Lewis fireworks leads West Indies to 4-1 T20I series win over Australia

By Sports Desk July 16, 2021

Evin Lewis blasted nine sixes and the West Indies to a 16-run victory to complete a 4-1 T20I series triumph over Australia in St Lucia on Friday.

Batting at the top of the order, Lewis smashed 79 from 34 balls, including four fours and nine sixes to get the West Indies off to a flying start after captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss.

Lewis fell at 124-3 at the end of the 11th over, before Andrew Tye took three late wickets while Mitch Marsh impressed again with 12-2.

Pooran (31 from 18) and Chris Gayle (21 from seven) contributed as the West Indies amassed an imposing 199-8, although Australia started brightly in reply led by Marsh.

Marsh came to the crease after opener Josh Philippe fell for one, hitting five fours and one six, before falling off Andre Russell's first ball for 30 from 15 deliveries.

A visibly limping Aaron Finch was spectacularly caught by Fabian Allen with a diving left-hand effort for 34 from 23 off the impressive Hayden Walsh who took the most wickets in the series.

Wickets continued to fall with regularity as Andre Russell finished with a personal T20I best 43-3.

LEWIS PUSHES WORLD CUP CASE

Lewis was dropped after a duck in the opening T20I, before returning with 31 in Wednesday's dead rubber.

But the 29-year-old Trinidadian showcased his ability with a stunning knock on Friday setting the tone for the hosts.

The left-hander is one of the West Indies' players vying for a spot in their final T20 World Cup squad and did his hopes no harm, in a side missing several key players including Kieron Pollard.

Lewis said post-game: "I basically stayed still and watched the ball on to the bat. It's always good to score runs and contribute to the team to get the victory."

The Trinidadian's only two T20I centuries both came in 2017. He added: "I've been working hard from 2017 to now. Obviously, I want to keep scoring runs and cashing in at all times."

MARSH PROVES SHINING LIGHT

Australia lost the series 4-1 with Marsh their shining light from the five-game T20I series, producing another display of his quality in the shortest format on Friday.

Marsh took 12-2 from two overs and crunched 30 from 15, finishing the series with 219 runs at 43.8 with a strike rate above 150.

The big all-rounder also hit 10 sixes throughout the series, double the next best Australian, while he also hit a team-high 20 fours.

Marsh also chipped with the ball, taking a team-high eight wickets, including 24-3.

Finch said: "I think Mitch Marsh stood out with his first opportunity at number three consistently and the role that he did with the ball."

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    Over 100 participants completed the workshop series, which included both indoor educational sessions and outdoor practical events. The events were led by senior officials of Cricket West Indies (CWI).

    Winston Reid, the Lead Curator for the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), lauded the initiative, which he hopes will continue beyond the World Cup.

    Reid, who is based at Kensington Oval in Barbados, the venue that will host the June 29 World Cup final, had a hugely successful cricket career when he played over 100 matches at the regional level for Barbados. He joined the staff at the historic venue in 2005, ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2007.

    “This was a very good initiative by the ICC [International Cricket Council], CWI [Cricket West Indies] and the BCA [Barbados Cricket Association]. This is something that should be encouraged, and I know the staff here benefited tremendously. It was a wonderful eye-opener, an education in many ways it was enlightening and interactive and the responses I got from the others who participated, said to me it was clear they too benefitted in a meaningful way,” Reid said.

    “The reason behind the workshop was to improve in every way we can and to do better at our jobs. We are gearing up towards the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be the biggest event we have ever hosted. We will be staging the final here, at this magnificent venue, so we want to make sure everyone is fully equipped.

    “Not only for Kensington, but for curatorship at all the other venues around the island and the region. We want to see better pitches and fields and playing conditions for our players to show their skills and also to entertain the fans in the stands. So, this was a very timely workshop series which augurs well for the game in the West Indies going forward," he added.

    Roland Holder, CWI Manager of Cricket Operations and Head of Cricket for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, outlined the reasons behind the series of workshops. He said the series was crafted by CWI and designed to upskill existing curators across the region by exposing them to international best practices for pitch preparation and applicable maintenance, while simultaneously expanding the cadre of curators by identifying new talent with the appropriate combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exposure, to lend further expertise to match venues to deliver a world-class event in June.

    A CWI Curators Manual was also produced in the lead up to the workshop and will be disseminated to the curators.

    Six countries in the West Indies will host matches in the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played from June 1-29. West Indies, which hosted the event in 2010, will hold matches at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Kensington Oval, Barbados; Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia; Arnos Vale, St Vincent and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago.

    The event will be the largest in the tournament’s history with 20 international teams playing 55 matches across nine locations. It is the first time USA will host matches at a T20 World Cup, with 16 first-round matches split between Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York), Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium (Dallas), and Broward County Stadium (Lauderhill).

  • Surrey stars eager to help Alec Stewart sign off with more silverware Surrey stars eager to help Alec Stewart sign off with more silverware

    Surrey are determined to give departing director of cricket Alec Stewart a successful send-off.

    It was announced last week that Stewart would step down from his role at the end of 2024 after a decade in the post.

    Stewart, 60, has overseen the development of several England internationals, alongside guiding Surrey to three County Championship titles, and a number of key figures in the team are eager to help him sign off with more silverware.

    Red-ball captain Rory Burns said: “It can be an emotional driver if that is the way you are inclined.

    “The way we try to operate, we look at what our process is and what we want to do day to day. It would be nice to send the gaffer out with another Championship win, but we’ve got a lot of hard work to do before that.”

    England batter Ollie Pope missed the meeting at Kia Oval where Stewart, in typically modest fashion, told the group of his decision in a brief manner before he turned the focus on to trying to produce another successful campaign.

    Former England wicketkeeper Stewart, who has helped care for his wife through her cancer battle since 2013, played a key role in Pope’s journey from Surrey academy graduate to vice-captain of the Test team.

    “I sadly missed a meeting when he announced it to the boys, but I had a phone call with him straight after and, yeah, I felt gutted,” Pope admitted.

    “I can’t imagine a club where you don’t see Stewie in every morning. I think he’s in at 6am every day on the rowing machine or on the treadmill or doing some weights, but that’s because he loves the club and loves being here.

    “And he’s also ridiculous at his job as well. The way he sort of makes you feel like you’ve got a personal relationship, but he’s also got the job to give you your contracts or release you.

    “I’ve got a great picture of him giving me my Surrey under-eight player-of-the-year award, which is one I’ll always have. He presented me with my England cap, again the video and the pics of that are seriously special.

    “Every player in the club and every member of the coaching staff feels like they’ve just got so much to owe him because whether he sees the talent in you or sees the good person in you, he sort of brings it out.

    “So he’s going to be a massive, massive loss for the club. It’s going to be sad when he leaves, but hopefully we can win a couple of trophies for him this year to give him a good send off.”

     

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    Stewart brought Ben Foakes to the club from Essex in 2015.

    Foakes added: “I was trying to think the other day if there is anyone that has done more for English cricket after their playing career and I couldn’t think of anyone.

    “He is going to obviously be massively missed.

    “It will be a huge blow for us, but he has earned his break and to switch off a bit.

    “The amount he has given to the group and the club as a whole, it would be the icing on the cake and good to send him off with one (trophy).”

  • Maia Bouchier smashes 91 as England Women seal T20 series victory Maia Bouchier smashes 91 as England Women seal T20 series victory

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    Bouchier’s 91 off 56 balls, her second successive half-century, helped England to 177 for three, Charlie Dean taking four wickets as New Zealand were restricted to 130 for seven.

    England lost Danni Wyatt, back in the side after playing in the Women’s IPL, early but Alice Capsey and Bouchier – hampered by a quad injury – added 75 in 10 overs.

    Captain Heather Knight (21 not out) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (29 not out) smashed 35 off the final 14 balls to set the hosts a daunting target.

    That target was made more daunting without captain Suzie Bates, injured in the field, and England struck at regular intervals.

    Dean grabbed four for 26, and Brooke Holliday was at the top scoring, with 25 for the hosts.

    The win gives England an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, which concludes in Wellington on Friday.

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