he's in a great place to pick up the reins."

Russell boasted the team’s highest average of 44.40 last year, having scored 222 runs in 9 matches.  The all-rounder also bagged three wickets.  Brathwaite largely struggled with the bat, averaging just 12 runs in 11 matches but took 10 wickets.

Powell, who was the team captain, also had a below par season, scoring 106 runs in 11 matches for an average of 11.77, while Walton struggled after averaging 3 runs in eight matches, with a high score of 10.

Interestingly, there has been no mention of the team’s leading run-scorer last season, Glenn Phillips, who has been one of the team’s most consistent performers for the last 4 seasons.  The 24-year-old was recently offered his first retainer contract by New Zealand Cricket.

 Afghan off-spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who was the team’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets last season, and Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who snared 12 wickets, the second most, have also not been retained.

In the meantime, the Tallawahs have also kept faith with fast bowler Fidel Edwards who showed plenty of pace after returning to the CPL in 2020.  The Jamaica-based franchise will also be welcoming back left-arm spinner Verasammy Permaul and ICC America's player from last season, Ryan Persaud. 

The rest of the squad, which includes the remaining 10 spots, will be announced in the coming weeks.

In seven games to date, Walton has managed a paltry 14 runs at the top of the order.  A closer look at the batsman's individual scores on the Tallawah’s scorecards card makes for even more horrific reading.  On three occasions Walton has been dismissed without scoring, in three other matches he made 1 twice and 2 once.  His highest total of 10 runs came against the Barbados Tridents.

With the team struggling to hold on to the crucial fourth-place spot, after 3 wins and 4 losses, pressure has continually built on the opener, who suffered a similar fate even when coming further down the batting line-up.

“To be honest when we look at our squad, we still have to back Chadwick.  We just have to hope that he comes good at some point,” Powell said following the team’s latest loss to the Knight Riders.

“We are heading into the business end of the competition and hopefully he has the mental strength to pull through.”

Walton also struggled to make an impact for the team last season who had their worst season after finishing in last position.

The symbolic gesture of taking a knee in support of racial equality spread around the globe an adopted by many sports in the aftermath of the death of an African American man, George Floyd, at the hands of the police earlier this year.

To some extent, the symbolic action has fizzled out in the sport of cricket, with some teams claiming other more concrete options in pursuit of equality are being pursued.  The WBBL has, however, continued to support the gesture and Taylor has been appreciative of it.

 "We have been taking a knee throughout the whole tournament and I am so pleased with the support I got from my teammate, it was really fantastic,” Taylor, who plays for Adelaide Strikers, told the Daily Telegraph.

“Sometimes I even forget, and Megan Schutt will say to me; Stafanie, don’t forget we’ve got to take a knee,” she added.

Taylor also thanked Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes for statements made by the teams and praised individual players from other teams for adopting the gesture.

“While I wish that all players from all eight teams competing in the WBBL this year were taking a knee, BLM is a global movement and I’m proud that cricket is helping to stamp out racism on and off the field.”

Bowling with express pace, Taylor had the uncanny ability to cut the ball back into the right-hander, which had many predicting a long and fruitful international career. Taylor made his debut for the West Indies in a One Day International (ODI) in St. Vincent, against Sri Lanka, and did well enough, taking 2 for 39 from 10 overs. He made his Test debut nine days later on June 20, in St. Lucia, against the same opposition. He was just 18.

Years later, however, injury, illness, and some indifferent form saw his appearances for the West Indies become mostly sporadic.  He had a consistent run after returning from injury in 2014, and prior to him retiring from Tests in July 2016 but he never delivered on early potential.

“The first time I saw Jerome Taylor I was excited, but this longevity wasn’t there.  The one thing I kept saying to him is just I don’t think he was patient enough,” Walsh told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“He was a much better bowler than the stats show, but he wasn’t patient enough.  In my estimation, that’s why he didn’t do as well as he could have or should have in Test cricket.  He was one of the most promising players I saw.”

Taylor ended his career with a haul of 150 Test wickets.

Taylor and Dottin were part of the Windies team that made history after claiming victory over Australia in the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup.  In addition, Taylor is currently ranked second for the most runs scored, her 3062 bettered only by New Zealand’s Suzie Bates.  Dottin is ranked 5^th with 2565.  Taylor also features in the top ten in terms of wickets taken with 94 to date.

The West Indies women’s team captain has also earned a place on the ICC Women's ODI team of the year.  There she was joined by spinner Anisa Mohammed.  With 120 wickets taken to date, Mohammed is the format’s all-time leading wicket tacker.

Taylor had also been in contention for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade but was beaten out by Australia’s Ellyse Perry.  Dottin was in the meantime in contention for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade but was also beaten out by Perry.

ICC Women's T20I Team of the Decade

Alyssa Healy (Wicketkeeper)

Sophie Devine

Suzie Bates

Meg Lanning (Captain)

Harmanpreet Kaur

Stafanie Taylor

Deandra Dottin

Ellyse Perry

Anya Shrubsole

Megan Schutt

Poonam Yadav

The three-team tournament will take place in  St Kitts and Nevis and feature the Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and Trinbago Knight Riders franchises.  Matthews will be captain of the Royals, Taylor the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and Dottin the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The players taking part in the competition were drafted from a pool put together by Cricket West Indies (CWI’s) selection committee out of which 33 were picked.  Each team will have the option of signing three overseas players which will bring the total squad size to 14.

The West Indies were restricted to 118-6 from their 20 overs, a total India overhauled getting to 119-4 from 18.1 overs.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, the West Indies, despite the early loss of Captain Hayley Matthews for two, laid a solid foundation for a competitive score in the Powerplay.

After losing Matthews to the bowling of Pooja Vastrakar with only four runs on the board, Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbell shared in a second wicket partnership of 73 before disaster struck in the 14^th over bowled by Deepti Sharma.

With her third ball, Sharma caught and short third-man for 30. Three balls later and one run later, Sharma struck again trapping Taylor lbw for 42.

The West Indies were in further trouble when Chinelle Henry was run out for two in the 15^th.

From there the West Indies Women struggled to accelerate the scoring despite the efforts of Chedean Nation who scored an unbeaten 21 from 18 balls and Shabika Gajnabi’s 15 from 13.

Player of the Match Sharma would later bowl Afy Fletcher for a duck to finish the impressive figures of 3-15.

Rashada Williams was not out on two at the other end as the West Indies innings closed on 118-6.

Karishma Ramharck and Matthews tried to make a fight of it claiming the first three Indian wickets with 43 runs on the board in the eighth over.

Ramharack took the wickets of openers Shafali Verma for a 23-ball 28 with the score at 32 and Matthews got Jerimah Rodriquez caught and bowled for one to make it 35-2.

Ramharack then Smriti Mandhana stumped for 10 in the eighth over and India were 43-3.

However, by the 10^th over India were scoring at better than six runs an over as Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, helped by some wayward bowling, filled their boots with an stand of 72 that took India within four runs of victory.

Ghosh, unbeaten on 44, struck Shamilia Connell for the winning runs first ball of the 19 over for match to send the West Indies Women to their 15^th consecutive defeat in T20 internationals and their eighth straight against India.

Ramharack was the best of the bowlers with 2-14 with Matthews taking 1-12 and Henry 1-21.

Permaul, the 30-year-old slow left-arm orthodox spinner from Guyana, snared 50 wickets during the West Indies Championships that ended in March at an excellent average of 12.98. Speaking with Sportsmax.TV shortly after the season ended, he said he felt that the success he enjoyed would have put him closer to selection to the West Indies senior squad.

“Playing for the West Indies is always my goal every season I play,” he said, “but I wasn’t finding favour with the West Indies selectors. I don’t know how close I am to making the West Indies team, I would think after an excellent season like this one I am not far from playing for the West Indies again.”

However, according to Harper, a fellow Guyanese, Permaul’s success did not get him close enough.

“If you look at the structure of the team; the Test squad and the reserves, you realize that there are not many spinners in the party,” Harper said while speaking on the Mason and Guest talk show in Barbados on Tuesday.

“In England, we looked at the conditions you are likely to face there and the sort of bowlers we will need in the squad and (Rahkeem) Cornwall was selected as a spinner in the squad from his performance in his last Test match.

“Looking at the reserves we thought we would look at a replacement for the positions in the Test team…the panel went for the incumbent who was on the last tour.”

The decision to exclude Permaul did not go down well with Hilbert Foster President of the Berbice Cricket Board in Guyana. Permaul plays his domestic cricket in Berbice.

“The BCB would like to condemn in the strongest possible way the sick treatment being handed out to this outstanding son of Berbice and would like for an explanation to been given on his non-selection," Foster said.

"Has a decision been taken that Permaul's career is over at just 30 years old? Is there another unknown factor for his non-selection? Is he indisciplined? Is he considered just a regional bowler or is he too old?

"We deserve to know as the BCB is, without doubt, the hardest working cricket board in the Caribbean and we would not sit back and watch our cricketers being treated like a second class when they deserve better."

Super 8 qualifiers are:

• Group A: India and USA
• Group B: Australia and England
• Group C: West Indies and Afghanistan
• Group D: South Africa and Bangladesh

The eight teams will be divided into two groups:

• Group A: India, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
• Group B: USA, England, West Indies, South Africa

Four of the Super 8 qualifiers have won the World Cup previously, India, England, West Indies and Australia. Super 8 matches will be played across four West Indies venues: Antigua and Barbuda (four matches), Barbados (three matches), Saint Lucia (three matches) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (two matches).

Each team will play every other team in its group once, with the top two sides in each group qualifying for the semi-finals, to be played in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana on 26 and 27 June, respectively.

The Super Eight stage commences in Antigua on Wednesday 19 June with a clash between USA and South Africa at 10h30. That same evening West Indies take on old rivals, England in Saint Lucia. The two sides have a prolific cricketing history, with the co-hosts ensuring a dominant display at home against England in recent years.

Full Fixtures (Local time)

19 June

USA v South Africa, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua (10h30)

England v West Indies, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia (20h30)

20 June

Afghanistan v India, Kensington Oval, Barbados (10h30)

Australia v Bangladesh, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua (20h30)

21 June

England v South Africa, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia (10h30)

USA v West Indies, Kensington Oval, Barbados (20h30)

22 June

India v Bangladesh, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua (10h30)

Afghanistan v Australia, Arnos Vale, St Vincent (20h30)

23 June

USA v England, Kensington Oval, Barbados (10h30)

West Indies v South Africa, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua (20h30)

24 June

Australia v India, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia (10h30)

Afghanistan v Bangladesh, Arnos Vale, St Vincent (20h30)

The 27-year-old was recently dropped from the West Indies squad for the tour of New Zealand, after a nightmare run of form had seen the player averaging 19.48 since December 2017 and just 14.45 since February 2019.

 On the England tour, the scene of his triumph three years ago, Hope averaged below 18 in a 2-1 defeat against England.  Overall, his Test cricket average has slipped to around 26.27.

“He never suggested to me, even with the games where he scored those two wonderful 100s, as far as the red ball is concerned that he is a force to be reckoned with,” the former Combined Campuses and Colleges player turned analyst told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“If I remember correctly, Shai Hope took a long time before he started to score runs in our regional first-class competition and do well…I think we are always looking for heroes.  Certainly, when Shai Hope is on the go, you’d pay your money for two cover drives, but at the end of the day Shai Hope has never suggested permanence at the top,” he added.

“It’s something that at Test level, I keep stressing on his strike rate. He bats about 80 to 90 balls and gets out somewhere between the 15s to 20s.  That suggests more to me, rather than him just having to adjust his mindset, that he is technically flawed.”

Smith believes the break from the team will provide the player with an opportunity to address some of those issues.

Recently the duo of Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmeyer returned to the batting line-up, but there was no room for the out of form Shai Hope, once a staple of the batting order.  With Bravo looking to be in good form on his return to the line-up and some displays of consistency from the likes of Sharmarh Brooks and Roston Chase, Simmons hopes the tussle for places leads to steadier performances in the future.

“It’s a case where everybody is under pressure.  We are getting more and more of a group of batsmen where everyone is competing for four or five places,” Simmons told members of the media via an online press conference from New Zealand.

“With the likes of Hetmyer coming back in and Bravo coming back in, after missing the England tour, Shai Hope is not here.  You are getting a group that is fighting for three or four positions in this case,” he added. 

“So, it is putting pressure on them to perform, that is what we want.  If you perform you will be there and the performance we are talking about is 100s, big 100s that is what we keep singing to the players.”

The regional team ending up beating Sri Lanka in the first T20 by a fairly comfortable margin, in the end, but things did not always look so straightforward.  Overall, a few of the players did not have the expected impact straight out of the gate for the Windies.  This was particularly the case with the batting line-up where three players, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen were dismissed for ducks.

In pursuit of the modest target of 131 for 9, the Windies were rocked in the third over by an Akila Dananjaya spell, which saw the dismissal of Evin Lewis, Gayle, and Pooran.  Gayle was batting in the unfamiliar third spot, which worked well during this season’s IPL campaign.

Pollard is adamant he is, however, in no hurry to change things around, particularly after one game.  In fact, he believes the practice is one that has hurt the team in the past.

“If we are honest with ourselves, that’s one of the problems that has plagued us over the years, the constant chopping and changing when things don’t go right after one or two games,” Pollard told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Thursday.

“We don’t expect miracles from people.  Sometimes you have to give them a chance and opportunities to fulfil what they are trying to achieve and after a period of time you can make a judgment call,” he added.

“After one game I don’t think we are even thinking of doing any changes or anything like that.  We need to get away from the fact that if a guy doesn’t perform, not exclusively using Chris for example, but any individual that has played one or two games, thinking they are not good enough and just be looking to discard them."

The 41-year-old has not precisely gone out on his own terms, with the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum setup opting to move on from an all-time bowling great.

Speaking ahead of his farewell appearance against West Indies on Monday, Anderson reiterated that he was bowling as well as he ever has, but said he had "made peace" with England's decision to revamp their attack.

Now, his focus will be going out on a high as he plays his 188th and final Test on the same ground where he made his debut 21 years ago. 

Ahead of an emotional few days at an iconic venue, we run through the Opta data surrounding Anderson's remarkable career.

The records

Anderson will, without a doubt, be remembered as the finest paceman England have ever produced. In fact, he is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers from any country, managing 700 dismissals in his 187 matches.

Stuart Broad, his close friend and team-mate for 138 of those contests, is a distant second with 604 in 167 outings, with Australia's Glenn McGrath (563), Windies' Courtney Walsh (519) and South Africa's Dale Steyn (439) rounding out the top five. 

Among all bowlers in Test history, Anderson ranks third for wickets taken, behind Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia icon Shane Wayne (708), some way clear of Anil Kumble (619) in fourth.

Anderson also edges out Broad in England's all-time appearance charts, though he will fall short of the global Test record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who represented India 200 times between 1989 and 2013.

While Anderson's legacy in the bowling stakes is set in stone, his contributions to the tail end of the batting order should also not be forgotten.

Anderson has 1,353 Test runs in total, with 687 coming at #11. No other batter in history can match that return at the position, with his highest score – a remarkable 81 versus India at Trent Bridge in 2014 – coming when he batted last.

The highs

That haul was certainly Anderson's best moment with the bat, but what about with the ball, doing what he does best? 

Anderson started as he meant to go on when making his Test bow against Zimbabwe in 2003, going 5-73 in the second innings for the first of 32 career five-wicket hauls.

His best Test figures came in September 2017, as he finished 7-42 in the third innings of a win over West Indies at Lords. His only other seven-wicket haul came in 2008 at Trent Bridge as New Zealand were vanquished.

In fact, 2017 was the most efficient year of his Test career, as he conceded just 17.6 runs per wicket taken. In no year where he played at last 10 matches did Anderson record an average worse than 33.9 (2011).

But fans will likely remember a couple of special Ashes performances most fondly. 

Having played a supporting role as England won a legendary home series in 2005, Anderson had to wait a while to experience a big moment against Australia, his first real taste of the rivalry coming as England were whitewashed 5-0 down under in 2006-07.

Twelve wickets in support of Broad (18) and Graeme Swann (14) helped England reclaim the urn on home soil in 2009, but it was in 2010-11 when he really made his mark.

England had not won an Ashes series in Australia for 24 years, while some had expressed doubts over Anderson's ability to take wickets on foreign soil, but he finished with a magnificent 24 dismissals as the tourists claimed a famous 3-1 series victory.

The urn was retained on home soil in 2013, the tone being set by a nail-biting 14-run victory in the opener, with Anderson claiming a five-for in each innings. 

The opponents

Anderson took 117 wickets in his 39 matches against Australia, but India were his favourite opponents, with 149 in 39 appearances against the Men in Blue.

His historic 700th wicket came against India earlier this year, with Kuldeep Yadav his victim as he became the first paceman in history to reach that landmark.

He took 103 versus South Africa, including his 100th, which came versus Jacques Kallis back in 2008.

This week's match, meanwhile, will give him the chance to add to his 87 wickets in matches versus West Indies. He previously reached the 500 mark against them in 2017, bowling Kraigg Braithwaite to kick-start that remarkable spell of 7-42.  

In terms of opposition players, India's Cheteshwar Pujara is the man to have fallen victim to Anderson most often, being dismissed by him on 12 occasions between 2014 and 2022.

Lord's: A fitting farewell

Anderson may be a Lancashire lad, but one might suggest Lord's has been his spiritual home since he made his red-ball bow on the ground 21 years ago.

He has taken 199 of his Test wickets on the ground in 28 matches there. Only Sri Lanka great Muralitharan has ever taken more at a particular venue, finishing his career with 166 in 24 matches at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

If Anderson adds to that haul on his farewell appearance this week, there won't be a dry eye in the house.