Sarwan hits 50 in rain hit 20/20

Apr 19, 2010 Sports

Windies beat Ireland to take series 3-nil

Stylish Guyanese right-hander Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked an entertaining 27-ball 52 as West Indies beat Ireland by 16 runs in their rain hit 20/20 match at Sabina Park in Jamaica yesterday to take the 3-match series 3-nil.

Sarwan’s 3rd 20/20 half-century was decorated with 4 fours and 3 sixes and confirmed his return to fitness as the home team reached 152-4 after they were asked to bat first in a game reduced to 15 overs due to rain.

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul then took 3-26 from 3 overs as Ireland, who face the Caribbean side in their opening match of the 20/20 World Cup in Guyana on April 30, could only reach 136-7 when their 15 overs expired.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul who scored a fifty in his team’s win on Saturday, was run out for a duck off the third ball of the match before Grenadian Andre Fletcher who dominated a 2nd wicket stand with Wavel Hinds, was removed by Kevin O’Brien in the 5th over to leave the score on 39-2. Fletcher’s cameo 27 lasted 17 balls and included 6 fours.

The 29-year-old Sarwan and 33-year-old Hinds then put together 81 in 8 overs to take the score to 120 before Sarwan, who registered his 4th ODI ton against the same opposition last week, was removed by Alex Cusack.

Jamaican Hinds fell in the penultimate over after hitting a six and a four in his 35-ball 38 while Skipper Darren Sammy weighed in with 2 sixes and a four in an explosive unbeaten 19 from just 8 balls to see his team past the 150 mark.

The consistent Narsingh Deonarine was once again left unbeaten in his recent outings in Jamaica. Yesterday he faced 3 balls and clobbered a massive six in his unbeaten eight.

When the Irish began their reply, Trinidadian Rampaul quickly got rid of teenager Paul Stirling (4) at 12-1 in the 2nd over and although Australian-born 35-year-old Trent Johnson top-scored with 39 from 20 balls with 4 sixes and a four, opener William Porterfield (25) and Nigel Jones (21) were the only other batsmen to reach 20 as Ireland’s run-chase stalled in the closing stages.

Rampaul ensured the home side maintained its winning streak by removing Johnson and Gary Wilson (10) in the 14th over.

Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who opened the bowling with Rampaul, captured a wicket in another economical spell with the new ball.

Sammy, Deonarine and David Bernard also had a wicket each for the West Indies X1 who play Zimbabwe in a 20/20 match in Grenada on Saturday in their next match.

The Regional team will then travel to Guyana to face Afghanistan on April 27 at Providence in their first of two warm-up 20/20 World Cup matches in South America.

The regional side, which will be strengthened by the return from India of Skipper Chris Gayle and the Trinidadian pair of Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard, play New Zealand at Providence in their other warm-up game on April 28.

They begin their 20/20 World Cup campaign with their Day/Night clash in Guyana on April 30.

West Indies will face-off with England in Guyana on May 3 in their 2nd match as they hope to qualify for the next stage of the competition in Barbados.