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Untitled Document
 Chanderpaul slams century as West Indies coast to victory
24th Mar 2007 16:46 IST
Agencies
Opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul cracked an unbeaten 102 and the West Indies coasted to an eight-wicket victory over Ireland at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday to end the World Cup group stage unbeaten.
The left-handed Chanderpaul blasted 10 fours and four sixes off 113 balls in his sixth one-day international century, his first in World Cup.
The hosts rushed to their Duckworth/Lewis revised target of 190/2 with 59 balls to spare.
Ramnaresh Sarwan contributed 36 while Marlon Samuels struck two fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 27.
Earlier, Ireland was restricted to 183/8 off 48 overs by a disciplined West Indian bowling effort.
Opener Jeremy Bray top scored with a flashy 41, spiced with seven boundaries.
Fast bowler Darren Powell claimed 2/24 in a probing nine-over spell. Chris Gayle took 2/23 while all-rounder Dwayne Bravo grabbed 2/35.
Ireland, without captain Trent Johnston because of a shoulder injury, won the toss and chose to bat in excellent conditions.
Powell landed an early strike when William Porterfield edged to Gayle at first slip in the second over.
Bray and Eoin Morgan rebuilt the innings in a second wicket stand of 58 off 85 balls before West Indies hit back strongly again.
Powell coaxed a top-edged hook from Morgan and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin held a catch running back 30 yards.
Niall O Brien and Bray quickly fell to Ian Bradshaw and Jerome Taylor as Ireland slipped to 82/4 off 22 overs.
O'Brien snicked a Bradshaw outswinger to Ramdin while Bray lofted a Taylor slower ball to mid-off.
Andre Botha, one of the five left-handers in Ireland top order, joined right-handed Kevin O Brien and cautiously added 47 for the fifth wicket.
Botha stroked one four and a six in 28 before he top-edged a pull at Gayle to provide Ramdin with another running catch.
O'Brien was another Gayle victim when he skied to Ramnaresh Sarwan at deep midwicket. The younger of the O'Brien brothers in the team, Kevin contributed 17 off 46 balls.
Light rain stalled Ireland's innings at 161/6 off 45.2 overs and caused a delay of just over an hour.
Kyle McCallan, stand-in captain for Johnston, slammed an unbeaten 20 off 24 balls to boost the innings on resumption after Bravo took two wickets in two balls.
The West Indies reply was never bothered, despite losing Gayle at 24/1. The powerful left-hander lofted a slower ball from Dave Langford-Smith to mid-on.
Chanderpaul anchored the pursuit after that, settling in nicely before blossoming with some glorious strokeplay.
He and fellow Guyanese Sarwan shared a match-winning second wicket stand of 119 in 23 overs.
Sarwan fell trying to loft McCallan as he holed out to deep midwicket.
But Man of the Match Chanderpaul collected his third one-day century in his last seven internationals before Samuels sealed the win with a six over midwicket. |
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