KitSports » west indies cricket

Tributes flow for commentator Cozier..

kit-sports editor — Thu, 12 May 2016 01:15:26 +0000

cricket.com.au

The voice of West Indies cricket, Tony Cozier, has died aged 75 following a short illness

Veteran cricket commentator and journalist Tony Cozier has died aged 75 following a short illness.

Cozier, who was the voice of West Indies cricket for more than 50 years, appeared on TV and radio around the world in addition to writing in several international newspapers and magazines and was regarded as one the most respected figures in the game.

He began his career on Australia’s 1965 tour of the Caribbean and was awarded life membership of the MCC for services to the sport in 2011.

Cozier died at his home in Barbados having been admitted to hospital earlier this month for tests related to infections in his neck and legs.

A tribute from the West Indies Cricket Board read: “On behalf the WICB and the various stakeholders in West Indies Cricket we offer sincere condolences to his wife Jillian, his son Craig, his daughter Natalie, his grandchildren and other family and friends.

“The lifelong work of Tony Cozier centred around West Indies cricket and he made a lasting contribution to the game. He ensured that West Indies cricket fans all around the world received information and knowledge about their beloved team and their favourite players. His life was dedicated to the game in the Caribbean and we salute him for his outstanding work.

“He was not just a great journalist, but also a great ambassador. He represented West Indies wherever he went. He educated people around the world about our cricket, our people, our culture and who we are. His voice was strong and echoed around the cricket world. He enjoyed West Indies victories and shared the pain when we lost. He gave a lifetime of dedicated service and will be remembered by all who came into contact with him.”

Tributes poured in from players and commentary box colleagues around the globe.

Sri Lanka and Windies rely on youngsters .

kit-sports editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 01:29:34 +0000

Two equally matched teams, Sri Lanka and the West Indies will be hoping that their youngsters will inspire the country to victory when the two Test series gets underway on October 14 at the Galle International Stadium. The series is also of great significance considering the fact that the two teams will be battling for the Sobers-Tissera Trophy which is named after two former great cricketers who represented their respective countries with distinction. Both teams are in a period of transition with Sri Lanka hoping to bounce back into recognition following two back to back series defeats at the hands of Pakistan and India while the West Indies are also determined to get back into the winning ways. Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews addressing a media briefing at the Taj Samudra Hotel yesterday, said that the players are keen to put aside their bad dreams and to strike form during the Test series which will be followed by three one day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals.
“We are very much focused on this Test series and we are quite confident that the players will deliver the desired results on the field after a disappointing series against Pakistan and India,” revealed the Sri Lankan captain. “We know the West Indies is one the most nicest teams on and off the field and they are no doubt missing out some of their greats but they are capable of turning things around and defeating any side on their day” added Mathews.
This series will also be a tough one for skipper Mathews whose batting skills will be tested severely following the retirement of the two legends Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara for the first time. Meanwhile West Indies captain Jason Holder believed that his team has been inspired after the series was named after one of their former great cricketers Sir Garfield Sobers and their ambition is to take away this prestigious trophy back to the Caribbean.
“We are really enjoying the weather here in Sri Lanka and the players are certainly looking forward to the three day practice match so that they will have a good work out ahead of the opening Test match” said Holder. “We are looking forward to a hard fought series and we are fully aware of our opponents’ strengths and weak points having studied their performances during the recent series against Pakistan and India” added the West Indies captain. Holder also said that the absence of regular coach Phil Simmons is a huge setback for the side but hoped that the players would put aside their on and off field controversies and concentrate on cricket so that they will be able to improve on their ICC Test Rankings.

Aussies demolish hapless West Indies

kit-sports editor — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 01:19:30 +0000

AFP) Australia demolished hapless West Indies on the fourth day of the second and final Test at Sabina Park on Sunday, routing the home side for 114 to win by 277 runs and take the series 2-0.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon formalized the result with the wickets of Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor off successive balls early in the afternoon session.
That was after Mitchell Johnson had ended the resistance of Denesh Ramdin, having the West Indies captain caught by his opposite number, Michael Clarke, at slip for a top score of 29.
“We’re really happy to win two Test matches away from home,” said Clarke in reflecting on his side’s performances over the fortnight in the Caribbean and ahead of the Ashes.
“There’s a lot of cricket ahead of us and it was very important to come and achieve what we have.”
For Johnson, his second wicket of the innings lifted his career tally to 291, drawing him level with Craig McDermott, who is now Australia’s bowling coach, as the joint-fifth most successful bowler in Test cricket for his country.
Steve Smith earned the man of the match award for his innings of 199 and 54 not out.
“It was nice to score some runs in this match and contribute to another win for Australia,” said Smith.
“I thought it was outstanding for our bowlers to take 40 wickets over the two matches in these conditions.”
Before lunch, Josh Hazlewood lifted his match haul to seven wickets in removing Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood.
Mitchell Starc, who started the rout by removing both openers in the first over of the innings late on the third day, got the ball rolling again for the tourists in the morning when he bowled Shane Dowrich off his pads after 19 minutes’ play.
Hazlewood, who took 12 wickets in the two Tests, was named man of the series.
Despite struggling to find his rhythm throughout the match, Johnson joined the rampant wicket-takers when he breached the defence of Shai Hope for the sixth wicket of the innings.
Jason Holder, who took on the Australians with the bat and verbally during an entertaining first innings of 82 not out the day before, failed to have any impact the second time around.
The promising all-rounder pushed a straightforward catch to Starc at short midwicket off Shane Watson 15 minutes before the interval.
Starting the morning at 16 for two, Bravo and Dowrich were kept under a virtual state of siege by the outstanding pace and perseverance of Starc and Hazlewood.
Despite his status as the most experienced West Indies batsman in the match, given the unavailability of Marlon Samuels, Bravo struggled to get the ball away.
He eventually fell for just 11 off 49 deliveries as Shaun Marsh held his second low catch of the innings at gully, this time off the bowling of Hazlewood.
Just a few minutes earlier, Starc’s unerring accuracy proved too much for Dowrich, the right-hander being bowled off his pads.
No-one in the middle-order was able to resist the Australians, leaving the captain and the tail to somehow save face for a side on the cusp of a humiliating defeat to follow their nine-wicket loss inside three days in the first Test in Dominica.
Their effort ultimately proved in vain.
“Our young guys should take a lot from this, taking on one of the toughest teams in world cricket,” said Ramdin.
“We showed some fight, although not for long enough. Let’s hope we improve by the time we face Australia again at the end of the year.”

West Indies hit back after batting collapse

kit-sports editor — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 00:45:40 +0000

(AFP) West Indies squandered a promising position, losing their last nine wickets for 85 runs to be dismissed for 148 in their first innings on the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Dominica on Wednesday.

At stumps, Australia were 85 for three in reply, the in-form Steve Smith and debutant Adam Voges set to resume on the second morning after the home bowlers battled hard to prevent the visitors from completely dominating day one. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson led the rout of the West Indies with three wickets each on a surface that held few terrors for the batsmen.
Fellow pacer Mitchell Starc chimed in with two scalps as the bowlers were complemented by excellence in the field, Australian Captain Michael Clarke leading the way with three catches in the slip cordon.
“We bowled well as a group today on a pitch that offered a bit of seam movement throughout the day,” said Hazlewood.
“I suppose I’m a bit luckier than the other guys who have just arrived as I got to play in that one warm-up match to help get accustomed to the conditions here.”
West Indies skipper, Denesh Ramdin, may be regretting the decision to bat first on winning the toss but the continuous clatter of Caribbean wickets had as much to do with indiscipline batting as aggressive, persevering bowling.
Ramdin himself was the seventh wicket to fall in the midst of the afternoon capitulation, a hopeful 30-run partnership with Jason Holder ended by the pace and accuracy of Johnson.
Despite an encouraging platform at 63 for one, the home slipped into deep trouble by losing five wickets for 28 runs either side of the lunch interval.
Experienced left-hander Darren Bravo took 14 deliveries to get off the mark and was just getting into stride when an attempt to play a forcing shot through the off side produced an outside edge for Clarke to snare an excellent catch.
It gave Nathan Lyon his first wicket and left him three away from surpassing Hugh Trumble as Australia’s most successful Test off-spinner ever.
Shai Hope, Brathwaite’s opening partner, played a few expansive drives but chased one wide delivery too many off Johnson for Marsh to take the diving catch at gully and send the batsman back to the pavilion for what proved to be the innings top score of 36.
“We didn’t make the most of the opportunity at all,” said Hope.
“The pitch is a bit slow but it’s still decent to bat on. We’ll have to be consistent with our lines and lengths tomorrow to stay in the match.”
Shane Dowrich was the first wicket to fall after lunch, playing on to Hazlewood, who then promptly removed Jermaine Blackwood to another Clarke catch.
Marlon Samuels, the most experienced West Indies player following the omission of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, played cautiously for 40 minutes only to fall to a top-edged hook off Starc for just seven, the irrepressible Hazlewood judging the catch well at fine leg.
Voges, Australia’s 11th oldest debutant in the traditional form of the game at the age of 35 had his moment of the day in taking an excellent diving catch to account for Jerome Taylor off the leg-spin of Smith, a day after the part-time bowler’s 26th birthday.
It was Taylor who removed David Warner at the start of Australia’s reply.
Jason Holder accounted for Shaun Marsh and West Indies hopes were lifted further when Clarke edged an attempted cut off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo into the gloves of Ramdin, giving the wicketkeeper his 200th dismissal in Test cricket.

Cap- Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson jumps in the air after getting out West Indies Denesh Ramdin by breaking the wicket,

West Indies 1st Innings
K. Brathwaite c Haddin b Hazlewood 10
S. Hope c Marsh b Johnson 36
D. Bravo c Clarke b Lyon 19
S. Dowrich b Hazlewood 15
M. Samuels c Hazlewood b Starc 07
J. Blackwood c Clarke b Hazlewood 02
D. Ramdin b Johnson 19
J. Holder c Marsh b Starc 21
J. Taylor c Voges b Smith 06
D. Bishoo not out 09
S. Gabriel c Clarke b Johnson 02
Extras (w-1, nb-1) 02
Total (53.5 overs, all out) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-63, 3-75, 4-85, 5-87, 6-91, 7-121, 8-133, 9-144, 10-148.
Bowling: Johnson 13.5-2-34-3 (1nb), Hazlewood 15-7-33-3 (1w), Starc 15-5-48-2, Lyon 6-1-20-1, Watson 3-1-11-0, Smith 1-0-2-1
Australia 1st Innings
D. Warner c Blackwood b Taylor 08
S. Marsh c Bravo b Holder 19
S. Smith not out 17
M. Clarke c Ramdin b Bishoo 18
A. Voges not out 20
Extras (nb-3) 03
Total (30 overs, 3 wickets) 85
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-38, 3-61
To bat: Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Bowling: Taylor 8-0-19-1 (1nb), Gabriel 6-1-20-0 (2nb), Holder 7-2-14-1, Bishoo 9-1-32-1

Ireland complete famous win……..

kit-sports editor — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 13:45:29 +0000

Live Scores Ireland 307/6 | Overs 45.5 Ireland complete the run chase and have lived up to the tag of giant killers. The minnows have played very well. The winning runs came of John Mooney’s with a shot that wasn’t very convincing but that doesn’t matter. They have opened their account in the ICC World Cup 2015 with a win over a formidable opponent. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 79(60) John Mooney 6(5)

Live Scores Ireland 301/6 | Overs 45 Ireland are really stuttering here all of a sudden. Gary Wilson fell for 1 run of six balls to the bowling of Jerome Taylor and Kevin O’Brien got run out for a duck. But Niall was unfazed and he struck Roach for two lovely boundaries. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 78(59) John Mooney 1(1)

OUT! Kevin O’Brien 0(1) run out

Live Scores Ireland 286/4 | Overs 42: Andy Balbirnie tried to smash Jerome Taylor for a six over square leg but only found the fielder but that should not cause them any worry as they are now within 20 runs of victory with plenty of wickets in hand. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 65(48) Gary Wilson 0(1)

OUT! Balbirnie c Bravo b Taylor 9(9)

Live Scores Ireland 283/3 | Overs 40: Ed Joyce in his hurry to finish this off smashed a four first ball and went for the bigger shot the next ball but was caught out at long off. Another Irish batsman denied of a hundred but Ireland are well in control. Fourteen runs from that over and Ireland now require just 22 short of victory. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 63(43) Andy Balbirnie 8(3)

OUT! Ed Joyce 84(67) c Bravo b Taylor

Live Scores Ireland 269/2 | Overs 39: Niall O’Brien brought up his half-century with an emphatic boundary of the very first ball off this over from Jason Holder. Ireland are winning this and West Indies need a miracle if they are to make a change to this story. O’Brien then struck another four and a couple of twos to finish a good over. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 62(42) Ed Joyce 80(65)

Live Scores Ireland 255/2 | Overs 38: The over started with a dropped catch and Jason Holder was the man who dropped the tough chance at long off. After that Niall O’Brien smashed a four through covers. Ireland are well in control. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 49(37) Ed Joyce 79(63)

Live Scores Ireland 244/2 | Overs 37: Ireland are literally running away with this, Niall O’Brien smashed the second ball of the over for a beautiful lofted boundary to the covers. Six runs of the over. Ireland now need just 61 runs to win from 78 balls. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 38(33) Ed Joyce 79(62)

Live Scores Ireland 238/2 | Overs 36: No change in story here. West Indies still lacking the intent to effect a change in course of this game. Ireland are all set to start their opening game with an emphatic victory. Jerome Taylor was the bowler. His line and length weren’t very threatening but had good speed which kept the Irish batsmen in check. But the over yielded five runs. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 30(24) Ed Joyce 76(59)

Ireland 233/2 | Overs 35: Very poor bowling performance by the West Indian bowlers, Lendl Simmons was pathetic and Ed Joyce was quick to pounce on ordinary the ordinary bowling. Ireland are now poised to win this match comfortably. Meanwhile even Niall O’Brien has joined the act. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 28(23) Ed Joyce 75(58)

Ireland 201/2 | Overs 32: Ed Joyce is unfazed by the wicket of Paul Stirling and has looked solid and only grown in confidence ever since. He’s getting boundaries consistently and when he’s not, the singles are coming in all the time. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 12(13) Ed Joyce 63(52)

Ireland 177/2 | Overs 28: Marlon Samuels gets the wicket of Paul Stirling! A big breakthrough for the West Indies indeed. Stirling was looking to cut but got an edge to Denesh Ramdin but a very well constructed knock, deserved a hundred. BATTING: Niall O’Brien 0(1) Ed Joyce 40(32)

OUT! Paul Stirling 92(84) c Ramdin b Samuels

Ireland 162/1 | Overs 25: Paul Stirling is in full attack mode now even as he inches towards a well played century. In the 25th over he smashed Jerome Taylor for 18 runs, Ireland are in a real strong position to live up to their giantkillers tag. BATTING: Paul Stirling 88(75) Ed Joyce 40(32)

Ireland 131/1 | Overs 23: Chris Gayle continued to keep it quite tight and conceded just four runs. But Kemar Roach was hammered for 12 runs in the next over after being brought back into the attack. Paul Stirling hit him for a monstrous six and a four. BATTING: Paul Stirling 69(67) Ed Joyce 28(28)

Ireland 115/1 | Overs 21: Darren Sammy is welcomed back to crease with a monstrous six over his head from the bat of Ed Joyce. He adjusted his length quite well after that. Nine runs of that over. BATTING: Paul Stirling 56(60) Ed Joyce 26(23)

Read about Paul Stirling’s fifty

Ireland 106/1 | Overs 20: Gayle is maintaining quite a strong stranglehold and concedes just four runs of the twentieth over. BATTING: Paul Stirling 55(57) Ed Joyce 18(20)

Ireland 102/1 | Overs 19: Darren Sammy is brought into the attack. Brave effort to come out to bowl even though his back was giving trouble and a good first over in fact. Just three runs conceded. Ireland have taken a couple of runs to surpass the 100-run mark, they’re certainly in a commanding position as of now. BATTING: Paul Stirling 53(55) Ed Joyce 16(15)

Ireland 99/1 | Overs 18: Excellent half-century by Paul Stirling as he reaches his milestone of just 49 deliveries. Chris Gayle manages to keep it tight, but concedes a boundary of the last delivery of the over. Ed Joyce starts well. BATTING: Paul Stirling 51 (52) Ed Joyce 15(13)

Ireland 92/1 | Overs 17: Paul Stirling growing in confidence with every passing over, hit Gayle for a nice boundary. Andre Russell made the mistake of over-exploiting the short ball against a quality batsman like Ed Joyce and was punished with a six with a pull shot. These two are key to Ireland’s chances of staging an upset. BATTING: Paul Stirling 48(48) Ed Joyce 11(11)

Ireland 77/1 | Overs 15: Ireland have to focus on preserving wickets. A good over by Andre Russell there, only lets out a couple of runs. The fifth ball was hit nicely straight back but was intercepted by Chris Gayle himself. BATTING: Paul Stirling 40(42) Ed Joyce 3(5)

Ireland 75/1 | Overs 14: Chris Gayle is bowling very accurately. Doesn’t get a wicket of the good balls and bowls a widish one the third ball and Porterfield edges it to the keeper. Gayle has provided an important breakthrough. Porterfield has been looking vulnerable for some time now and he’s out of his misery now. Ed Joyce out in the middle now. BATTING: Paul Stirling 37(37) Ed Joyce 2(3)

OUT! Porterfield 23(43) c Ramdin b Gayle

Ireland 70/0 | Overs 13: Missed caught and bowled opportunity for Andre Russell of the first ball. Second ball was taken for two runs. The third was guided down to mid on for a single. Porterfield is looking quite circumspect. BATTING: William Porterfield 23(41) Paul Stirling 37(37)

Ireland 66/0 | Overs 12: Chris Gayle brought into the attack for an over of spin and he’s surprisingly getting good turn and caused some amount of trouble. Porterfield was unable to rotate strike until the last ball. BATTING: William Porterfield 22(37) Paul Stirling 34(34)

Ireland 65/0 | Overs 11: Andre Russell brought in to replace Jason Holder. The batsmen played him around quite easily; great partnership this. West Indies need a wicket and fast. Four runs of that over. BATTING: William Porterfield 21(31) Paul Stirling 34(34)

Ireland 61/0 | Overs 10: Paul Stirling in very good form. Hit the second ball through extra cover for an amazing four and it wasn’t even a very bad ball. Taylor came back with a bouncer which Stirling ducked away from. He guided the next ball; another bouncer to third man for a single. Porterfield slashed the next ball outside off but was cut off at point. BATTING: William Porterfield 18(28) Paul Stirling 33(32)

Ireland 56/0 | Overs 9: Jason Holder has shown most intent of all the West Indian bowlers. He’s getting movement of the pitch but may want to adjust his length a little. Porterfield and Stirling have been sedate. The fifth ball was a viscious short ball but was a little too high and was called wide. But an economical over otherwise finishing with a good length ball that missed the outside edge. BATTING: William Porterfield 18(26) Paul Stirling 28(28)

Ireland 54/0 | Overs 8: Holder has shown a lot of intent and went for a head-height bouncer but due to movement of the pitch it went down the legside which Denesh Ramdin failed to collect. Apart from that Holder bowled quite well and his lengths have been much better than that of Roach at the other end. Jerome Taylor was brought into the attack to replace the misfiring Roach, he started off with a hostile bouncer which got Paul Stirling on the helmet in his attempt to pull. The next ball was fuller which Stirling timed nicely to the mid wicket for two. The next ball Taylor attempted the short ball again and Stirling connected the hook this time send the ball for a six at backward square leg boundary. BATTING: William Porterfield 18(22) Paul Stirling 27(26)

Ireland 40/0 | Overs 6: Skipper Jason Holder bowled beautifully getting movement of the pitch and good amount of bounce. William Porterfield and Stirling have shown solid intent despite some quality bowling and the results has been favourable so far. Porterfield hit a good-looking shot but couldn’t place it through the covers. Roach has been slightly on the shorter side and batsmen have been more comfortable against him. In the last ball of the over he bowled fuller and Porterfield picked it of his pads and flicked it to the vacant legside boundary for four.BATTING: William Porterfield 17(21) Paul Stirling 18(15)

Ireland 31/0 | Overs 4: Ireland have started off very positively. They’re getting the singles and also hitting the timely boundaries. But given their reputation to collapse under pressure, West Indies will not have much to worry just as yet. Paul Stirling swatted Kemar Roach for a four to the square leg boundary. The rotation of strike has been quite good too. PAul Stirling then went on to hit a beautiful looking straight drive straight down the ground. BATTING: William Porterfield 10(11) Paul Stirling 16(13)

Ireland 16/0 | Overs 2: It has been a mixed first couple of overs with the batsmen looking edgy but determined at the same time. But with 16 runs of the first two overs they’ll be happy with the progress. Surprisingly, the usually slow-paced William Porterfield took the aerial route for maximum effect against Kemar Roach BATTING: William Porterfield 10(10) Paul Stirling 1(2)

West Indies 304/7 | Overs 50: Simmons got to his hundred. He was majorly responsible for the remarkable recovery partnering Darren Sammy for a 154 run partnership. Got to his hundred of 83 balls and got out one ball later but the damage was done. Ireland have to chase 305 for victory. BATTING: Andre Russell 27(13) Jason Holder 0(0)

OUT! Lendl Simmons 102(84) c Dockrell b Sorensen

West Indies 243/6 | Overs 45: Ireland have taken that precious wicket of Darren Sammy better late than never. But he’s done a lot of damage smashing 89 of 67 balls and West Indies can even push for 300 now. Remarkable recovery with that 154 run stand between Sammy and Lendl Simmons. The Irish fast bowlers have been very ineffective towards the end. Kevin O’Brien was taken for 22 runs by Lendl Simmons in the 44th Over. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 69(66) Andre Russell 1(1)

OUT! Darren Sammy 89(67) c Dockrell b Mooney

West Indies 206/5 | Overs 43: Darren Sammy seems unstoppable now despite the tropuble he’s coping with his back. In fact it feels as if the back ache has spurred him on to hit a few sixes. Lendl Simmons is also getting in on the act. The Irish bowlers have lacked intent of late. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 46(59) Darren Sammy 77(63)

West Indies 180/5 | Overs 40: Darren Sammy seems to be having some problem with his back, but that doesn’t deter him from smashing the second ball for a huge six over cow corner. 12 from the over after Simmons hits a boundary. West Indies looking poised for 250+ score now.BATTING: Lendl Simmons 37(49) Darren Sammy 62(55)

West Indies 168/5 | Overs 39: Kevin O’Brien bowled too many short ball in the over and while Darren Sammy failed to get hold of the first four ball, he dispatched the fifth delivery for four and got a single of the next ball. Five of that over. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 33(47) Darren Sammy 55(51)

West Indies 163/5 | Overs 38: Even Simmons is getting in on the act now as West Indies look to up the ante. Smashed a huge six of Kevin O’Brien in an over that yielded 8 runs. George Dockrell has bowled his last over and Darren Sammy hit him for a few runs including a 4 over the in-field towards long on. And he then hit another boundary, bringing his fifty up — a crucial one too. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 33(47) Darren Sammy 50(45)

West Indies 144/5 | Overs 36: Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy are increasing in confidence and if Ireland fail to break the partnership soon, these two will most certainly launch into attack mode. George Dockrell is nearing the end of his quota and that will be a cause of concern for Ireland. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 26(42) Darren Sammy 38(38)

West Indies 120/5 | Overs 32: After plenty of spin bowling overs from McBrine and Dockrell, Porterfield decides to bring Max Sorensen in the attack but he got smashed for a huge six in an over that brought 10 runs to give West Indies a much-needed move on. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 15(30) Darren Sammy 26(26)

West Indies 106/5 | Overs 30: The spinners are getting good grip and Dockrell is even getting some awkward bounce that batsmen are finding difficult to navigate through. McBrine and Dockrell concede a couple runs each. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 12(27) Darren Sammy 15(17)

West Indies 102/5 | Overs 28: McBrine is no mood to give away any freebies today and while he’s not looked threatening for a wicket, he has held one end up nicely, just conceding two runs in the 27th over which took the Windies past the 100-run mark. George Dockrell conceded just a single run in the following over thus adding to the pressure on batsmen. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 10(17) Darren Sammy 13(15)

West Indies 99/5 | Overs 26: Dockrell got taken for a resounding six by Darren Sammy owing to beautiful use of feet. But no more runs from that over. Sammy is not one to get tied down. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 9(8) Darren Sammy 11(12)

West Indies 93/5 | Overs 25: Another fine over from McBrine. He didn’t get a wicket as yet but has bowled like a miser and has helped build the pressure. Three runs from this over. BATTING:Lendl Simmons 9(8) Darren Sammy 5(6)

West Indies 90/5 | Overs 24: George Dockrell has left the West Indian camp in disarray and strife taking yet another big wicket of Denesh Ramdin this time! Beautiful bowling by him. Third wicket for him that. BATTING: Lendl Simmons 8(7) Darren Sammy 3(1)

Denesh Ramdin 1(6) lbw Dockrell

West Indies lose Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels in quick succession

West Indies 84/4 | Overs 22: Gayle has thrown away a brilliant start getting out for 36. George Dockrell is the man who makes the strike… And now he’s got the wicket of Marlon Samuels as well! Out LBW! Samuels sent it upstairs for review and it’s a close call but it’s ruled in Dockrell’s favour. The giantkillers have announced themselves loud and clear. Great comeback from Dockrell, he’s made good use of the zip on offer.

BATTING: Denesh Ramdin 0(0) Lendl Simmons 6(2)

OUT! Gayle 36(65) c Kevin O’Brien b Dockrell

OUT! Marlon Samuels 21(41) lbw Dockrell

West Indies 78/2 | Overs 21: Seven runs of that over from West Indies thanks to a big hit for six from Marlon Samuels off the bowling of Paul Stirling. BATTING: Chris Gayle 36(63) Marlon Samuels 21(39)

West Indies 71/2 | Overs 20: Good comeback by George Dockrell after being hit for six in his first over. Four runs in form of singles came from that over. BATTING: Chris Gayle 33(59) Marlon Samuels 15(35)

West Indies 67/2 | Overs 19: West Indies have got a bit of a move on now and will look to steady the ship after the loss of early wickets. Kevin O’Brien and Andy McBrine bowled economically. But now Gayle seems to be getting into the act slowly and Ireland will eye his wicket. BATTING: Chris Gayle 35(61) Marlon Samuels 13(31)

West Indies 51/2 | Overs 16: Brilliant over by George Dockrell. Just one run from this over. They are not getting any momentum at all. BATTING: Chris Gayle 22(49) Marlon Samuels 8(23)

West Indies 50/2 | Overs 15: Andy McBrine bowls a another over in stingy fashion. Gayle has been out there for some time but is still not looking very comfortable at the crease. BATTING:Chris Gayle 21(46) Marlon Samuels 8(20) READ :West Indies lose two early wickets

West Indies 49/2 | Overs 14: A nice tight over from Kevin O Brien to maintain the stranglehold. But Ireland will also have to think in terms of wickets as Chris Gayle can be dangerous if he stays on for a few more overs. BATTING: Chris Gayle 20(41) Marlon Samuels 8(19)

West Indies 48/2 | Overs 13: Another tight over from Andy McBrine. Only two runs from it for West Indies. Ireland doing the right thing by putting the pressure on with tight bowling.BATTING: Chris Gayle 19(35) Marlon Samuels 8(19)

West Indies 46/2 | Overs 12: Five runs come from that over with Marlon Samuels dispatchin Kevin O’Brien for a beautiful lofted straight drive and then tapping the last ball of the over for 1 run towards mid-on. West Indies look to rebuild. BATTING: Chris Gayle 18(34) Marlon Samuels 7(14)

West Indies 41/2 | Overs 11: Couple of anxious moments for Marlon Samuels before he tapped the third ball to the leg side for a single. Gayle tried to hit a boundary at long on boundary but found the mid-on fielder. Just one run from that over. BATTING: Chris Gayle 18(34) Marlon Samuels 2(8)

West Indies 40/2 | Overs 10: A good over by Kevin O’Brien resulting in just the single run from that bat of Marlon Samuels, who played a few confident strokes. These two will be key for West Indies. BATTING: Chris Gayle 18(31) Marlon Samuels 1(5)

West Indies 39/2 | Overs 9: Chris Gayle shook off the double whammy from the last over to hit two confident boundaries. Eight run from that Andy McBrine over. He needs to keep it tighter than that when bowling to Gayle. BATTING: Chris Gayle 18(30) Marlon Samuels 0(0)

West Indies 31/2 | Overs 8: Double change for Ireland as Kevin O’Brien is brought on to replace Max Sorensen with his medium pace bowling. His first ball is a horrible wide down leg-side. But he got the wicket of Dwayne Smith as the latter tried to take him on in the third ball and picked out the fielder at long-on. Big wicket for Ireland here! Darren Bravo comes out to replace him. And a mess up in the last ball gets Ireland their second wicket; Darren Bravo run-out for a duck without facing. BATTING: Chris Gayle 10(24)

OUT! Dwayne Smith 18(24) c Mooney b O’Brien

OUT! Darren Bravo 0(0) run-out

West Indies 29/0 | Overs 7: Sensing that paced bowling wasn’t really causing much trouble Porterfield brought on Andy McBrine for an over of spin. Bowled quite well and Gayle was happy to simply get a feel for the spin bowling and the over resulted in a maiden. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 18(21) Chris Gayle 10(21)

West Indies 29/0 | Overs 6: Eight runs come from that over as Dwayne Smith nudged a ball for two runs first and then took the aerial route in the fourth ball to clear the infield and get a lovely four down the ground. He then tapped the next ball to the leg side for a single. BATTING:Dwayne Smith 18(21) Chris Gayle 10(15)

West Indies 21/0 | Overs 5: A bad full length ball by Mooney was driven elegantly to the long on boundary by Dwayne Smith. As he grew in confidence he then dispatched the fourth ball to the cover boundary for a lovely four more. Mooney losing his way here a bit. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 11(16) Chris Gayle 9(14)

West Indies 12/0 | Overs 4: Some more decent bowling by Sorensen. An edgy Gayle attempted to hit out but mistimed it in the third ball. He even mistimed the fourth ball but the ball ran to the boundary by virtue of sheer power. Handy runs for West Indies. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 2(10) Chris Gayle 9(14)

West Indies 6/0 | Overs 3: Mooney is bowling at about 130 kph but is causing trouble with movement. Got the ball to whiz past Gayle’s outside edge. Positive start by Ireland here. Bowled full the last ball which Gayle pushed down the ground for a single. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 2(10) Chris Gayle 3(8)

West Indies 3/0 | Overs 2: Max Sorensen has come in to bowl the second over and West Indies got off the mark with a leg-bye of the second ball, he’s getting decent bounce and some movement. He hit Smith’s pad but was too high to even appeal in his fourth delivery. Got the thick outside edge in the fifth delivery but fell safe. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 1(9) Chris Gayle 1(3)

West Indies 0/0 | Overs 1: A few anxious moment for the batsmen with John Mooney bowling beautifully first up. He’s getting good amount of swing and Dwayne Smith appeared rather circumspect with the away-swinging ball beating his outside edge on a couple of occasions. A good maiden over. BATTING: Dwayne Smith 0(6) Chris Gayle 0(0)

Teams:

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Kevin O’Brien, Andy Balbirnie, Gary Wilson, Nail O’Brien, John Mooney, Max Sorensen, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine

West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lendl Simmons, Denesh Sammy, Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor

Ireland have won the toss and invited West Indies to bat first.

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live blog of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match between Ireland and West Indies at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. Ireland and West Indies kickstart their campaign in a Pool B match that could potentially decide their fate in the tournament. In a way, the fortunes of both Ireland and West Indies hinge on the result of their opening encounter in Nelson. This is Rishad D’Souza and I will be bringing you the over-by-over updates of the match. Here is the preview of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match between Ireland and West Indies.

Ireland have been appropriately labeled ‘Giant Killers’, and the match against West Indies is another opportunity for them to further enhance their reputation. Ireland are coming off mixed results from the warm-up matches having been humbled by neighbours Scotland in the opening encounter before bouncing back to beat Bangladesh. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE

West Indies enter the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 amidst a simmering player-board dispute which threatens to undermine their campaign. Furthermore West Indies were pummelled by England in their first warm-up match before only narrowly edging Scotland out by three runs. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

If batting was the issue against England, then their bowlers let them down against Scotland. West Indies need to quickly iron out their flaws if they are to pose a series threat to Test playing nations during the ICC World Cup 2015. Their current for could see them kiss the quarter-final goodbye if they slip up against one of the associates. Catch the Live Scorecard of the Pool B match between Ireland and West Indies here

Squads:

West Indies : Jason Holder (c), Marlon Samuels, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Andy Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andy McBrine, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wk), Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young