West Indies

Holder, the top-ranked Test all-rounder in the world, typically bats at 8^th.  So far, the majority of his contributions have been with the ball, but he has shown he can do plenty of damage for the team with the bat as well.

In fact, his highest score of 202 unbeaten came just last year against England but the player is yet to demonstrate a level of high consistency with the willow.  Bradshaw insists the player’s improvement should be a process.

“I’ve said before he needs to move up the order, eighth and so forth was too low and that was based on the facts, when you look at how well he was batting and his average compared to the rest of the batting unit.  He was one of better batsmen so he is a wasted talent batting at eight,” Bradshaw told the Mason and Guest Radio program.

“Ideally I’d like to see him get to six.  I believe he has the talent, but if it’s a gradual process then I don’t have a problem with it.  It depends on the balance and structure of the team,” he added.

“What we must do is to get our top five in the order correct.  So that a guy like Jason, Dowrich, and so forth, they can come and build on strong starts.  We are not going to win games when we are 60 for 4 in Test matches consistently.  So, those are the critical things we must put together.”

The Windies won a close opening contest by four wickets, with a crucial 95 from Jermaine Blackwood helping the tourists get over the line on day five.

Broad, who has 485 Test wickets and impressed in South Africa at the end of last year, was left out of the line-up in Southampton by stand-in captain Ben Stokes.

Stokes also elected to bat first in overcast conditions, a move that came under scrutiny after England managed just 204 in their first innings.

West Indies captain Holder thought Broad would have played instead of either Jofra Archer or Mark Wood and was happy when Stokes opted to bat after winning the toss.

"This is a proud moment for us," Holder said in a column for the Daily Mail. "We really wanted to start this Test series well and to begin the way we have by winning the first Test is perfect. 

"Looking back at the game, it was my preference to bowl first so I didn't mind England deciding to bat and then our bowlers simply bowled their hearts out on a pretty flat pitch. 

"I was a little surprised England didn't pick Stuart Broad. 

"His record, particularly in this country, is outstanding and I thought they would leave out either Jofra Archer or Mark Wood. But they put out a high quality attack, that's for sure.

"As it went on it became close to the complete West Indian performance. There's no doubt the game changer was that fourth afternoon when we took five wickets after tea.

"Then we were able to finish it off on the last day. It's been a while since we had Shannon Gabriel on the park due to injury so to see him back firing on all cylinders was brilliant. 

"We were always confident we would get 200 to win but losing three quick wickets and John Campbell to injury wasn't ideal. 

"But the partnership between Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase was just what we wanted and it was really good to see Jermaine going as deep as he did. 

"This was a career-reviving innings for Jermaine. He's a very exciting player and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands."

The second Test at Old Trafford, for which Joe Root will return as the hosts' captain following the birth of his second child, starts on Thursday, with West Indies knowing they will retain the Wisden Trophy if they avoid defeat.

The tall seam bowler engineered a batting collapse as the last five wickets fell for 19 runs that resulted in the visitors being bowled out for 169 on a good surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Holder registered his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests off 17.4 overs and in the process reached 200 first-class wickets. He was supported by 3-47 from Kemar Roach who has now taken 33 wickets at this venue in his sixth match.

Holder started by having Dinesh Chandimal caught at the wicket by Josh Da Silva just before lunch to leave Sri Lanka at 54-3. He later accounted for top scorer Lahiru Thirimanne, who was bowled for 73, a total that came off 180 balls and included four boundaries.

West Indies batted through the final hour to reach 13-0 at the close, with captain Kraigg Brathwaite on three not out and John Campbell on seven not out.

“It’s very pleasing, the ball came out very well, my rhythm was very good, and I also managed to get some movement off the pitch, so it was great to get among the wickets and pick up a five-for on the first day,” Holder said afterwards.

“We bowled really well, and we couldn’t have asked for much more. The discipline I showed with the ball was the key. Hopefully, going on later in the game I could make another major contribution with bat and with the ball.

“It was really good to see the batsmen fighting it through this evening as well, in what was a very important period. We want to go on tomorrow and set up a big total. That would be important for us as well. We were also very good in the field.”

The match resumes today at 9:00 am Jamaica time (10 am ECT).

West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard had won the toss and elected to bat, with the hosts posting 179-4, with England falling short in reply, bowled out for 162 in the 20th over with Player of the Match Holder (27-5) decisive with a double hat-trick in the final over.

After an encouraging start, West Indies did suffer a minor wobble as they lost wickets in consecutive overs, with Kyle Mayers (31) and Romario Shepherd (six) falling in the sixth and seventh, giving England a boost.

Brandon King (34) was the next to go as he was caught at the rope, and Nicholas Pooran (21) was dismissed in the 14th over, with West Indies looking solid if unspectacular ahead of the final five overs of their batting innings.

It was then that they really picked up the slack, with Pollard (41 not out) and Rovman Powell (35 not out) accumulating runs at a much greater rate, their fifth-wicket stand of 74 ultimately integral in the grand scheme of things.

The total of 180 certainly did not look unassailable for England and they reached the halfway stage at 86-2 having only lost Jason Roy (eight) and Tom Banton (16), with James Vince in fine form.

The wickets of Moeen Ali (14) and Liam Livingstone (six) followed just a few minutes apart, and while Vince (55) reached his half-century, he too departed in the 14th as a top-edged slog fell short of the boundary from Akeal Hosein (30-4).

The excellent Sam Billings (41) at least got England into a position where they were still alive in the final over, but they could not meet their target of 20 in six balls as Holder's incredible haul clinched the series.

Holder's historic heroics

Having almost looked without hope, England did make things a little tense towards the end – but what a performance from Holder.

Just when West Indies needed the ultimate display of experience, Holder took over in style. His hat-trick was the Windies' first in men's T20Is, and then he went one better. It was a truly memorable end to the series.

Billings deserving of praise

Although he was not England's highest scorer, Billings did play a vital role in keeping them in contention.

His 41 off 28 balls meant England were still in the hunt in the final over. A poorer showing could have seen them fold much earlier – he can leave with his head held high.

The reply, anchored by Will Young’s unbeaten 80 from 161 balls, left the Kiwis still some 322 runs short of the Windies’ mammoth first innings total of 571.  New Zealand resumed day 3 at 45 without loss and pushed on to 100 before spinner Rahkeem Cornwall got the breakthrough, with the lbw dismissal of Rachin Ravindra. 

Ten overs later, his opening partner Henry Cooper also departed the scene after being trapped lbw off the bowling of Holder.  He left the crease having tallied a patient 54 in close to 200 minutes.  Joe Carter was next to bat but did not last long.  He only faced eight deliveries, making one run, before being caught behind by Shane Dowrich off Holder.

West Indies captain Jason Holder then got in on the act with a delivery that caught Ken McClure lbw just before tea.  McClure made 20 runs and faced 53 deliveries.  New Zealand A captain Cole McConchie, however, partnered with Young to steady the ship before bad light ended the day’s play.

Elite athletes have spoken out against racism in society following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Several teams in the Bundesliga, which was the first major European football league to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic, have also taken part in demonstrations.

Windies captain Holder was asked if similar actions will be taken by his team for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl, which will be played without fans in attendance, on July 8.

"It definitely - probably - will be discussed among us and we'll definitely decide how we'll go forward as a team with it," he told a news conference on Wednesday.

"I just want to make sure whatever we do, if we do anything, that it is done the right way. Whatever point we make, if we do decide to show some sort of solidarity with it, we'll make sure everyone is on the same page.

"But I don't want to sit here and speak for the other members of the team without consulting them."

On the protests that have taken place, Holder added: "It [racism] is something that will probably be an ongoing discussion, probably way past our lifetimes. I think the greater message that could be taken for this entire experience is unity.

"Regardless of your race or religion, I think this is a situation for us all to unite as one.

"What has happened recently has definitely impacted the world, and the response from people around the world has been tremendous.

"We must acknowledge it. Protesting, and standing up for what you believe in, is noble and courageous - and something I would never disapprove of.

"I think it's a perfect time for people to really educate themselves on what goes on in the day-to-day experiences of people around the world, and make a change.

"Only when you educate yourself, can you have a better sense of what goes on around you.

"We must all come together; it's an ongoing debate, but equality and unity is my main takeaway from this."

The Windies arrived in Manchester on Tuesday as they gear up for the return of Test cricket, which has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Three players, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo, opted not to travel, but Holder says those who have feel "pretty safe".

"To be honest, I feel pretty safe. I must commend the ECB, they've been outstanding," he said.

"We had a chartered airline and arriving here in Manchester was pretty smooth. We just transferred directly from the plane through the VIP hall and then straight onto the buses directly to the hotel. We've had no real experience with anyone from the public.

"Everything so far has been rolled out perfectly and whilst it continues that way, I can't see much interference coming with regards to the series.

"Before coming here to England, we all knew what was being posed. We've all made a decision to come over here, not been forced, and we've done it because we want to be here, we want to play cricket.

"Personally, I'm happy to be playing some cricket, not many other nations are. Many organisations are taking pay cuts and we have suddenly got our opportunity now to make some money, so we have a lot of things to be thankful for and I think we just have to relish the opportunity and grab it with both hands."

The Windies, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2016, will face Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland in Group B with the top two teams advancing to the Super 12.

"We've got a task to uphold in terms of qualifying for the main round," Holder said.

"More or less, we have to focus on the qualifier. Ireland, Scotland and Zimbabwe by no means are pushovers. We've got to take it as seriously as we possibly can and just make sure we get into the next phase of the tournament."

Holder, entering his third T20 World Cup believes there are positives to playing in the qualifiers for the regional side.

"I think it's good in a way that we're playing the qualifiers," he said.

 "West Indies teams of the past have proved that we get better as we go along. To have the warm-up phase of the tournament and then to go into the actual group stage after qualification, I think it's going to be to our betterment in the sense we get more cricket. The talent we have got - depth in terms of resources and batting and bowling - we've always been pretty athletic in the field, so I'm looking forward to that challenge."

The team will be looking to rebound from an abysmal 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE where they got just one win in five matches, failing to advance from the Super 12.

The issue of racial injustice has been at the forefront of global discussion in recent weeks, following the killing of an African American George Floyd by a white police officer.  Derek Chauvin was filmed with his knee on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes in a video that prompted anguish and outrage around the globe.

The issue has morphed into a broader discussion on the need for an end to racial discrimination and inequality, with several athletes joining the cause.  Holder noted that although it was important to be professional, the circumstances can be tough for players to take.

“Look, as a player, you just got to be professional and shut it out, but some comments are such that it’s hard to block out. You know some of those comments sometimes make people retaliate,” Holder said during an Instagram talk with sports commentator Arun Venugopal.

“I haven’t personally had to bear the brunt of any of them, but I have seen things with people like Moeen Ali and Hashim Amla [who were subjected to racist attacks]. I have met Hashim Amla, I have played cricket with Hashim Amla. If you probably think I am a nice man, he is the ultimate nice guy, man. He is the nicest person that I have ever met, swear to God,” Holder added.

“And to hear people get down on Hashim and say things or even bring racial comments into it, it is just sad, man. It’s just sad to see the level of intelligence of people,” he added.

The Windies have arrived in Manchester ahead of the planned behind-closed-doors Test series, which will start in Southampton on July 8.

They are the first international sports team to visit the United Kingdom since lockdown began in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

West Indies' 39 members of their touring group, which includes 25 players, tested negative for COVID-19 prior to their charter flight from Antigua and are now poised to be tested again.

They will enter quarantine at Old Trafford, which will host the second and third Test matches and serve as their base to prepare for the opening encounter.

Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo and Keemo Paul opted to withdraw from the touring party because of the pandemic.

But West Indies captain Holder was in a positive mood and aware of the significance of the trip.

"This is a huge step forward in cricket and in sports in general," Holder said, speaking before the team landed in England.

"A lot has gone into the preparations for what will be a new phase in the game.

"I’m happy for the support and well-wishes we have been receiving from our loyal and dedicated fans once it was confirmed the tour would go ahead. This has been a source of great inspiration.

"We have a fantastic group of cricketers, coaches, medical staff and support staff and I know everyone is eagerly looking forward to the start of the first match."

West Indies beat England 2-1 in the Caribbean last year but have not won a series in England since 1988.

Holder said: "There is expectation in the air that we will defend the Wisden Trophy and we will certainly put in the work and give it our all to keep hold of it."

Assistant coach Roddy Estwick was also optimistic about the team's chances if they can contain the England bowling attack.

"Three years ago, it was a very, very young unit," Estwick said of the team who lost the 2017 series 2-1 in England. "Now we've got seasoned Test players, we've got players with 50 Test matches.

"So I think once we can hit the ground running and get the preparation in, get some match practice under our belts, we can be a lot better.

"We've got youngsters coming through. If we can get scores on the board we can really challenge England because I know the bowling will be good."

The two are the only ones recalled from the players who opted not to tour Bangladesh in January. The West Indies swept the two-Test series with a set of players who have largely been retained for first Test against Sri Lanka.

As was announced on Thursday, Kraigg Brathwaite will captain the side, replacing Holder. Jermaine Blackwood will be his vice-captain.

“It is good to be able to put together a Test squad with a number of players coming off very good performances in their last series in Bangladesh. Very encouraging,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to build on the good work that was done in Bangladesh. It is very important to continue the process of working hard, playing with great passion, playing with determination and a great desire to succeed. Doing that consistently will bring us the right results.”

The Selection Panel also named the squad for the CWI President’s XI to face Sri Lanka in a two-day warm-up match at Coolidge Cricket Ground on March 17-18.

Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood (vc), Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican.

President’s XI squad: Roston Chase (captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Keon Harding, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Shayne Moseley, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip and Kemar Roach.

Following the conclusion of the President’s XI match Roston Chase, Jahmar Hamilton and Chemar Holder will remain as reserves for the first Test. Jayden Seales will remain as a developmental player.

The tourists ended the day 283-9 from 89 overs after the South Africa Invitational XI won the toss and chose to field.

Holder led the way with a swift 62-ball 57 including nine fours and a six while Da Silva ended the day unbeaten on 54 alongside Shannon Gabriel, who is not out on two. The Trinidadian wicket-keeper/batsman has, so far, faced 129 balls and hit six boundaries.

Roston Chase also showed solid form with 35 against two wickets apiece from Corbin Bosch, Irvin Modimokoane and Smangaliso Nhlebela.

The first Test against South Africa bowls off on February 28.

Scores: West Indies 283-9 off 89 overs (Jason Holder 57, Joshua Da Silva 54*, Roston Chase 35, Raymon Reifer 30, Corbin Bosch 2-17, Irvin Modimokoane 2-39, Smangaliso Nhlebela 2-71).

Joining Holder in making themselves unavailable for the tour are vice-captain Roston Chase, T20 captain Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran. Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich will be unavailable because of personal reasons.

The CWI Covid-19 policy allows any player the opportunity to decline selection because of health or safety fears, without the decision affecting their consideration for future selection.

The tour is set for January 10 to February 11.  It was only approved after recommendation by the CWI’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), who received a detailed report from a pre-tour visit of Bangladesh by CWI Director and Member of the CWI and ICC MAC, Dr Mansingh, and Security Manager, Paul Slowe.

It seems the precautionary measures were not enough to assuage the fears of the majority of the squad.  With 510,080 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,479 deaths, Bangladesh is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.  The country has, however, been hosting cricket tournaments under heavy quarantine restrictions.

The West Indies were one of the first teams to resume playing international cricket when they travelled to England in July.  The team then went to New Zealand for a series earlier this month. 

Holder, who was a part of the team’s recent tour of India, will be rested for both the three-match ODI and Twenty20 series against Ireland.  The player will also be unavailable for his regional team Barbados in the upcoming four-day competition fixtures.

“Jason will be rested during the Ireland series and will be unavailable for Barbados until the end of the series against Sri Lanka in February. He will then be assessed coming out of the SL series and a decision made and communicated on what his regional workloads will be for the later rounds of the 4-day competition,” CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams told Barbados Today.

With a busy 2020 coming up, which will includes the team’s defense of the T20 World title, another player targeted for load management is fast bowler Kemar Roach.

The bowler is not in the Barbados team for the opening match against Windward Islands Volcanoes in St. Vincent following a request from Cricket West Indies (CWI) that he plays six of the maximum ten matches.

“We see the need to manage Kemar and Jason’s workloads to get the best out of them for 2020," Adams explained.

Shannon Gabriel nabbed the first three wickets, Holder the next six including England counterpart Ben Stokes for a team-best 43, and Gabriel grabbed the last wicket to finish with 4-62.

England, at 174-9, didn’t look like reaching 200 but Dom Bess hit 31 not out and shared 30 with fast bowler James Anderson, the last man out.

An early tea was taken with England set to repay the West Indies' batting lineup in ideal bowling conditions.

Gabriel and Holder reduced England to 106-5 at lunch.

But the break enlivened Stokes and Jos Buttler, who came out punchy and riding some luck.

Stokes, dropped on 14 by Kemar Roach on the run, was dropped again on 32 off Roach to a simpler chance by Shamarh Brooks at extra cover.

Stokes and Buttler combined for 67 and 13 boundaries in the empty arena until Holder drew Stokes forward on 43 and earned an edge behind.

Buttler, on 35, was out to another seaming ball by Holder and a low, one-handed catch behind by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.

When Jofra Archer was out for a duck after a West Indies review showed his front pad blocked his leg stump, Holder had his fifth wicket and taken 3-1 in 14 balls.

The five-wicket haul was Holder’s seventh, and sixth in his last 10 tests.

Mark Wood on 5 slashed at Holder straight to Shai Hope at gully, and Holder would finish the innings with career-best figures of 20-6-42-6.

Bess and Anderson gave England a little lift to get past 200, but Anderson lost his off stump trying to defend Gabriel, who removed opener Rory Burns (30) and Joe Denly (18) in the morning.

The competition, which was introduced in August of last year, is meant to be the premier championship for Test cricket.

The tournament features nine of the twelve Test-playing nations, each of whom plays a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consists of between two and five matches, so although all teams will play six series (three at home and three away), they will not play the same number of Tests. Each team will be able to score a maximum of 120 points from each series and the two teams with the most points at the end of the league stage will contest the final.

Holding has however taken exception with both the format of the competition and its established points system.

"It doesn't work," Holding was quoted as saying by Wisden. "First of all, the points system is ridiculous. You can't play five Test matches and get the same amount of points if you play two Test matches,” he added.

"And secondly, at some point, you're going to have teams who know they cannot get to the final and so those Test matches aren't going to be all that entertaining. People know it's just another game."

He also expressed his satisfaction that players are keen to represent the West Indies once more.

The former fast bowler was speaking on the Mason and Guest show in Barbados on Tuesday.

He said he has been told that the year-old CWI administration had set up committees to get some key things done but most importantly, he said there were good signs for West Indies cricket following the emergence of talented players such as Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

"Another thing that I am happy with is that youngsters are now looking forward to representing the Windies again, and everybody is now making themselves available again, which is important," he said.

"I see light at the end of the tunnel because I see talent. Once there is talent, there has to be light at the end of the tunnel. Those three guys are three of the most talented I have seen in the last three to four years. When I look at cricketers, I look at who can make other teams around the world, and those three guys can make most other teams."

Holding was speaking from the Cayman Islands where he is currently during the global pandemic that has shut down sports across the globe.

The 56-year-old who represented the West Indies in 102 Tests and 227 ODIs from 1987-2002, was named as part of new white ball coach, Daren Sammy’s staff.

Hooper described “helping batsmen prepare for games” as his primary role on the staff.

“Obviously, it’s a fantastic feeling,” Hooper told the media in a press conference on Friday.

“West Indies cricket has always been dear to me. I’ve been away for a long time but I’ve kept track of our progress or lack thereof so it’s good to be back,” he added.

Hooper, one of the finest cricketers Guyana has ever produced, also acknowledged that being around some familiar faces has eased his transition into the role.

“I’m among some familiar faces as well especially from the coaching staff perspective. I know Daren (Sammy) and Floyd (Reifer). James Franklin is new to me but I think I might’ve played against him,” he said.

“Then, when it comes to the players, I know quite a few members there. I met Jason (Holder) when I was stationed back at the High-Performance Center in 2014 or 2015, I know Shamarh (Brooks) as well and, of course, the two locals from my country, Romario (Shepherd) and Keemo (Paul) I also know so I’m among some familiar faces and it’s good to be back,” he added.

Hooper is currently with the team in Zimbabwe as they prepare to open their account in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers against the USA on Sunday and he expressed confidence in the team’s chances to advance through the qualifiers and into the World Cup scheduled for October 5-November 19 in India later this year.

“We’re ready. You get a feel or a vibe of the energy in the team. I think Daren (Sammy) is an inspirational leader and he’s been tasked with trying to get the West Indies into the World Cup which will be massive for us. The energy’s been great and we’re looking forward to the game on Sunday and I’m sure we’ll do well.

After being put in to bat, the Windies amassed 339-7 from their 50 overs thanks to classy hundreds from Captain, Shai Hope (132) and Nicholas Pooran (115).

They then restricted Nepal to 238 all out in 49.4 overs with Jason Holder (3-34) leading the way with the ball.

Pooran spoke about his knock in a post-match interview.

“It was one that the team needed. I’m happy that I was there to contribute and raise both hands at the end,” Pooran said about his knock which came off just 94 balls and included 10 fours and four sixes.

Pooran joined Hope, at the crease with the West Indian reeling at 55-3 in the 16^th over and the pair then combined to put on an excellent 216-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Only Shivnarine Chanderpaul and current assistant coach, Carl Hooper, have had a higher fourth wicket partnership on ODIs for the West Indies. The pair put on 226 against South Africa in East London in 1999.

The partnership also put the pair tenth on the all-time fourth wicket partnerships list in ODIs.

Pooran also heaped praise on his Captain whose 132 came off 129 balls and included 10 fours and three sixes.

“For the last couple years, Shai has been that batsman in ODI cricket for us and we depend on him heavily. He knows that and everyone knows that and I’m happy that he’s there performing when we need him the most,” Pooran said.

The West Indies scored 339-7 despite only getting 33 runs from their top three. Pooran believes this shows the potential of this team with the bat.

“There’s a lot of potential on our team but, in saying that, we don’t have much time in this tournament. We need to put words into action and we need guys to put their hands up for the team. That’s the only way we’re going to move forward,” he said.

With this win, the West Indies join hosts, Zimbabwe, with two wins from as many games and the pair will do battle on Saturday.

“Saturday’s going to be important for both teams. We’re going to recover tomorrow, turn up on Saturday and hopefully we can play our best game and continue to move on in this tournament,” he said.

Pooran also reiterated the importance of these qualifiers for the West Indies.

“It’s very serious, not only to us, but to the people in the Caribbean. We need to qualify, there’s no doubt about it and we know that as players and we’re trying our best to put things in place,” he said.

Hope scored 132 and Pooran 115 as the West Indies recovered from 55-3 to post their highest score so far in search of their second win in the qualifiers.

After being sent in to bat, West Indies lost the wickets of Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles for one and nought, respectively, with only nine runs on the board in the fifth over.

However, Hope and Brandon King stabilized the situation somewhat before King was bowled by Sandeep Lamicchane for 32 to have the West Indies in trouble on 55-3.

Hope and Pooran turned things around with a fourth-wicket partnership of 216 that put the West Indies in command. Hope got to his 50 in 73 balls and included five fours and a six as the West Indies wrested back control of proceedings.

Pooran, meanwhile, was more efficient, smashing three fours and a six in his 50 that came from just 51 balls.

As the pair exerted their dominance on Nepal’s bowlers, the 100 partnership came up in 94 balls. It took them 32 additional deliveries to bring up the 150-run partnership with Pooran being the dominant partner with 83 of those crucial runs. Hope’s contribution was 66 as the West Indies picked up momentum to push the scoring rate above six runs an over.

Hope got to his 15^th ODI hundred from just 107 balls with Pooran’s second ODI ton coming off just 81 balls and included nine fours and four sixes.

The 200-run partnership was achieved in just 159 balls as the Caribbean men eyed a score of 350.

The partnership was broken in the 44^th over when Pooran was dismissed, out caught and bowled by Dipendra Singh Airee for 115.

Rovman Powell added a quick-fire 29 from just 14 balls as the West Indies past 300 runs.

The West Indies lost two wickets in the 50^th over bowled by Lalit Rajbanshi. Hope was caught by Bhim Sharki at long off for a magnificent 132 and Keemo Paul was bowled off the final ball of the innings leaving Jason Holder unbeaten on 16.

Rajbanshi was the best of the Nepalese bowlers with 3-52.

The Scots won the toss and put the West Indians in to bat at the Harare Sports Club.

Hope top scored with a 65-ball 57 while Shepherd provided some valuable lower-order hitting with a brisk 34-ball 53 as the Windies posted 264 in 48.4 overs.

Hope’s knock contained six fours while Shepherd hit five fours and three sixes.

Chris Sole took 4-50 from his 10 overs while Jack Jarvis and Chris Greaves each claimed three wickets for Scotland.

The West Indies then successfully defended the total, needing only 33.5 overs to bowl the Scots out for 173.

Cariah produced an excellent spell of bowling to claim 4-46 in nine overs while Roston Chase took 3-43 from 5.5 overs.

Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross were the chief scorers for Scotland with 38 and 35, respectively.

The West Indies next warm-up match will take place at the same venue on Thursday against the UAE.